Getting started with a new platform can feel like an obstacle in itself. Before you can use HOA Hub, you need to actually set it up — add your properties, enter your contacts, choose a plan, and go live. Done well, setup takes under an hour. Done without a plan, it can turn into a half-finished project that gets abandoned when something else comes up.
This guide walks through the full setup process from start to finish: what to prepare before you begin, the required steps to get your community live, and what to do once you launch. By the end, you’ll know exactly what to expect and be ready to go.
Before you start: gather your data
The single thing that slows down setup the most is not having your community data ready. Before you create your account, it helps to have the following on hand:
A list of your properties. HOA Hub needs at least one property before you can launch, but in practice you’ll want all your properties entered before you invite residents. Pull a list of addresses from wherever your community currently tracks them — a spreadsheet, a management software export, or even a paper directory. A simple list of street addresses is enough to start.
A list of your residents and board members. Names, email addresses, and which property each person is associated with. You don’t need phone numbers or any other details, but email addresses are required if you want to invite people to log in.
Your governing documents. CC&Rs, bylaws, and any rules or policies you want residents to be able to access. These aren’t required to launch, but uploading them before you invite people makes the platform more useful on day one, especially if you plan to use EasyAsk so residents can search for answers themselves.
If your data is in a spreadsheet, you can use it as-is. HOA Hub’s import tool accepts CSV files and can match contacts to properties automatically.
Step 1: Create your community
When you create your HOA Hub account, you’ll be asked to name your community and configure a few basic settings: your community’s legal name and address. HOA Hub generates a URL for your community automatically.
You’ll land on the Setup Checklist, which tracks your progress and shows what’s required before you can launch. Until you complete the checklist and launch, only you can access HOA Hub — members see a placeholder message letting them know things aren’t ready yet.
Step 2: Add your properties
The first required step is adding at least one property. Properties are the homes, lots, or units in your association — the physical addresses that your contacts are linked to.
If your community has just a handful of properties, you can add them manually from HOA → Properties → New Property. The only required field is a property name (like “123 Oak Street” or “Unit 4B”). Address details are optional and can be filled in later.
For communities with more than a handful of properties, the Import Data tool is the faster path. Go to HOA → Import Data → New Import, select Properties, and download the CSV template as a starting point. Map your existing spreadsheet columns to HOA Hub fields, preview the import, and confirm. If anything needs to be rolled back, you can undo the entire import from the import detail page.
Import properties before contacts. When you import contacts afterward, HOA Hub will automatically match them to existing properties based on shared addresses and create household records for contacts at the same address. Doing it in the wrong order means more manual linking later.
Step 3: Add your contacts
Once your properties are in, the next step is adding contacts. Contacts are the people in your community: residents, board members, vendors, or anyone else you track. Every contact can optionally have a user account (the login credentials that let them access HOA Hub), but contacts and users are separate things. You can have a full contact directory without giving everyone login access.
Add contacts manually from the Neighborhood page by clicking Add Contact, or import them in bulk from HOA → Import Data. If you’re importing, the wizard will prompt you to map columns and will show a preview before anything is created.
After importing, it’s worth reviewing a few contact records to confirm properties are linked correctly. Check a couple of entries where you know the address, make sure the property association is there, and fix any mismatches before moving on.
Step 4: Choose a plan
The final required step is selecting a subscription plan. This unlocks full access for your community and activates billing. Until a plan is chosen, the launch button on the setup checklist stays inactive.
Plans are based on the number of properties in your community. If you have a small community (under 50 properties), the starter plan covers everything you need. You can upgrade at any time if your community grows or if you want to unlock additional features.
Step 5: Launch
Once all three required steps are done — at least one property, at least one contact, and a plan selected — the Launch button on the setup checklist becomes active.
Launching doesn’t send notifications to your members or post anything publicly. It simply opens the door: community members with user accounts can now log in, and all features are unlocked. You control when and how to actually invite people.
The best time to launch is right before you’re ready to start inviting people, not necessarily the moment the button becomes available. If you have documents to upload or ticket forms to configure, finishing those first means residents get a more complete experience on day one.
After launch: invite your community
Once HOA Hub is live, the next task is getting people in. User accounts are created from contact records — find the person in Neighborhood, open their detail page, click the Users tab, and send an invitation. They’ll receive an email with a link to create their account.
A few things to decide before you start inviting:
Which roles to assign. Board members typically get the Board Member or Admin role, which gives them access to manage tickets, events, and documents. Most residents get the Resident role. Roles can be changed after the fact, so don’t overthink this. Start with sensible defaults and adjust as needed.
Whether to invite everyone at once or in waves. For small communities, inviting everyone at once is fine. For larger associations, a phased rollout (board and committee members first, then all residents) gives you time to answer questions before the whole community is logged in.
After launch: set up the features your community will actually use
HOA Hub has a lot of capabilities. Rather than trying to configure everything before launch, focus on the areas that matter most to your community. A few common starting points:
Upload governing documents. Upload your CC&Rs, bylaws, and any policies residents need access to. Classify them as Governing Documents during upload. This unlocks version history and lets EasyAsk AI answer questions using their content. When residents can search for answers in your documents instead of emailing the board, one of the most common sources of back-and-forth disappears.
Create ticket forms for common requests. HOA Hub’s ticketing system replaces the “email the board and hope someone remembers” workflow with tracked, accountable requests. Set up forms for the things you get asked about most: architectural review requests, maintenance reports, or general inquiries. Each form can have its own assignment rules and auto-response settings.
Add upcoming events. If your community has scheduled meetings or social events, creating them in HOA Hub gives residents a place to RSVP and lets you track attendance before the event.
These aren’t required. Your community will work fine without them configured on day one. But getting even one of them set up before you invite residents gives people a reason to log in beyond just browsing the directory.
Setup is a one-time investment. Once your properties and contacts are in and you’ve launched, the ongoing work of running your community gets considerably simpler — requests are tracked, documents are searchable, and residents have a place to go with questions that isn’t your personal email inbox.
If you’re ready to see what the setup process looks like for your community, start for free. The checklist takes most people less than an hour from start to launch.