Community Assessments and Property Assessments

HomeHerald lets you charge different dues to different units instead of one flat amount for everyone. There are two ways to charge a property, and most communities use both.

• Community Assessments are charges you build once and reuse - base dues, yard maintenance, pool access. You decide whether each one applies to every property or only the units that need it.
• Property Assessments are charges added directly to a single home, for something that applies only there.

A property’s total bill is the sum of every assessment assigned to it, and each charge appears as its own labeled line on the resident’s ledger.

Community Assessments

Use a Community Assessment for any charge more than one unit might share.

Create one

1. Go to Settings → Community Settings → Dues & Assessments.
2. Click Add Assessment.
3. Fill in the fields:
   • Name - what residents see on their ledger (for example, “Base Dues” or “Yard Maintenance”).
   • Amount - the charge per billing period.
   • Frequency - Monthly or Annual.
   • Due date - the day of the month (monthly) or the date (annual) the charge is due.
   • Grace period - the number of days after the due date before the charge is considered late.
   • Late fee - the amount added once the grace period passes.
4. Save the assessment.

You can create as many assessments as you need. Each one is independent, so one can be monthly and another annual.

Assign it to properties

When you save an assessment, choose who pays it:

• Apply to all properties for community-wide charges like base dues. Every unit gets the charge, and new properties added later inherit it.
• Assign to selected properties for opt-in services like yard care or pool access. Only the units you choose are billed.

To change who pays an existing assessment, open it from Dues & Assessments and update the assignment, or open an individual property to see and edit which assessments apply to it.

Property Assessments

Use a Property Assessment for a charge that belongs to one home only - a reimbursement, a one-off fee, or anything no other unit shares.

1. Go to Manage → Properties and open the property.
2. Add a Property Assessment on that property.
3. Set the name, amount, frequency (monthly or annual), due date, grace period, and late fee.
4. Save. The charge posts on its own schedule and shows up as its own line on that resident’s ledger only.

Special (one-time) assessments

For a one-time charge the whole community owes - a capital project like a roof, repaving, or pool resurfacing - create a Community Assessment for the special assessment and apply it across all properties (or selected ones) in one action. Every owner sees the charge on their ledger the same day, itemized separately from regular dues.

Applying charges now or on the due date

Each assessment posts on its own schedule. You can also post a charge immediately rather than waiting for its due date. Applying a charge is safe to repeat - the system will not double-bill a property for the same billing period.

What residents see

Residents see each assessment as its own labeled line on their ledger - for example, “Base Dues $400,” “Yard Maintenance $40,” and “Pool Access $25” - rather than one lump dues number. Their total balance is the sum of those lines, and they can pay it from a single balance. Itemized charges mean residents can see exactly what they are paying for, which cuts down on “what is this charge?” questions to the board.

Tips

• List your charges first. Before you start, write down every distinct charge in your community. Each one becomes a Community Assessment.
• Use clear names. The assessment name is what residents read on their ledger, so make it self-explanatory.
• Apply-to-all for the basics, assign for the extras. Base dues to everyone; opt-in services only to the units that signed up.