The Grihak Blog
Practical guides on HOA management, automation, AI, and California compliance — for boards and community managers.
How to Automate HOA Dues Collection: A 2026 Step-by-Step Guide
Automating HOA dues collection means accepting payments online, enrolling owners in autopay, and letting software handle reminders, late fees, and reconciliation — so your board chases far fewer checks and books revenue faster.
CaliforniaThe Davis-Stirling Act: A Practical Compliance Guide for California HOA Boards
The Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act is the body of California law that governs how your HOA must run its meetings, collect assessments, share records, hold elections, and fund reserves. Here's a plain-language overview of what it asks of boards and how modern software makes staying compliant far less painful.
AIHow AI Is Changing HOA Management (and What Boards Should Know)
AI is starting to do the repetitive, time-consuming parts of running a community — answering resident questions, drafting notices, chasing dues — so volunteer boards and managers can focus on judgment. Here's what's real, what's hype, and where a human still has to sign off.
GuidesSelf-Managed HOA Software: A Complete Guide for Volunteer Boards
Running an HOA without a management company is doable—if you have the right tools. Here's what self-managed boards should look for in software, the mistakes to avoid, and how to transition off spreadsheets and email.
Operations7 Ways to Cut HOA Board Workload with Automation
Volunteer boards burn out chasing dues, fielding the same questions, and re-keying the same data. Here are seven concrete ways automation reduces HOA board workload without losing control.
OperationsHOA Violation Management: Best Practices (with AI)
Good violation management isn't about catching neighbors — it's about applying the rules fairly, documenting every step, and giving residents real due process. Here's how to do it well, and how AI makes consistency easier.
GuidesHow to Choose HOA Management Software: A 2026 Buyer's Guide
A step-by-step framework for boards and property managers to evaluate HOA software in 2026 — from defining your needs to the questions that separate a great fit from an expensive mistake.
FinanceHOA Reserve Studies Explained: A Guide for Boards
A reserve study tells your board what major assets you own, when they'll need replacing, and whether you're saving enough. Here's how it works — and how to keep the numbers honest year over year.
GovernanceHOA Board Meeting Best Practices (Agendas, Minutes & Open Meetings)
A practical guide to running organized, compliant board meetings — from posting the agenda to recording minutes and following through on action items.
FinanceHOA Budgeting and Financial Management: A Board's Guide
How association boards build a defensible annual budget, set assessments, fund reserves, and keep finances transparent — plus the common mistakes that sink even well-meaning boards.
OperationsHOA Communication Best Practices: Engaging Residents Without Burning Out the Board
Strong HOA communication keeps residents informed and engaged while protecting volunteer board members from inbox overload. Here's how to build a sustainable system.
GuidesHow to Switch HOA Management Software Without the Chaos
Switching HOA software feels risky, but a clean migration comes down to four things: the right timing, a complete data export, clear resident communication, and a board that's onboarded before go-live.
FinanceHOA Special Assessments Explained: A Board's Guide
An HOA special assessment is a one-time charge levied on owners to cover an expense that regular dues and reserves can't fully fund. Here's when boards use them, the approval and notice rules to follow, and how to communicate and collect them well.
FinanceHow to Raise HOA Dues the Right Way
Raising assessments is one of the hardest jobs a board faces. Here's how to do it with the budget, the notice, and the messaging that keep owners on your side.
GuidesHow to Start an HOA: A Step-by-Step Guide
Starting a homeowners association means drafting governing documents, incorporating a nonprofit, seating an initial board, and setting a budget — here's how the pieces fit together, plus where an attorney is essential.
GovernanceHOA Board Elections: A Guide to Running Them Right
Clean, defensible HOA board elections come down to a few fundamentals: proper notice, real nominations, secret ballots, an independent inspector, and an honest quorum count. Here is how to run each step.
FinanceHOA Insurance: What Boards Need to Know
A board's guide to the core HOA insurance policies, what each one covers, where coverage gaps hide, and how to document everything so your association is actually protected when a claim hits.
OperationsHOA Vendor Management: Hiring and Managing Contractors
From landscapers to roofers to your management company, vendors shape both your community's curb appeal and its budget. Here's how to source, vet, contract, and track them without drowning the board in paperwork.
TexasTexas HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to Chapter 209
Most Texas homeowner associations are governed by Chapter 209 of the Property Code — the Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act. Here is what boards need to know about assessments, hearings, payment plans, records, and resale certificates, with the caveat that you should always confirm specifics with your association's attorney.
FloridaFlorida HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to Chapter 720 (and 718 for Condos)
Florida community associations are governed primarily by Chapter 720 (homeowners' associations) and Chapter 718 (condominiums) of the Florida Statutes. Here's what boards need to know about assessments, fines, notice, records, meetings, elections, and the recent condo-safety reforms.
ArizonaArizona HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to the Planned Communities Act
Arizona's Planned Communities Act and Condominium Act set the ground rules for how your HOA levies assessments, imposes fines, holds open meetings, shares records, enforces design standards, and respects resident rental and free-speech protections. Here's a plain-language overview for boards — and how modern software helps you stay within the lines.
NevadaNevada HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to NRS Chapter 116
Nevada's Common-Interest Ownership Act (NRS Chapter 116) sets the rules for how your HOA collects assessments, levies fines, runs meetings, shares records, and funds reserves — with active oversight from the state's Ombudsman and Commission. Here's a plain-language overview for boards and managers, and how modern software helps you stay inside the lines.
GeorgiaGeorgia HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to the POA Act
Georgia's Property Owners' Association Act is powerful but opt-in — many Georgia HOAs aren't covered by it at all. Here's a plain-language overview of what the POA Act does, who it applies to, and how your governing documents and nonprofit-corporation law fill the gaps.
North CarolinaNorth Carolina HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to the Planned Community Act
North Carolina HOAs are governed mainly by the Planned Community Act (Chapter 47F) and, for condos, the Condominium Act (Chapter 47C) — laws that set the rules for assessments, liens, fines, hearings, meetings, and records. Here is what boards need to know.
ColoradoColorado HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to CCIOA
The Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act is the body of state law that governs how your HOA collects assessments, enforces covenants, runs open meetings, and shares records. Here's a plain-language overview of what CCIOA asks of boards — including recent collections reform — and how modern software makes staying compliant far less painful.
WashingtonWashington HOA Laws: A Board's Guide to WUCIOA
Washington's HOA rules live mainly in two statutes — the modern Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA, RCW 64.90) and the older Homeowners' Associations chapter (RCW 64.38). Here's a plain-language overview of what they ask of boards on assessments, budgets, meetings, records, and reserves — and how software makes staying compliant far less painful.