Legacy management company
FirstService Residential alternatives for HOA boards.
FirstService Residential is one of the two largest HOA management companies in North America and a public-company subsidiary. Boards re-evaluating their contract often look for a more transparent, software-led alternative — Communities is built for self-managed and hybrid boards who want the workflow without the portfolio-manager layer.
Why boards search for FirstService Residential 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.
Predictable per-door pricing without escalation clauses or service-tier bundling.
Direct ownership of resident contact data and ledger access — not gated behind a portal.
Same-day answers to bylaw questions instead of routing through a regional office.
An exit pathway with documents and resident records cleanly transferred to the board.
How Communities is built differently
- 1
Free for boards under 250 homes; no setup fee and no contract.
- 2
Bylaw concierge cites the exact CC&R section and page on every answer — residents see the same source the board does.
- 3
Built-in resident portal, violation reporter, dues scaffold, and Instant Board Packet — no add-on modules.
- 4
Records-retention demand letter and document-transfer request included in the Manager Breakup Kit.
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
Can a board switch mid-contract from a national management company?
Almost every contract has a defined notice window — typically 30, 60, or 90 days. Some include early-termination clauses with a fixed fee; others auto-renew unless notice is given before a deadline. The Manager Breakup Kit walks through both and generates the notice letter on the right timeline.
What happens to our resident records when we leave?
State HOA statutes — and most management contracts — require the management company to return all association records on termination. The Manager Breakup Kit generates a records-retention demand referencing the relevant statute (Davis-Stirling in California, Chapter 720 in Florida, etc.) and a separate document-transfer request listing the specific files the board is owed.
Is Communities a portfolio manager replacement?
Communities is software, not a service company. We replace the bylaw-lookup, communication, and tracking workload that typically lives inside a portfolio manager's queue. Boards needing full-service property management still hire that role separately — we just make the rest of the job runnable without it.
How does pricing compare to a national management company?
Most national management companies charge a per-door management fee plus a la carte fees for letters, lien filings, statements, and resident communication. Communities is free for boards under 250 homes and a flat per-door rate above that — no per-action charges. The Manager Comparison Calculator generates a side-by-side estimate for your specific contract.
Will residents accept a software-only model?
Residents typically prefer it. The portal gives them a single place to ask bylaw questions, see violations and rule changes, and submit reports — much closer to the experience they already get from every other modern service.
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.