How HOA Heroes Works
A step-by-step guide to investigating your HOA, building your case, and taking action. No legal expertise required.
Getting Started
Create or join your community
Start by creating a community for your HOA or joining one a neighbor already set up.
- Create: Go to Roster, click “Create a Community.” Enter your HOA name and address. You'll get a join code and shareable link.
- Join: Got a code or link from a neighbor? Click “Join a Community” on the Roster page and enter it.
Invite your neighbors
Share the join link with your community. The more residents on the roster, the stronger your collective voice.
- Go to your Roster page and click “Share Join Link”
- Send it via text, email, or your neighborhood group chat
- Admins can verify members and manage roles
Upload your governance documents first
This is the most important step. Go to Governance and upload your community's founding documents. HOA Heroes uses these to check whether your HOA is following its own rules.
Don't have them yet? Click Find Docs Online inside the Governance section — the platform searches county recorders and public registries for your community and surfaces direct download links.
- CC&Rs / Declaration — the master contract for your community
- Bylaws — how the board is supposed to operate
- Amendments — changes to the original rules
- Budgets, minutes, contracts — anything else you have
Then submit evidence
Click Submit Evidence on the Dashboard. Upload any document that raises concerns — emails, letters, notices, budgets, invoices, contracts. HOA Heroes will analyze it and find every issue.
You can upload PDF files, Word documents, photos, or paste text directly. Scanned documents and photos are read automatically using OCR — you don't need a clean digital copy.
Violation notices get specialized analysis: the system identifies every procedural defect in the notice, flags retaliation patterns, and displays your response deadline based on your state's law.
Once your first evidence is analyzed, additional tools will appear in the menu: Discoveries, Documents, Issues, Insights, and Look Into.
What Happens After You Upload
The system reads your document and identifies every issue — financial irregularities, governance violations, vendor problems, unauthorized actions. It names names, cites amounts, and references dates. Violation notices are routed to a specialized analyzer that looks for procedural defects, selective enforcement, and unauthorized signers — and surfaces your response deadline based on state law.
Every entity mentioned (management companies, vendors, board members' companies) is automatically investigated across 11 public databases: corporate registrations, consumer complaints, federal court records, licensing, debarment records, and more.
If you've uploaded governance documents, the system cross-references findings against your community's own rules. It scores compliance across 12 categories and flags where your HOA is falling short.
For every issue found, you get specific next steps: who to contact, what to say, and a ready-to-send letter with real facts from your case — not generic templates.
Key Features
Upload any fine or violation notice and get a full defect analysis: missing rule citations, improper cure periods, unauthorized signers, fine cap violations, and retaliation patterns. Your state law response deadline is automatically surfaced — in TX, FL, CA, AZ, CO, and NV.
Upload CC&Rs, bylaws, amendments, and other founding documents. HOA Heroes extracts key provisions so they can be cross-referenced against everything you find.
Don't have your governance docs? Click Find Docs Online inside the Governance section — the platform searches county recorders, Secretary of State databases, and public HOA registries and surfaces direct download links.
A 0-100 score across 12 categories showing how well your HOA is following its own rules. Identifies what's compliant, non-compliant, at risk, or unknown.
One-click formal letters that cite your community's specific provisions, state law, and the facts from your case. Ready to send, not a template.
Searches 11 public databases in parallel for every entity in your documents. Finds corporate records, consumer complaints, court cases, licensing issues, and federal debarment.
Upload photos, scanned PDFs, or images of paper documents. The system reads them automatically — you don't need a clean digital copy to get a full analysis.
Admins can generate digest snapshots of shared discoveries and email them to the entire roster. Keep everyone informed without sharing private details.
Set watches on management companies or vendors. The system checks public records weekly and alerts you when something new appears.
Generate professional compliance reports suitable for board meetings, attorney review, or community distribution. Print or save as PDF.
Where to Find Your Governance Documents
Once you've set up your community, go to Governance and click Find Docs Online. The platform searches county recorders, state Secretary of State databases, and public HOA registries for your community's CC&Rs, bylaws, and filed documents — and surfaces direct links so you can download and upload them in one step.
If the search doesn't find everything, here's where to look manually:
CC&Rs and bylaws were included in your closing documents when you purchased your home. Check your files or ask your title company for copies.
CC&Rs, amendments, and declarations are recorded as public records with your county. Search by your subdivision or HOA name. Many counties have online search portals.
Request a “resale certificate” or “governing document package.” They are legally required to provide these documents. They may charge a small fee.
Texas Property Code §209.005 (and similar laws in other states) gives you the right to inspect and copy all association records. Submit a written request to the board or management company.
Articles of Incorporation are filed with your state's Secretary of State. Search their online database by your HOA's legal name.
Neighbors who have been in the community longer may have copies of original CC&Rs, bylaws, or amendments. Ask in your community group.
What Should I Upload?
Evidence Documents
Upload these to create discoveries:
- Violation or fine notices — get specialized defect analysis + your state law deadline
- Emails from the board or management company
- Annual budgets and financial statements
- Vendor contracts and invoices
- Meeting minutes (especially if decisions seem wrong)
- Assessment increase notices
- Property appraisal records and deed transfers
- GIS maps and plat records
- Photos or scans of paper documents (OCR reads them automatically)
- Anything that doesn't look right
Governance Documents
Upload these to your governance library:
- CC&Rs / Declaration of Covenants
- Bylaws
- Articles of Incorporation
- Amendments to CC&Rs
- Rules & Regulations
- Architectural Guidelines
- Reserve studies, insurance policies
- Management contracts
The more governance documents you upload, the smarter the analysis becomes. The system cross-references every finding against your community's actual rules and applicable state law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to get started?
Upload your first document and see what the system finds.
Go to Dashboard