HeyNeighbor AI User Guide
Welcome, Community Leader! 👔
Your Command Center for Community Management 🎯
As a community leader, you have powerful tools at your fingertips to manage your HOA efficiently. This guide covers everything you need to know.
🛠️ Admin Capabilities
- • Manage community members and roles
- • Upload and organize documents
- • Create events and meetings
- • Set up voting and elections
- • Send community-wide announcements
📊 Oversight Tools
- • Monitor payment collections
- • Review form submissions
- • Track community engagement
- • Manage violations and notices
- • Access financial reports
Quick Start for New Admins 🚀
Thank You for Leading!
Managing a community is a significant responsibility, and we're here to make it easier. This guide will help you leverage all of HeyNeighbor's tools to create a thriving, connected community.
Community Management Tools 👔
👥 This Section is For Board Members, Managers, & Administrators
Leading a community is a big responsibility! Here are the additional tools and features available to help you manage your HOA effectively.
Community Management
- • User Management: Approve new residents, assign roles
- • Communication: Send community-wide announcements
- • Community Settings: Configure features and policies
- • Member Directory: Manage resident information
Administrative Tools
- • Form Management: Create custom forms for residents
- • Document Control: Upload and organize community docs
- • Meeting Coordination: Schedule and manage meetings
- • Voting Setup: Create ballots and manage elections
Financial Management
- • Payment Tracking: Monitor dues collection
- • Financial Reports: Generate budget reports
- • Late Fee Management: Track overdue accounts
- • Expense Tracking: Monitor community spending
AI-Powered Insights
- • Community Analytics: Resident engagement insights
- • Smart Reporting: Automated report generation
- • Trend Analysis: Identify community patterns
- • Predictive Tools: Budget and maintenance forecasting
📬 Management Inbox - Your Shared Team Inbox
The Management Inbox is a shared communication hub where all admins, managers, and board members can view and respond to resident inquiries together.
How to Access:
- 1. Click the message icon in the top navigation
- 2. Select "📬 Management Inbox"
- 3. View all resident inquiries in one place
Team Workflow:
- • All managers see the same inbox
- • First responder handles the inquiry
- • When anyone reads a message, it's marked read for all
- • Full conversation history is preserved
Unread Alerts
Purple dot shows new messages
Subject Lines
Easily scan & prioritize requests
Separate from DMs
Private chats stay private
💡Tip: The Management Inbox is separate from regular direct messages. You can still message individual residents privately — those conversations won't appear in the shared inbox!
Leadership Tips for Success
💬 Communication is Key
Regular updates keep residents informed and engaged. Use announcements and the forum to share news.
📊 Data-Driven Decisions
Use the analytics and reports to make informed decisions about community improvements and budgets.
🤝 Encourage Participation
Active residents make stronger communities. Promote voting, events, and forum discussions.
⚡ Streamline Processes
Use digital forms and automated processes to reduce administrative burden and improve efficiency.
Access & Permissions Matrix 🔐
Understanding who can do what in your community
Role-Based Access Control
HeyNeighbor uses a sophisticated permission system to ensure the right people have access to the right features. Each role is carefully designed to balance responsibility with capability.
Admin
Full System Control
Manager
Operations Management
Board Member
Governance & Oversight
Committee
Specialized Groups
Resident
Community Members
Service Provider
Vendors & Contractors
Important Notes About Permissions
Security First
All roles are designed with security in mind. Sensitive financial and personal data is restricted to authorized users only.
Customizable
Admins can customize certain permissions for each role to fit your community's unique needs and governance structure.
Document Permissions
Management can set document and document category/folder permission and restriction using both user role types or by assigning access to specific users.
Community Communication Overview 📢
📱 Web App Required for Management Features
All communication and content creation features are accessed from the web app. The mobile app is resident-focused and lacks management capabilities.
Choose the Right Channel
📰 Community Hub Updates
Public newsfeed posts for updates and events. Included in the Daily Digest email.
📋 Community Notices
Official targeted messages delivered by email and in-app inbox.
👥 Group Chats
Private conversations for board and committee collaboration.
🤖 AI Chat Tools
Coach the resident AI with quick topics and uploaded reference documents.
📬 Management Inbox
Shared inbox where residents can message management without picking a specific person.
Community Hub Updates & Events 📰
The Community Hub is your community's newsfeed. You can post two types of content here: Updates (general announcements, news, and information) and Events (community activities with dates, times, and RSVP). Both types live on the newsfeed and are automatically included in the Daily Digest email that goes out at the end of each day, so even residents who don't check the app daily will stay informed.
How to Post
- 1. Go to the Community Hub page
- 2. Click "New Post" to create an Update, or go to the Events tab to create an Event
- 3. Write your title and description and use the AI writing assistant when helpful
- 4. Attach pictures, videos, or documents as needed
- 5. Click Post or Create Event
What You Can Attach
- • 📷 Pictures — Photos of community areas, flyers, and updates
- • 🎥 Videos — Walkthrough tours, meeting recordings, and clips
- • 📄 Documents — PDFs, meeting minutes, and policy docs
🤖 AI Writing Help: Provide a few key points and let the AI draft a polished title and description.
📧 Daily Digest: Updates and Events posted to the Community Hub are automatically bundled into the Daily Digest email that goes out at the end of each day.
Community Notices 📋
Community Notices are official communications from the board that get sent as both emails and in-app messages to a selected group of users, or to all users at once. Unlike Community Hub posts, notices are direct, targeted correspondence and arrive in each recipient's message inbox on both web and mobile apps.
How to Send
- 1. Go to the Forms & Notices page
- 2. Click "Create Notice"
- 3. Choose a notice type: General, Emergency, or Violation
- 4. Select your audience — all users, specific households, or by role
- 5. Choose delivery timing and write the notice
- 6. Click Publish to send
Delivery Options
- • ⚡ Send Immediately — For urgent, time-sensitive notices
- • 📅 Add to Daily Digest — Bundled into the end-of-day email for less urgent updates
- • 📱 In-App Messages — Always delivered to recipients' inboxes regardless of email preference
Mandatory Notices
When creating a General Notice, you can mark it as "Mandatory." Mandatory notices are delivered even to residents who have notifications turned off, or who haven't yet joined the platform. Use this for critical communications that every resident must see.
Immediate or daily digest
In-App Message
Always delivered to inbox
Mandatory
Reaches everyone, even opted-out
📂 Notice History: A complete history of all notices that have been sent is available in the Notice List on the Forms & Notices page for reference, record-keeping, and read tracking.
Group Chats 👥
You can create group chats for your various board and committee groups so the right people can coordinate in one place. Group chats are created from the Messages page by starting a new conversation and selecting the members to include.
Examples
- • 🏛️ Board Members Chat — Discuss governance matters privately
- • 🏗️ Architectural Committee — Review applications together
- • 🎉 Social Committee — Plan events and activities
- • 🌳 Landscaping Committee — Coordinate maintenance
- • 💰 Finance Committee — Budget discussions
💡 Tip: Group chats keep internal discussions organized and separate from resident-facing communications. You can still send direct messages to individual users when needed.
AI Chat Tools 🤖
Leverage AI Chat features to provide residents with instant, accurate answers about community topics. Seed the experience with recurring questions and supporting documents so answers stay aligned with your policies.
Quick Chat Topics
Post topics you want residents to be mindful of:
- • 🔥 Brush clearance requirements
- • 🚗 Parking reminders
- • 🐕 Pet policy updates
- • 🏊 Pool and amenity hours
Upload Supporting Documents
Give the AI coached answers by uploading:
- • 📄 FAQ documents
- • 📋 Committee guidelines
- • 📝 Policy updates
- • 📚 Living documents that grow over time
💡 Pro Tip: Committees can create living documents with answers and advice that expand over time. Upload these to supplement or replace older FAQ content in the AI's knowledge base.
Management Inbox 📬
The Management Inbox allows residents to message the board or management team without choosing a specific person. Any manager can respond from this shared inbox.
For Residents
- • Click "Message Management" in Messaging Hub
- • Write their question or concern
- • No need to know who to contact
For Managers
- • Click "Management Inbox" in Messaging Hub
- • See all resident inquiries in one place
- • Any manager can respond
Purple Dot
Unread shared inbox messages
Shared Inbox
All managers see the same queue
First Responder
Any manager can reply
💡 Note: The Management Inbox is separate from personal direct messages. Private conversations with individual residents stay private and do not appear in the shared inbox.
Guest List & Concierge Operations 🚪
Control Entry Flow with Real-Time Visibility
Guest List gives your front desk and guard team a single workflow for expected arrivals, check-ins, denials, and recurring access.
Who gets full controls:
- • Admins and Managers (automatic full access)
- • Users marked as Guest List Guard
- • Board members and standard users do not get full controls unless explicitly designated as guard
Daily operations
- • Use the date selector to move forward/back by day
- • Review expected, checked-in, and on-site totals
- • Check guests in with party size + optional plate/ID details
- • Check guests out when they leave
- • Use Check Back In if someone returns after checkout
Risk controls
- • Deny entry with a required reason for audit history
- • Hover denied status to view reason quickly
- • Use Undo Denied when a denial was entered by mistake
- • Maintain blacklist entries to block known individuals
- • Guest/recurring adds are automatically checked against blacklist
Recommended setup for front desk teams
Create guard house and concierge users as Service Provider role and enable Guest List Guard. This gives full guest-list operations while keeping access appropriately limited across the rest of the platform.
- 1. Go to Users & Units and add user
- 2. Set role to Service Provider
- 3. Enable Concierge / Guard Access for Guest List
- 4. Assign status and household/unit details as needed
Operations tip
Ask residents to add guests with the correct expected day and arrival time. This keeps guard operations faster and reduces calls at busy entry periods.
Forms & Requests 📝
Submit Requests the Easy Way! 🚀
No more paper forms or wondering if your request was received! Submit everything online and track the status.
🔧 Common Requests
- • Report maintenance issues
- • Request home improvements
- • Reserve community spaces
- • Submit complaints
✅ Benefits
- • Track your request status
- • Get email updates
- • No lost paperwork
- • Faster responses
How It Works:
- 1️⃣ Go to "Forms" in the sidebar
- 2️⃣ Choose the form you need
- 3️⃣ Fill it out online (save as you go!)
- 4️⃣ Submit and get a confirmation
- 5️⃣ Track progress in your dashboard
Manage Forms & Fields 🛠️
Administrators can create, edit, and manage form templates to streamline community processes and ensure consistent data collection.
Create a New Form Template
Build a custom form your residents can submit — maintenance requests, architectural change applications, complaints, feedback, and more. Templates are reusable and keep submissions consistent so nothing slips through the cracks.
- 1️⃣ Go to Forms in the sidebar
- 2️⃣ Open the 🎛️ Manage Forms tab (visible to management and committee roles)
- 3️⃣ Click the Create Template button in the top-right
- 4️⃣ Fill out template information and form fields
- 5️⃣ Click Create Template to publish it to the community
💡 Don't see the Manage Forms tab? Your role needs management or committee access. Ask a community admin to grant you the right permissions.
📋 Step 1: Template Information
Give your form a clear identity so residents know what it's for and you can find it later.
- • Template Name (required) — short and specific, like "Architectural Change Request" or "Pool Key Replacement." Click AI the Title for an AI-suggested title.
- • Description (required) — 1 to 3 sentences telling residents when and why to use the form. Click AI this Description to generate one from the title.
- • Category (required) — pick one of: 🏗️ Architectural, 🔧 Maintenance, ⚠️ Complaint, 📋 Request, or 💬 Feedback.
Example: an "Exterior Paint Color Approval" template in the Architectural category.
Step 2: Form Fields
Add the questions residents will answer. You can build fields one at a time, or use the AI Generate Form Fields button to get a starter list based on your title, description, and category.
For each field you add:
- • Enter a Field Label (what residents see above the input)
- • Pick a Field Type from the dropdown
- • Optionally add Placeholder Text as a hint inside the input
- • Check Required Field if residents must answer it
- • Use the ⬆️ / ⬇️ arrows to reorder fields, or the 🗑️ trash icon to remove one
Available field types:
- • Dropdown, Radio, or Multiple Checkboxes — add the list of choices residents can select. At least one option is required.
- • Property Selector — residents see their own property by default. Enable "Show all community properties" if they need to reference a different unit.
- • File Upload — ideal for photos of damage, architectural drawings, or supporting documents.
- • Map Pin Location — residents can mark an exact spot, such as a pothole, broken light, or irrigation leak.
Example: three configured fields — a text input, a long-text field, and a file upload.
Publish & Notifications 🚀
Publish & Manage
- • Click Create Template to save. It becomes available to the entire community immediately.
- • Not ready to go live? You can disable the template from the Manage Forms list and enable it later without losing your work.
- • Need to tweak it? Click the template in the Manage Forms list to edit the name, description, category, or fields at any time.
- • The usage count next to each template shows how many residents have submitted it.
Click Create Template to publish — the form becomes immediately available to residents.
Assign Form Notifications
You can assign users to be notified whenever a specific form is submitted. Go to Forms > Manage Forms > Assign Notification, choose the user or users you want notified, and save.
Notifications 🔔
Stay in the Loop! 📡
Never miss important community updates! Control what notifications you receive and how you get them.
🔔 In-App Notifications
- • Click the bell icon to see all alerts
- • Red dot shows unread notifications
- • Real-time updates while you browse
- • Mark as read to clear notifications
📧 Email Alerts
- • Get important updates in your inbox
- • Choose daily digest or instant alerts
- • Never miss payment due dates
- • Configure in Settings → Notifications
What You'll Be Notified About 📢
🏠 Community News
- • Important announcements
- • Maintenance updates
- • Policy changes
- • Emergency alerts
💬 Your Activity
- • Replies to your forum posts
- • Form approval updates
- • Payment confirmations
- • Meeting reminders
⚠️ Important Alerts
- • Payment due reminders
- • Voting deadlines
- • Meeting schedule changes
- • Urgent community notices
💡 Pro Tip: Enable email notifications for payment reminders and vote deadlines so you never miss important dates, even when you're not checking the app!
Your Profile 👤
Make HeyNeighbor Work for You! ⚙️
Customize your experience and keep your information up to date. A complete profile helps you get the most out of your community platform.
How to Access Settings:
- 1️⃣ Click your name or profile picture (top-right corner)
- 2️⃣ Select "Settings" from the dropdown menu
- 3️⃣ Choose the tab for what you want to update
- 4️⃣ Make your changes and save!
What You Can Customize 🎨
🏠 Community & Account
- • Unit Information: Update your address/unit number
- • Contact Details: Phone, email, emergency contacts
- • Privacy Settings: Who can see your info
- • Profile Photo: Add a friendly face to your profile
💳 Payments & Preferences
- • Payment Methods: Add/remove credit cards
- • Auto-Pay Setup: Never miss a payment again
- • App Theme: Light mode, dark mode, or auto
- • Language: Choose your preferred language
🔔 Notification Control
- • Email Frequency: Instant, daily digest, or off
- • Alert Types: Choose what to be notified about
- • Quiet Hours: Set times for no notifications
- • Priority Alerts: Always get payment/vote reminders
🔐 Privacy & Security
- • Directory Visibility: Show/hide in member list
- • Message Settings: Who can contact you
- • Data Export: Download your information
- • Account Security: Review login history
💡 Getting Started Tip: Start by completing your profile information and setting up payment auto-pay. Then explore notification settings to get alerts that matter most to you!
State HOA Compliance Guides ⚖️
Know Your State's HOA Laws 📚
HOA laws vary significantly from state to state. Our free compliance guides help you understand the specific requirements for your state, including meeting notice periods, voting rules, assessment limits, and enforcement restrictions.
💡 Pro Tip: Understanding your state's HOA laws helps ensure your community operates transparently and protects homeowner rights.
Available State Guides 🗺️
Document Compliance Audit 🔍
Want to check if your HOA's CC&Rs, bylaws, or rules comply with your state's laws? Our AI-powered audit tool analyzes your documents against state requirements.
Start Free Document AuditTips for Success 💡
Become a HeyNeighbor Pro! 🌟
Here are insider tips to help you get the most out of your community platform and connect better with your neighbors!
🤖 Master the AI Chat
- • Be specific: "Pool hours on weekends" vs "pool info"
- • Ask for help: "How do I submit a maintenance request?"
- • Get reminders: "When are HOA dues due?"
- • Find documents: "Show me the pet policy"
💬 Forum Success
- • Great titles: "Lost cat - orange tabby on Maple St"
- • Add photos: Pictures help with maintenance issues
- • Search first: Someone might have asked already
- • Be neighborly: Say thanks and help others too!
🔔 Never Miss Anything
- • Check daily: Quick look at notifications each day
- • Email alerts: Turn on for payments & votes
- • Follow discussions: Get updates on topics you care about
- • Calendar sync: Add meetings to your phone calendar
💰 Payment Pro Tips
- • Auto-pay = freedom: Set it once, never worry again
- • Update cards: Keep payment methods current
- • Save receipts: Download for taxes or records
- • Check statements: Review monthly for accuracy
Need Help?
Remember, the AI chat is always available for quick questions! You can also reach out to your community board members through the forum or contact information in the Documents section.
Mobile Power User Tips 📱
HeyNeighbor works perfectly on your phone! Make it even better with these mobile tricks:
🏠 Home Screen Shortcut
Add HeyNeighbor to your home screen like a real app!
🔊 Voice-to-Text
Speak your forum posts and AI questions
📷 Quick Photos
Take photos right in forms for maintenance requests
🔔 Smart Notifications
Enable for urgent alerts even when phone is locked
Onboarding Templates 📨
✉️ Ready-to-Use Introduction Letters
Use these professionally crafted letter templates to introduce HeyNeighbor to your community. Choose the style and length that best fits your community's communication preferences.
Professional Style
Formal, business-appropriate tone ideal for official HOA communications and board announcements.
Friendly Style
Warm, approachable tone perfect for close-knit communities and casual communication styles.
💡 Tips for Customization
- • Make a copy: Click "File" → "Make a copy" to create your own editable version
- • OR download a copy: Click "File" → "Download" to select the format you wish to download
- • Add your community name: Replace placeholder text with your HOA's name and details
- • Include your contact info: Add board member names or management contact information