HOA accounting insights, compliance tips, and industry news.
Data integrity sounds like an IT problem. For HOA boards, it is a fiduciary issue. Corrupted or unreliable financial data creates personal liability.
Every HOA uses the term "fund accounting." Few understand what it actually requires. Here is the foundational concept that separates real HOA accounting from dressed-up bookkeeping.
You just became HOA treasurer. Here is exactly what you need to understand, verify, and establish in your first three months to protect yourself and your community.
QuickBooks is excellent software for small businesses. It is fundamentally wrong for HOAs. Here is why fund accounting requires purpose-built architecture.
The software tracked every dollar perfectly. It just didn't stop us from spending reserve funds on operating expenses. Here's why tracking isn't enough.
We posted the assessment run. Half the units had no mailing address. The notices went nowhere. Here's why the best accounting software says "no" before you make a mistake.
The manager needed to fix a balance quickly. They used the override. Six months later, the auditor found a $47,000 discrepancy. Here's why flexibility in accounting is a liability.
The auditor asked for transaction history. We showed them a log. They said "That's not what I asked for." Here's the difference between activity logs and real audit provenance.
We approved the annual financials in March. In July, numbers from January looked different. Here's why most HOA software doesn't actually close periods—and what real period integrity looks like.
The payment went through twice. Two checks cut to the same vendor. Same invoice paid again. Here's why "just don't click twice" isn't a solution.
We didn't catch the duplicate payment until month-end. By then, the vendor had cashed both checks. Here's why batch reconciliation fails—and what continuous matching looks like.
The auditor asked for transaction history. What they found was a mess of edits, deletions, and unexplainable changes. Here's why most HOA accounting fails the audit test.
Looking for foundational explanations? Check out our Concept Articles for timeless guidance on HOA accounting.