The four request types

A “request” in HomeHerald is the catch-all for any work item flowing through the community — questions, architectural changes, complaints, and neighborhood-wide concerns. There are four active types, and picking the right one matters because each routes differently.

The four types

Type	What it is	Who files it	Who handles it
General	Questions, suggestions, board correspondence, anything not covered by the other types	Any resident	Board / admin
ARC	Architectural Review Committee request — approval for a property change	Property owner	Architectural Committee or board
Complaint	A resident reports a covenant violation by another resident	Any resident	Board / admin (private to the parties involved)
Neighborhood Request	Community-wide concern or request, often about shared spaces	Any resident	Board / admin

The type drives the workflow. A Complaint sets up enforcement (potential fine). An ARC sets up approval flow. Neighborhood Requests usually get acknowledged and published. General is the catch-all for everything else.

General

The catch-all. Use General for:

• Resident questions about the community
• Suggestions for board consideration
• Questions about a specific charge or transaction
• Disputes about violations
• Anything that doesn’t fit the other three types

What happens:

• Filed by resident, routed to the board’s queue
• Board responds in-thread
• Closed when resolved

General requests are private between the resident and the board. Nothing escalates automatically — these are conversations.

ARC

ARC = Architectural Review Committee. Some communities call it Design Review or DRC. This is the request type for any change to the property that requires HOA approval per your covenants.

Common ARC requests:

• Painting the house a non-default color
• Adding a fence, pergola, deck, or shed
• Roof replacement (especially color/material change)
• Significant landscaping changes
• Solar panel installation
• Driveway extension or replacement

What happens:

• The property owner submits with description, plans, photos, contractor info if available
• The request goes to the board / Architectural Committee
• They review against your community’s covenants and aesthetic guidelines
• They approve, request modifications, or deny
• If approved, the resident proceeds with the work

ARC requests can also link to a Booking if the work involves a community amenity (e.g., a builder needs use of guest parking during construction).

Complaint

When to file: a resident notices another resident violating community rules. Trash cans left at the curb past Tuesday. Unauthorized fence color. Holiday decorations up past the deadline. Whatever your covenants say.

What happens:

• Resident submits the complaint (or admin enters one on their behalf)
• The complaint is private by default — only the filer, the board, and (eventually) the accused property’s residents can see it
• Board reviews
• If valid, the board can issue a violation notice to the property
• If the resident doesn’t comply, escalation can apply (warning → formal warning → fine — see Escalations)
• If invalid, the board can dismiss it with a reason

Key fields:

• Offender property — the property the complaint is about (not “the offender’s name”)
• Description — what’s allegedly happening, with photos if possible
• Reporter identity — visible to the board only; not shared with the accused

Common gotcha: the offender field is the property, not the user. Complaints attach to properties because the violation may be ongoing and span owners.

Neighborhood Request

For community-wide concerns or requests that aren’t about a specific neighbor’s behavior. Examples:

• “We need a speed bump on Elm Street”
• “The community pool gate is broken”
• “Can we get more guest parking?”
• “Streetlight at the corner is out”
• “Drainage issue in the common area”

What happens:

• Filed by resident with description and (often) photos
• Board reviews
• Acknowledged so the community can see it’s being handled
• Often published to the community board so everyone knows it’s in progress
• Resolved when the underlying issue is addressed

Neighborhood Requests are usually published broadly — residents like to see “the broken streetlight is being repaired Friday” so they don’t all file the same request.

Who can file what

Type	Who can file
General	Any resident
ARC	Any resident (but the property owner is who really matters; ARCs by tenants get verified)
Complaint	Any resident
Neighborhood Request	Any resident

For ARC, technically any resident can file, but if a co-resident or tenant files an ARC for a change to the property, you should verify with the primary resident before approving — they’re the one ultimately authorized.

How residents pick the type

When a resident clicks New Request in their portal, they see a chooser:

• “I have a general question or suggestion” → General
• “I want approval for a change to my property” → ARC
• “I want to report a neighbor’s rule violation” → Complaint
• “There’s a community-wide issue” → Neighborhood Request

The chooser uses plain language. Most residents pick the right type without thinking. Edge cases — admins can change the type after the fact. See The request lifecycle.

Common admin actions

”A resident filed the wrong type”

Open the request and change the type. Common cases:

• Filed as Complaint, actually a question → change to General
• Filed as General, actually requesting a change → change to ARC
• Filed as Complaint, actually a community-wide issue → change to Neighborhood Request

The history of the request is preserved across type changes; only the workflow that activates changes.

”Multiple residents filed the same Neighborhood Request”

The board acts on the underlying issue once. The duplicate requests can be acknowledged with a reference to the primary one, or merged.

”A resident is abusing the request system”

If someone is filing dozens of frivolous requests:

• Reply with a board policy reminder
• Mark requests as Closed in bulk with a reason
• In extreme cases, ban the user — see Removing or banning a user

Where to go next

• The request lifecycle — what happens after a request is filed
• Issuing a fine — when a complaint escalates to enforcement
• Publishing to the public board — making request resolutions visible
• Escalations and repeat offenders — how the system tracks repeat violations