Self-managing your HOA is the right call for thousands of communities. You keep more dues money in the community, you stay directly accountable to your neighbors, and you avoid the communication delays and markup costs that come with a third-party management company. The catch: you need software that was actually designed for the way volunteer boards work.
AffordableHOA is that software. It was built from scratch for self-managed associations by an SRE who ran an HOA board and could not find a tool that was both powerful enough and affordable enough. Every feature in this list is available at every plan level, starting at $49 per month.
No per-feature upsells. Every capability listed below is included at every plan level. You pay for the number of units, not for access to features.
Generic tools fail self-managed boards for one simple reason: they were not built for multi-unit, multi-owner communities with recurring dues, reserve requirements, and state-law compliance obligations. A spreadsheet can track names. QuickBooks can track transactions. But neither one knows what a reserve fund is, can send violation notices automatically, or lets a resident pay dues by ACH from their phone.
Purpose-built self-managed HOA software handles the full operational stack in one place. Here is what AffordableHOA covers:
Collect HOA dues online via ACH or card through Stripe. Residents pay from a portal. Autopay supported.
Residents authorize recurring payments. Dues are charged automatically on the due date, no chasing required.
Match transactions to due records. Flag discrepancies. Keep your books audit-ready without a bookkeeper.
Track reserve fund balance separately from operating funds. Model contributions and projected expenditures.
Log violations with photos, issue notices, track cure periods, and escalate fines systematically.
Track COI, license, and W-9 for every vendor. Get alerts before insurance expires so you are never exposed.
Send documents for electronic signature. Works for rule acknowledgments, ARC approvals, move-in packets, and contracts.
Summarize meeting minutes, draft notices, and answer governance questions instantly. Powered by Anthropic Claude.
Let residents reserve the clubhouse, pool, or other shared spaces online. No back-and-forth emails required.
Residents submit maintenance tickets. Board tracks status, assigns vendors, and closes with notes.
Store CC&Rs, bylaws, meeting minutes, and financials. Role-based access means residents see what they should.
Post community announcements with automatic email delivery. No separate email list tool needed.
Most self-managed boards face one of three paths: manage everything manually with spreadsheets and email, hire a property management company, or use purpose-built HOA software. Here is how those options stack up on the dimensions that matter most to a volunteer board.
| Capability | Manual (Spreadsheets) | Property Manager | AffordableHOA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online dues collection | No | Yes | Yes |
| Autopay for residents | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Violation tracking with photos | No | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor compliance tracking | No | Yes | Yes |
| E-signatures built in | No | Rarely | Yes |
| AI meeting summaries | No | No | Yes |
| Reserve fund tracking | Manual only | Yes | Yes |
| Direct board control | Yes | No | Yes |
| Typical monthly cost (20 units) | $0 (time cost is high) | $600 to $1,500+ | From $49/month |
AffordableHOA is the right fit for:
It is not the right fit for large, professionally managed communities that already have a full-time community manager on payroll. Those communities typically need enterprise-grade software with a very different price point.
Most HOA software charges extra for features like e-signatures, AI tools, or violation management. AffordableHOA does not. The price scales with the number of units in your community, and every feature is available from day one. Payments are processed securely through Stripe.
AffordableHOA is American-owned and American-hosted. It was designed and built by Stephen Burke, a Senior Staff SRE with deep experience running the kind of infrastructure that HOA financial data demands. Your community's payment data moves through Stripe, the same payments infrastructure used by Amazon, Shopify, and thousands of other businesses. Your documents are stored on redundant cloud storage with backup replication.
No venture capital. No acquisition risk. A founder who answers support emails personally.
Stripe-powered payments. Resident dues go through Stripe Connect, meaning funds move directly to your HOA's bank account. AffordableHOA never holds your community's money.
Setup takes about 45 minutes for most communities. You add your units, invite residents, and configure your dues schedule. Residents get an email invitation with instructions for setting up autopay. From there, the platform handles collection, receipts, and reminders automatically.
There is no onboarding fee, no required training, and no salesperson to speak with before you can start. You can sign up, explore the full platform, and make your decision during a free trial.
Every feature your board needs, at one flat monthly price.
Start your free trialMore resources: HOA accounting software guide · HOA e-signatures guide · Vendor compliance tracking