HOA Communication Software That Reaches Every Resident, Every Time
You sent the annual meeting notice three weeks ago. You posted it on the community board. You mentioned it in the newsletter. And when meeting night arrived, 14 residents showed up out of 200.
Sound familiar?
For most HOA boards, communication is an exercise in frustration. Half the community never opens emails. The other half claims they never got them. Emergency notices go unread. Dues reminders disappear into spam folders. And every time a resident says “I never saw that,” your board absorbs another hour of follow-up, another explanation, another round of finger-pointing.
The problem is not your message. The problem is that you are limited to one or two channels, and residents who ignore those channels become invisible.
HomeHerald is HOA communication software built around a simple principle: reach residents where they actually are. Five channels. One dashboard. Per-resident preferences. Physical USPS letters with delivery tracking. And broadcast filters that let you target exactly who needs to hear from you.
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Five Communication Channels, Zero Excuses
Every resident in your community has a channel they respond to. Some live in their email inbox. Some only react to text messages. Some ignore every screen in front of them but open every piece of mail. HomeHerald’s HOA resident notifications system covers all five, so “I didn’t know” stops being a valid excuse.
In-App Messaging
The backbone of HomeHerald. Direct messages, HOA notices, system alerts, ticket updates, and payment reminders all live in a single organized feed inside the app. Every message is timestamped. Every read is logged. When a resident opens the app, their messages are waiting. When they dismiss a notice, the system records it. This channel is included in Automate.
Message types include direct (one-to-one), HOA notices (community-wide), system messages (automated alerts), ticket updates (request status changes), and payment reminders (dues and late fee notifications).
Email (Gmail SMTP)
Email goes out from HomeHerald’s verified sending domain, or from your own Gmail address through Gmail SMTP if you connect it, so your notices stay out of spam folders. Compose once, send to your entire community or a targeted group. Templates with merge fields automatically personalize each message with the resident’s name, property address, amount owed, and due date. Included in Automate.
SMS (Powered by Twilio)
Text messages have a 98% open rate, and most are read within three minutes. For urgent notices, overdue dues reminders, and time-sensitive updates, SMS cuts through the noise that email cannot. HomeHerald’s Twilio integration handles outbound notifications without exposing any board member’s personal phone number. Included in Automate.
Push Notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging)
Instant alerts delivered directly to residents’ phones on iOS and Android, even when the app is closed. Push notifications are ideal for real-time updates: emergency maintenance, gate code changes, amenity closures, and meeting reminders. Residents with the HomeHerald mobile app receive push notifications automatically based on their preference settings. Included in Automate.
Physical USPS Letters
This is the channel that changes everything. When a resident ignores every email, every text, every push notification, a physical letter in their mailbox gets attention.
HomeHerald sends real USPS letters directly from the app through Physical Mail. Choose a template. Personalize with merge fields. Preview the letter. Hit send. Physical Mail handles printing, folding, stuffing, stamping, and mailing. You track every step from your dashboard: Ready, Printed, In Transit, Delivered.
No trips to the post office. No volunteer envelope-stuffing parties. No guessing whether the letter arrived.
Physical mail is built into Automate (letters use prepaid credits) and integrates directly into Dues Chaser’s automated collection workflow, where it serves as the final escalation step when digital channels fail.
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Broadcast Messaging With Smart Filters
Sending a message to your entire community is easy. Sending the right message to the right group of residents is where most HOA communication software falls short.
HomeHerald’s broadcast messaging goes beyond simple “send to all.” Three built-in filters let your board target residents based on their account status, and a custom list option gives you full control.
Send to ALL
Community-wide announcements, meeting notices, policy updates, seasonal reminders. When every resident needs to hear it, send it to everyone.
LATE_DUES Filter
Target only residents with overdue balances. This is powerful for treasurers who need to send payment reminders without bothering residents who already paid. No more awkward mass emails that make your on-time payers feel scolded.
NO_PAYMENTS Filter
Target residents who have made zero payments for the current period. This filter catches residents who may have fallen off the radar entirely, not just those who are late, but those who have not engaged with dues at all.
Custom List
Build your own recipient list for targeted communications. Committee members, residents in a specific section, pool pass holders, parking violators. Whatever your board needs.
Every broadcast keeps a record of who it went to. Your dashboard shows the recipients of each message and how many residents dismissed each banner, giving your board a clear record of who was sent every notice.
Announcement Banners That Demand Attention
Sometimes a message needs to be more visible than a notification feed. HomeHerald’s announcement banners pin critical information to the top of every resident’s screen.
Three color-coded urgency levels make the priority clear at a glance:
- INFO (Blue): General updates, upcoming events, seasonal reminders. Important, but not urgent.
- WARNING (Yellow): Construction schedules, partial amenity closures, upcoming policy changes. Residents should pay attention.
- URGENT (Red): Emergency maintenance, water shutoffs, safety alerts. Impossible to miss.
Every banner is dismissable, so residents can clear it once they have read it. Dismissal tracking lets your board see how many residents dismissed the announcement. Set start and end dates to control visibility, and banners automatically appear and disappear on schedule. No more outdated notices lingering on the board.
The Escalation Path: Digital First, Physical When It Matters
Not every message needs all five channels. A pool closure works fine as a push notification. A board meeting reminder fits naturally as an email. But when the stakes are high and residents are not responding, HomeHerald gives your board a clear path from gentle nudge to documented proof.
Step 1: In-App Notice. The resident sees the message when they open HomeHerald. Dismissal is logged.
Step 2: Email. A formal notice lands in their inbox.
Step 3: SMS. A text message hits their phone directly.
Step 4: Push Notification. An alert appears on their phone screen, even if the app is closed.
Step 5: Physical USPS Letter. A printed letter mailed to their address. Delivery tracking confirms it arrived: Ready, Printed, In Transit, Delivered.
This is not just a concept. It is built directly into Dues Chaser. Configure your chase sequence once, and the system moves through each channel automatically on the timeline you set. When a resident pays, they are removed from the sequence immediately. No manual follow-up. No board members playing debt collector.
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Status Change Templates and Automated Updates
Your board should not have to manually message residents every time a request moves forward. HomeHerald’s status change templates pre-fill the update message the moment you change a ticket’s status, so telling residents takes one confirm, not a fresh message.
When a complaint moves from NEW to UNDER_INVESTIGATION, the reporter’s update is drafted for you. When it moves to CLOSED, the notices for the reporter and the resident at the address in question are ready to send. Templates use variables like {{offenderAddress}} and {{reporterName}} to personalize each message automatically.
This ties directly into Herald Shield’s violation management workflow. When AI analyzes a complaint against your CC&Rs and recommends action, the resulting status changes come with the right notices already written for the right people, and the board confirms and sends.
Resident Notification Preferences and Privacy
Every resident controls how they receive messages. One resident might prefer email for everything. Another might turn on text and push and turn off email, or switch off topics they do not want to hear about. HomeHerald respects those preferences automatically, routing each notification through the channels the resident chose.
Residents can configure preferences separately for each notification topic, giving them granular control without requiring your board to manage individual settings.
Privacy is built in, too. Residents can choose to hide their phone number, email address, or both from the community directory. They still receive communications through their preferred channels, but their contact information stays private from neighbors.
How HomeHerald Connects to Your Other Workflows
Communication does not exist in a vacuum. Every message your board sends connects to a larger workflow.
- Dues Chaser uses all five channels as its delivery mechanism. Build a collection sequence that starts with a friendly in-app reminder and escalates to a formal USPS letter over 30 days.
- Herald Shield triggers status change notifications when violations are processed. AI analyzes complaints, recommends action, and the communication system handles the rest.
- Email Integration monitors your HOA’s inbox and converts resident inquiries into tickets. The communication system then notifies residents as those tickets progress.
- Herald Chat handles routine resident questions with AI. When a question needs board attention, it routes into the ticket system and the notification workflow kicks in.
Your board configures each workflow once. The system handles the ongoing communication automatically.
What Makes HomeHerald Different From Other HOA Communication Software
Most HOA management software treats communication as an afterthought. An email blast here. An in-app feed there. HomeHerald treats it as the foundation.
| Feature | HomeHerald | Most HOA Software |
|---|---|---|
| In-app messaging | Yes (included) | Some platforms |
| Email notifications | Yes (included) | Yes (most) |
| SMS text messages | Yes (included) | Rarely |
| Push notifications | Yes (included) | Rarely |
| Physical USPS letters | Yes (with tracking) | No |
| Per-resident preferences | Yes | No |
| Broadcast filters (LATE_DUES, NO_PAYMENTS) | Yes | No |
| Physical mail delivery tracking | Ready/Printed/In Transit/Delivered | N/A |
| Announcement banners with urgency levels | Yes (color-coded) | Basic |
| Recipient records and dismissal counts | Yes | No |
Send tracked USPS letters from the same screen as your email and texts. Target broadcasts by payment status. And run all five channels from a single dashboard that respects each resident’s preferences.
Transparent Pricing for HOA Communication
No hidden per-message fees for digital channels. No “contact sales” gatekeeping. One plan, and you know exactly what you get.
Pricing is set by property count, not per unit. Automate is $65 to $500 a month by community size, up to 1,000 homes - see the pricing page - and it includes Herald Phone, your community’s own local number and a community website.
Automate includes
Unlimited users
- In-app messaging
- Community announcements
- Mobile app (iOS + Android)
- All 5 communication channels (in-app, email, SMS, push, physical USPS letters)
- Physical mail with delivery tracking
- Per-resident notification preferences
- Broadcast messaging with smart filters
- Announcement banners (INFO, WARNING, URGENT)
- Recipient records and dismissal counts
- Status change templates
- Dues Chaser automated collection
- Herald Shield violation management
Start free - no card needed -> 14 days free, no credit card. Add a card any time for a full 30-day trial.
More than 1,000 properties: let’s talk
More than 1,000 properties, or several communities
No published price. Tell us what you run and we’ll work out the right number.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to send physical USPS letters?
Physical letters run on letter credits bought in bundles - 25 letters for $50, 60 for $100, or 150 for $200 ($2.00 down to $1.33 a letter), and each credit covers printing, standard first-class postage, and full delivery tracking. There are no monthly minimums. You only pay for letters you send. All digital channels (email, SMS, push, in-app) are included in your plan price with no per-message fees.
Can residents opt out of specific notification types?
Yes. Residents choose which channels reach them (email, text, push) and which topics they hear about. Your board can use force delivery for critical notices such as annual meeting notifications and emergency alerts, which overrides a resident’s notification toggles. It does not override an explicit unsubscribe: anyone who clicked the unsubscribe link in a community email is skipped, and the send confirmation tells you how many. Required notices - payment and dues reminders, ticket updates, and board chat - always deliver and carry no unsubscribe link.
What are the broadcast filters, and when should I use them?
HomeHerald offers three built-in broadcast filters: ALL (entire community), LATE_DUES (residents with overdue balances), and NO_PAYMENTS (residents with zero payments for the current period). You can also create a custom recipient list. The LATE_DUES and NO_PAYMENTS filters are especially useful for treasurers who want to send targeted payment reminders without bothering residents who are current on their dues.
How does physical mail delivery tracking work?
Every letter sent through Physical Mail moves through four tracked stages: Ready (queued for printing), Printed (produced at the facility), In Transit (handed to USPS), and Delivered (confirmed at the mailbox). You can view the status of every letter from your HomeHerald dashboard. This tracking creates documented proof of delivery for legal compliance, including lien notices, hearing notifications, and special assessment disclosures.
Does HomeHerald integrate with Dues Chaser for automated collection?
Yes. Dues Chaser uses HomeHerald’s five communication channels as its delivery mechanism. You build a collection sequence with configurable steps: Day 1, send an in-app reminder; Day 7, send an email; Day 14, send an SMS; Day 30, send a physical USPS letter. The system moves through each step automatically. Residents are removed from the sequence the moment they pay. Templates with merge fields (resident name, amount owed, due date, late fee) personalize every message.
Can I track who has read my announcements?
Partly. Every broadcast message keeps a record of who it was sent to, and every announcement banner (INFO, WARNING, URGENT) shows how many residents dismissed it. HomeHerald does not show you a list of which residents opened each message. The recipient record gives your board a clear account of who was sent every notice, which is especially useful for meeting and policy change notifications.
Stop Hoping Residents Read the Email
Every unread notice creates a problem. Missed meeting quorums. Disputed violation fines. Late dues that drain your reserve fund. “I didn’t know” becomes the most expensive phrase in your community.
HomeHerald gives your board five communication channels, smart broadcast filters, physical mail with delivery tracking, and a record of who every notice went to. No more guessing. No more resending. No more chasing.
Board members volunteered to improve their neighborhood, not to spend evenings re-explaining the same announcement through four different channels. Learn how to manage your HOA without losing your weekends, or read our guide on HOA communication best practices to see how effective boards keep residents informed.
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14 days free, no credit card. All 5 channels built in (letters use prepaid credits). No contracts.
Already using HomeHerald? See announcements and the unified email inbox in the admin handbook for the full setup walkthrough.