56 updates and counting

What we've shipped

A running log of what we build for HomeHerald, and why we built it. New stuff at the top.

Sep 2026

Sep 20, 2026

Requests take several files, and duplicates can be combined or deleted

Filing a request under Contact HOA now takes several photos and PDFs at once, and an open request has an Add files button for more. Under Requests, the board can add a duplicate request to the original or delete it, with nothing sent to the resident.
Why: Six pages of one plan should be one request, not six.
residentsboardadmin
Sep 18, 2026

Clearing a field now sticks, and every neighbor can review a vendor

Emptying an optional field on an edit screen - a lot number, a vendor email, a due date, a smart lock set to None - now removes it when you save, and the Occupied and Unclaimed tiles on Properties count who has actually claimed each home. Under Directory > Providers, any resident can now leave a vendor review and edit their own.
Why: A save that quietly keeps what you deleted is worse than an error.
boardresidentsadmin
Sep 15, 2026

Community Pulse: the nice-to-know line on every home page

A new Pulse strip on the resident home page shows one-line notes like Pool cleaned or Gate repaired, and a Community Pulse card under Automate lets the board post one, switch sources on or off, or teach Herald to post one automatically from a vendor email. Announcements have their own From the Board card again, color-coded by type.
Why: Some things the whole community should know without anyone having to read a notice about them.
residentsautomationherald

Aug 2026

Aug 21, 2026

A balance sheet, a general ledger, and a budget you can upload

Reports picked up three tabs. Balance Sheet shows what the community owns and owes as of any day, split into operating and reserve columns, with a tie-out line that proves the change in cash matches net income for the year. General Ledger lists every entry against the account it hit, with a running balance, and exports to CSV or PDF - it is the first thing a CPA asks for. Reconciliations keeps every closed bank reconciliation as a report you can still print months later. And the Budget page now has Import from file: hand it a spreadsheet, a PDF, or a photo of a printed budget and it reads the lines, sorts them into categories, and shows you everything it found before a single number is saved.
Why: Three reports an accountant asks for by name, and the one job a treasurer should never have to type in twice.
financialreportsbudget
Aug 21, 2026

Invite the whole neighborhood in one go

An Invite everyone button on Members sends every owner, tenant, and billing contact their own link by email or text. The link already knows which home is theirs, so joining is one tap with no code to type in. A progress card shows who has actually joined, and you can come back a month later and resend to only the people who have not. You can also add a resident straight onto a property now, and a roster import carries a phone number, a second person on the home, and a billing contact - so a phone number alone is enough to let someone claim their house. Properties nobody has claimed yet read "Unclaimed" instead of "Vacant", because an empty account is not an empty home.
Why: Boards do not have an app problem. They have a get-everyone-into-the-app problem.
onboardingresidentsadmin
Aug 21, 2026

Everything you know about a neighbor, on one screen

Open a member, a property, or a request and there is now a Notes & history panel: the board's own notes about that home or person, plus a timeline of everything that has ever passed between you - requests, emails, letters, notices, messages, bookings, payments, and work orders - filtered by whatever kind you care about. Notes are board-only and permanent: correcting one posts a replacement and the original stays on the record. Herald reads them in board chat, so it can remind you that someone was already spoken to on the 14th. In the Email Inbox, every sender now carries a chip that opens the same panel, and an address the system does not recognize can be tied to the right resident in two taps.
Why: Every board has one member who remembers the whole history with a house. Then they move away.
boardresidentsadmin
Aug 21, 2026

Fewer pings, and a warning before the policy lapses

A Board Notifications card in your profile itemizes what a board actually hears about - requests, board chat and mentions, votes and meetings, work orders - and lets you set each one to reach you the moment it happens, once a day, or not at all. Anything set to daily arrives in one brief at 7:30am, through whichever channels you already picked, and a morning with nothing to report sends nothing. Insurance policies and vendor contracts speak up on their own now too: they appear on the dashboard under Needs Your Attention and reach the board at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before they expire, then once more on the day.
Why: Board members burn out on notification volume long before they burn out on the work.
boardautomationinsurance
Aug 20, 2026

Herald reads the request and tells you what to do

Open any complaint, request, or architectural application and ask Herald what to do about it. It reads the whole thread, the photos, your covenants, and what happened at that address before, then gives you a recommendation with its reasoning - including an honest "your documents do not actually cover this" when that is the answer. Solve It fills in the action it suggested, the warning, the fine, the status change, and then stops for a human to read and send. Boards can file a request themselves, fix one that came in as the wrong type, and send any of it to board chat, where @Herald will draft the action or put it to a board vote and wait for someone to press Confirm. Herald never acts on its own. Herald Shield's escalation ladder can also be switched off now without losing the steps you built.
Why: The hard part of a violation was never writing the letter. It was deciding whether to send one.
boardheraldai
Aug 18, 2026

Run your HOA from the group chat

Herald in Board Chat grew up. Drop a photo or a PDF in the thread and Herald reads it. Say "@Herald file this contract" and it files the real record - terms extracted, confirm step included, document saved. Ask who still owes dues or what landscaping cost this year and it answers from your live books, with a button straight to the screen in question. Boards that live in WhatsApp can have Herald join that group too, set up on request. There is a new page that shows the whole thing: homeherald.ai/group-chat.
Why: The group chat was already where board decisions happened. Now the record-keeper is in the room.
boardheraldcommunication
Aug 14, 2026

Own two lots? Pay for both

If you own more than one property in the community - the house you live in and the empty lot two streets over - you can see and pay dues for all of them from one account. Billing contacts get the same view for the properties they cover.
Why: One person, one login, every property they are responsible for. Owning a second lot should not mean paying for it a different way.
paymentsresidentslandlords
Aug 14, 2026

Your books now believe the calendar

Payments and expenses record the date the money actually moved, not the day someone typed it in. Corrections keep a full audit trail, and reconciliation reads newest first, like a bank statement.
Why: A check received last Tuesday should land on last Tuesday. Cash-basis reports only work if the dates are true.
financialbookkeeping
Aug 14, 2026

Dues reminders now go out by text

Text messages joined the dues reminder lineup, so a nudge reaches people the way they actually read - alongside in-app, email, push, and real mail. Reminders can add a late fee on a schedule you set, and a preview names exactly who would be contacted today, on which channel, without sending a thing.
Why: Chasing money is the worst volunteer job in the neighborhood. Now nobody has to be the bad guy.
duesautomationcommunication
Aug 13, 2026

Board Chat, with Herald in the room

Your board gets a private group chat inside HomeHerald - realtime, board-only, with @mentions and push notifications on every device, desktop browsers included. Mention @herald and Herald answers right there in the thread, from your own documents and numbers. Residents never see it.
Why: Board business was living in a group text nobody could search and no future board would inherit.
boardcommunicationherald
Aug 12, 2026

Publish a website for your community with one button

One button publishes a public page for your community at its own address, with the documents you choose to share and a contact form that opens a real ticket. A Herald chat bubble answers visitors from what you have published.
Why: Every HOA gets asked the same questions by buyers, agents, and new neighbors. Now there is a page to point at. (Automate+)
websiteresidents
Aug 6, 2026

Budget vs actual that matches like an accountant would

Budget lines carry a category, so actuals match the plan by category everywhere instead of by name. AR aging picks up starting balances too, so a property that joined mid-year ages correctly.
Why: "Lawn Care" and "Landscaping" are the same line item to everyone except software.
budgetfinancialreports
Aug 5, 2026

Herald handles the whole call now

Residents who call the community line can pay dues by voice, book the clubhouse mid-call, hear the latest announcement once, report a problem, or ask for a callback. Move-outs and rejoins work by phone too.
Why: The phone is still how most neighbors ask a question. Now it answers at 9pm on a Sunday.
heraldvoiceresidents

Jul 2026

Jul 31, 2026

The Herald line texts back

Text the community number and Herald answers: a balance, a pay link, clubhouse availability, a door code, a join code for a new neighbor. Send a photo and it files a violation report with the picture attached.
Why: Plenty of people will text a question they would never make a phone call to ask.
heraldsmsresidents
Jul 30, 2026

Your community gets a phone number Herald answers

Your HOA can have its own local number, answered around the clock by Herald, that knows your documents, your dues, and your amenities. Every call is logged so the board can see what was asked and what was said.
Why: The board cell phones were the HOA phone system. Now they are not. (Automate+)
heraldvoiceautomation
Jul 21, 2026

New dark mode

The whole app now has a proper dark mode, with a Light / System / Dark setting that either follows your phone or stays wherever you put it. The resident home screen was refreshed at the same time, around quick-action tiles and a deep-green bottom bar.
Why: Half the neighborhood checks their dues balance in bed with the lights off.
mobileuxresidents
Jul 6, 2026

AutoPay for dues

Residents can save a payment method and let monthly or annual dues pay themselves, managed right from the transactions screen. A failed charge retries, then pauses, instead of quietly piling up.
Why: The most common reason dues are late is that someone forgot, not that they would not pay.
paymentsduesresidents
Jul 6, 2026

Billing contacts who are not the resident

Properties carry people profiles - owner, tenant, billing contact - and the billing contact receives dues notices and formal letters at their own mailing address instead of the property. They appear as explicit rows in email blasts and mail runs.
Why: Plenty of lots are owned by someone who does not live there. The bill should follow the person who pays it.
propertieslandlordsadmin

Jun 2026

Jun 10, 2026

Live community budget your residents can watch all year

Build the annual budget once, share it, and every resident gets a live budget card on their dashboard. It is not a static PDF - it shows planned vs actual spending to date, on a cash basis, updated as money moves. Any day of the year a resident can see where the community stands on every line and whether you are over or under budget. Pre-fill next year from the last 12 months in one tap. Admins also get a Budget vs Actual report - annual or any date range - with PDF and CSV export.
Why: Every special-assessment fight starts with "where does our money go?" Now the answer lives on every resident's phone, updated daily, all year - not a number read aloud once at the annual meeting.
budgettransparencyfinancial
Jun 10, 2026

Official meetings with proof you posted notice

Post meeting notices and agendas that stamp the exact moment they went up, so the required advance notice is provable months later when a vote gets challenged. Community meetings auto-publish a notice banner; board-only sessions stay private as Executive Sessions. After the meeting, post a resident recap and keep your formal minutes as a separate record.
Why: Boards lose dues-increase challenges over a paperwork gap - was the meeting noticed far enough in advance? Now the timestamp answers that for you.
meetingsgovernancecompliance
Jun 10, 2026

An insurance register that watches its own renewals

Keep every policy on file with its certificate, coverage limit, and dates. A traffic-light chip flags what is current, what expires within 90 days, and what has already lapsed, so a master policy never expires unnoticed. Renewals auto-archive the old policy without deleting the record, and you can list a certificate for residents with one toggle.
Why: Insurance is the record that disappears when the treasurer turns over, and a lapse can expose board members personally. Now it watches the calendar for you.
insurancecomplianceadmin
Jun 10, 2026

Contracts and competitive bids, on the record

Keep active vendor contracts on file - terminating one marks it terminated rather than deleting it - and log bids grouped by project with the lowest bid flagged. Residents can see recent bids within a built-in one-year window. The whole board, and the community, can see what was signed and what it cost.
Why: Contracts and bids used to live in one board member's phone. Now they are official records the board and residents can both see.
contractscomplianceadmin
Jun 10, 2026

A members-only Documents hub for every record

One searchable, members-only place for governing documents, meeting minutes, budgets, insurance certificates, and contracts. Filter by category or search by keyword. Insurance and contracts publish here with one toggle, sharing only the file and title. The board stops being the filing cabinet.
Why: Residents kept emailing the board for the same documents. Now they find them themselves, behind login, in seconds.
documentsresidentcompliance
Jun 10, 2026

Built for Florida HB 1203

Florida HOAs with 100 or more parcels must now post their official records in a members-only portal. The live budget, official meetings, insurance, contracts, and Documents hub mean every record the law names already has a home behind your residents' existing login. Herald Chat knows about all of it.
Why: A brand-new state mandate that is really a software problem. We had most of the pieces; this connects them into the members-only portal the statute requires.
compliancegovernanceflorida
Jun 10, 2026

A cleaner admin, grouped by what you actually do

The admin dashboard was reorganized: the sidebar is now grouped into domains (Community, Finances, Operations, Communicate), Events and Voting share one home, the mobile menu got tinted category panels, and a pinned bottom bar keeps your key actions one tap away. Home is now Dashboard.
Why: The nav had grown into a long flat list. Grouping it by domain makes the tools findable, especially on a phone.
adminuxmobile
Jun 10, 2026

Two-way Support chat in the app

Members can start a support conversation and get real replies in a threaded chat. When HomeHerald responds, a pulsing Herald bubble and a "New response from HomeHerald" prompt bring them straight back to the thread. Admins get a per-ticket chat window, and Support is one tap from the mobile bar.
Why: Support used to be one-directional - file something and wait in the dark. Now it is a real back-and-forth, and nobody misses a reply.
supportresidentcommunication
Jun 10, 2026

Onboarding that can't lose your data, with AI import review

The signup import pipeline was hardened end to end, and a new AI review step reads your uploaded roster or spreadsheet and flags problems before you commit the import. Your community goes live without silent data loss or a mangled column.
Why: The import is the first thing a new board does, and a bad one poisons everything downstream. Now the AI checks the work first.
onboardingaiadmin
Jun 10, 2026

Share a trusted vendor with a link

Hand anyone a vetted service provider from your directory with a short link (homeherald.ai/v/...) that works for three days, no login required. The plumber your community vouches for is now shareable in one tap.
Why: The trusted-vendor list was locked inside the app. Now a neighbor or a new board member can get it instantly.
directoryresidentcommunity
Jun 2, 2026

Charge different dues to different units

You can now charge different dues to different units instead of one flat amount. Build a Community Assessment once - base dues, yard maintenance, pool access - and apply it to every property or just the units that need it. Add a Property Assessment to a single home for a one-off charge. Apply a special assessment across the community in one action. Every charge posts on its own schedule and shows up itemized on the resident's ledger.
Why: Real communities are not one flat fee. Condos sit next to townhomes, some residents opt into services others skip, and capital projects come due. Boards were tracking all of this in spreadsheets or paying a manager to do it. Now a volunteer board can bill each unit exactly what it owes, with every charge itemized so residents see what they are paying for.
duespaymentsadmin
Jun 2, 2026

Amenity deposits: release or forfeit, on the record

After a rental ends, admins get an "Amenity Reviewed: Release Deposit" prompt with a one-tap Forfeit option, and the resident is notified either way. Closes the loop on cleaning and damage deposits.
Why: Deposits were held, but releasing or forfeiting them was fuzzy. Now it is an explicit, logged step.
amenityfinancialadmin

May 2026

May 26, 2026

Admin booking on behalf, plus a major mobile refresh

Admins can now book amenities for a resident - either comped or charged to the property. Cancelling a booking frees the slot immediately so someone else can grab it. The mobile experience got a major refresh across the admin pages, plus a real menu on the marketing site. And the HomeHerald Android app is out of preview, fully available on Google Play.
Why: Residents sometimes need an admin to book a room for them. Cancelled bookings were blocking the calendar after the fact. And the mobile admin experience was overdue for a redesign that puts your data first.
amenitymobileadmin
May 16, 2026

This changelog page launches

A running log of what we ship and why. New stuff at the top. Click any entry to see the backstory.
Why: I want anyone using HomeHerald to see what we're building - and what's coming down the pipe. No marketing-speak roadmap, no waitlists, just what shipped this week.
platformtransparency
May 15, 2026

Herald Voice goes live

Press-to-talk voice agent. Ask Herald a question by holding the mic button, get a spoken answer back. iOS and web.
Why: Typing on the phone is annoying. Residents already talk to Siri and Alexa - HOA software should work the same way.
mobileresidentai
May 13, 2026

Amenity automation goes free

Every community, on every plan, now gets the full booking flow: request, approve, smart-lock code, auto-deposit hold, auto-refund 5-7 days after the booking ends.
Why: Boards were tracking pool bookings on paper. Deposits were a legal and accounting headache. We built the end-to-end flow and stopped gating it.
amenitysmart-lockfinancial
May 12, 2026

Herald Welcome - the listing agent portal

Real estate agents listing a property in your community get a secure portal with the welcome letter, current HOA balance, covenants, and an estoppel letter download. No board involvement needed.
Why: Every closing in an HOA generates the same scramble: agent calls the treasurer at 9pm needing the estoppel by tomorrow. Herald Welcome lets them get it themselves.
agentresidentfinancial
May 5, 2026

Download a full backup of your community - free

Export a complete backup of your community's data, now included on every plan.
Why: Your data is yours. No lock-in, and no paywall on getting it out.
platformdataadmin
May 4, 2026

Cash-basis P&L reports

Treasurers can run a full Profit & Loss report on a cash basis (when money actually moved), not accrual. Replaces the need for a QuickBooks subscription for most HOAs.
Why: Most HOAs are cash-basis. Accrual reporting confuses every volunteer treasurer. We default to what they actually need.
boardfinancialreporting
May 4, 2026

Bank reconciliation, AR Aging, and AP Aging

Reconcile each account against the bank statement with a live diff that counts down to zero, run AR Aging to see who owes what and how late, and AP Aging to catch an unpaid vendor bill before it bites. Plus Cash Accounts (Operating, Reserve, Petty Cash), outstanding checks, and CSV export.
Why: A P&L is half the job. Treasurers also have to tie out the bank and chase delinquents. This is the rest of the bookkeeping, built for volunteers.
boardfinancialreporting
May 4, 2026

Upcoming amenity rentals on the dashboard

The admin dashboard now shows upcoming amenity bookings in real time. Residents see open slots without calling the board.
Why: Self-service for amenities. Closer to Airbnb, further from a spreadsheet on a clipboard.
boardamenity
May 2, 2026

Community Events with one-tap RSVP

Schedule events (block parties, board meetings, work weekends). Residents RSVP in one tap. Calendar export. Automatic day-before reminders. Live attendance roster so you know how many hamburger buns to buy.
Why: Block party Saturday, twelve people show up. Email blasts give no headcount. Eventbrite is overkill. Built the in-app version that gets used.
residentcommunicationevents

Apr 2026

Apr 30, 2026

Community Voting - legal-grade ballots

Boards post yes/no votes on budget, rules, assessments. Residents vote from their phone. Quorum tracked automatically. Tamper-proof results audit trail.
Why: Every HOA law requires member voting on major decisions. Most boards still use paper ballots or "show of hands at the annual meeting." This is the modern version, free.
residentgovernancevoting
Apr 15, 2026

Pet Protect - lost-pet matching

Residents register pets with photos. When one goes missing, the community gets a push notification. Neighbors submit sighting photos. AI matches the sightings to registered pets.
Why: A lost dog in an HOA is chaos: Facebook posts, paper flyers, doorbells at 10pm. Pet Protect is the structured version of "did you see my dog?"
residentaicommunity

Mar 2026

Mar 15, 2026

HomeHerald iOS app live on the App Store

Native iOS app with Face ID login, push notifications, native camera, and Apple Pay. Full board dashboard on your phone - not a stripped-down portal.
Why: Board members live on their phones. Most HOA software treats mobile as an afterthought. We built the iPhone app first.
mobileresident
Mar 10, 2026

HomeHerald Android app live on Google Play

Native Android app with feature parity to iOS: dues, amenities, chat, voting, events, Pet Protect.
Why: Half of residents are on Android. You can't pick a side.
mobileresident

Feb 2026

Feb 5, 2026

Multi-community switcher

Property managers and active residents who belong to multiple communities can switch with one tap. No logging out and back in.
Why: Discord solved this problem; we copied the pattern. Anyone who manages or lives in more than one HOA shouldn't have to re-authenticate to see the other one.
uxapp
Feb 5, 2026

AI receipt scanning for expenses

Snap a photo of a vendor receipt. AI reads the vendor, amount, date, and category. Expense logged with one tap.
Why: Treasurers hate data entry. This is the part of QuickBooks they'd quit if they could.
boardfinancialai
Feb 4, 2026

SMS chatbot - text Herald any question

Residents text the HomeHerald number. Herald responds with their balance, the next meeting date, the pool hours, the trash schedule.
Why: Not every resident installs the app. SMS hits everyone. Treasurer doesn't get woken up by 2am "what's my balance" texts anymore.
residentcommunicationai
Feb 3, 2026

My Home - household management

Residents can invite their spouse, roommates, or family members to co-manage the same property. One person pays; everyone in the household can see the ledger, book amenities, and report issues.
Why: HOA software historically assumed one person per property. Real households don't work that way.
residenthousehold
Feb 2, 2026

Free plan, no time limit, no asterisk (since superseded)

Communities up to 50 properties got HomeHerald free. Amenity bookings, voting, events, Pet Protect, chat, email agent, mobile apps - all included. (Superseded: new communities now start with 14 days free and no credit card on flat, size-based pricing, and adding a card starts a full 30-day free trial. Communities created before the change keep their free plan.)
Why: Most HOAs are small and broke. We wanted the smallest communities to be able to start without a budget fight.
platform
Feb 1, 2026

QR-code community join

Boards generate a QR code for the community. New residents scan it with their phone camera and are in the app, joined to the right community, no invite-code typing.
Why: New resident moves in, you hand them a card or stick the QR on the entryway sign. Done.
residentonboarding

Jan 2026

Jan 29, 2026

Self-service community creation

Boards create their own community profile, set rules, upload CC&Rs, and invite residents - all from the app. No support ticket required.
Why: Manual board setup was the biggest bottleneck. Self-service onboarding made it ten times faster.
boardonboarding
Jan 28, 2026

Renamed to HomeHerald

The platform formerly known as CommunityConnect is now HomeHerald. Same product, sharper name, single word.
Why: CommunityConnect sounded like every other SaaS. HomeHerald is memorable and ties to "herald" - the messenger between the board and the community.
brand

Dec 2025

Dec 1, 2025

Platform launch (v1.0)

HomeHerald launches with the core toolkit: resident chat, AI email inbox agent, dues tracking, request tickets, board announcements, community directory, and a mobile-responsive web app.
Why: Day one. Built because the existing options for self-managed HOAs were either too expensive (management companies), too clunky (Buildium/PayHOA), or didn't exist.
platform

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