Legacy management company
Associa alternatives for HOA boards.
Associa is the largest HOA management company in North America, with thousands of communities across dozens of branches. Boards reaching the end of a contract often look for a more transparent, software-driven alternative — that is what we built Communities for.
Why boards search for Associa alternatives
These are the search-intent patterns we hear from boards reaching out — what they say they want from the next platform, not accusations against the incumbent.
Per-door pricing without bundled service tiers or escalation clauses.
Faster turnaround on bylaw and rule questions than a regional portfolio manager can offer.
Direct access to governing documents and ledgers without going through a portal queue.
A switching path that does not require renegotiating with a national contracts team.
How Communities is built differently
- 1
Free for boards under 250 homes — no setup fee, no per-action charges, no contract.
- 2
AI bylaw concierge with citations to the exact section and page of your CC&Rs — answers go to every resident, not just the manager.
- 3
Resident portal, violation reporter, and dues scaffold included — no separate "resident communication" upcharge.
- 4
Manager Breakup Kit generates the 60-day notice, records-retention demand, and transition checklist for the switch.
Free tools for the switch
Each tool is free to run, no credit card required. Use them before signing the new workspace contract or sending the notice letter.
Manager Comparison Calculator
Side-by-side cost estimate based on your current monthly fee and home count.
Open toolManager Breakup Kit
Notice letter, records-retention demand, document-transfer request, and 90-day transition checklist.
Open toolCC&R Health Check
Spot ADA gaps, unenforceable breed bans, and vague fine authority before the next amendment cycle.
Open tool
Common questions
Is Communities a replacement for a full-service HOA manager?
Communities is software, not a service company — it replaces the bylaw-lookup, resident-communication, violation-tracking, and document-management workload that typically lives inside a portfolio manager's queue. Boards still hire vendors directly for landscaping, accounting, or full-service property management when they need them.
What does it cost to switch from a national management company?
The Communities tier for boards under 250 homes is free. The cost of leaving a portfolio manager depends on the contract — most have a 30-, 60-, or 90-day notice period. Our Manager Breakup Kit generates the notice letter, records-retention demand, and document-transfer request once you give it your contract details.
How long does it take to get up and running on Communities?
Most boards are operational within a day. Upload your governing documents (Declaration, Bylaws, Rules, Architectural Guidelines) once and the bylaw concierge is ready — every answer cites the exact section and page. Inviting board members and generating a resident community code each take under a minute.
Can a self-managed board really run an HOA without a portfolio manager?
Yes — most associations under 150 homes are already self-managed. The hard parts are bylaw lookup (we automate that), resident communication (we route it), violation tracking (we structure it), and meeting prep (our Instant Board Packet drafts the agenda). The rest — vendor coordination, accounting — can stay with a la carte providers.
Do you have references from boards that switched from a national management company?
We are running a 25-board pilot cohort (12 months Pro free). The /customers page has the current cohort details. Boards in the pilot signed up specifically because they were looking for a more transparent alternative.
This guide is general orientation, not legal advice. Review your specific contract and state statute with counsel before sending termination notices.
On the board?
See the role-by-role guide
Each board role has a different stake in a management switch. The president signs the notice letter; the treasurer reviews the cost delta; the secretary handles records transfer.
Most boards run both in parallel for a month
Stand up Communities first. Send the notice letter when you're ready.
Free for boards under 250 homes — no credit card required. Upload your governing documents once and the bylaw concierge is ready immediately.
Run an HOA? Free for boards under 250 homes.
Ask unlimited bylaw questions, manage violations, and share cited answers with your residents — no credit card required.