HOA architectural review software
Turn every architectural request into a clear, traceable decision.
totalHOA gives homeowners one place to submit plans, boards one workflow to review them, and the association one dated record of the application, conversation, conditions, and decision.
NEW REQUEST
Architectural review request
Tell the committee about your project. Keep your plans and supporting documents together.
- 1. Project details
- 2. Documents
- 3. Review
- Property
- 128 Willow Lane
- Project type
- Fence installation
- Describe your project
- Install a 4-foot black aluminum fence around the rear yard, following the lot lines shown on the attached survey.
The problem
Architectural decisions should not depend on one volunteer’s inbox.
When applications arrive by email, plans land in personal drives, and votes live in a spreadsheet, the board spends more time reconstructing the process than reviewing the project.
That becomes expensive when a homeowner asks why a fence was denied, a committee chair steps down, or a conditional approval needs to be found months later. totalHOA keeps the evidence and the decision on the same case from the start.
- Stop chasing missing plans and resending application forms.
- Reduce status-check emails with resident self-service.
- Give future board members the context behind past decisions.
Built for the full review
Everything the committee needs, attached to the request.
Architectural Requests combines resident intake, committee review, payment, communication, and decision history without turning the process into a chain of disconnected tools.
Complete online applications
Homeowner and property details are prefilled. The form collects the project type, contractor details, plans, photos, and a marked-up survey before review begins.
Automatic committee routing
New submissions move into the architectural queue automatically, with a case number, owner, due date, and visible status - so nothing waits unnoticed in an inbox.
Conversation on the case
Questions and replies stay threaded with the application. Homeowners can reply by email, and their response returns to the request instead of a board member’s personal mailbox.
Recorded decisions
Authorized reviewers can record Approve, Deny, or Abstain. Quorum is checked, ties cannot be finalized, and each vote is dated and attributed.
Conditional approvals in writing
Conditions entered with an approval become part of the final outcome and the homeowner’s notice, replacing informal “yes, but…” messages that are easy to lose.
Fees tied to the owner’s account
If the association charges an application fee, the homeowner pays online and the charge appears on the same account and statement used for assessments.
How it works
From submission to written decision, without losing the thread.
Each handoff is visible. The homeowner knows what is happening, reviewers know what needs attention, and the association keeps the complete history.
Homeowner files the request
They choose the project type, describe the work, upload the supporting documents, acknowledge the requirements, and pay any configured fee.
totalHOA routes and organizes it
The case enters the architectural queue, is assigned to the committee, and carries its application, files, status, dates, and conversation together.
The committee reviews and asks questions
Reviewers work from the same file, request clarification, update the status, and prepare the complete request for a decision.
An authorized reviewer records the decision
The vote, quorum, tally, conditions, and final outcome are stored. Associations can also record a direct administrative decision when their process allows it.
The homeowner receives the result
The decision and any conditions are delivered in writing, while the request remains available in the resident portal for future reference.
For boards and reviewers
See what is waiting, what is missing, and what is ready to decide.
The architectural dashboard shows active requests by stage. Open a case to review the submitted answers, plans, survey, messages, ownership, due date, and status history in one place.
- Filter the submissions inbox to architectural requests.
- Assign the committee, board, or a specific point person.
- Mark a request Pending when the homeowner owes more information.
- Move a complete file to Ready for Decision.
ARCHITECTURAL REQUEST · ARC-2026-014
Rear yard fence
Ready for decision128 Willow Lane · Assigned to Architectural Committee
- Project
- 4-foot black aluminum fence
- Supporting files
- Site plan and marked-up survey
- Review stage
- Application complete
I’ve added the updated survey showing the fence inside the rear property line.
Reply received on the caseA decision you can reconstruct
The association keeps the file when the committee changes.
A future board can see what was submitted, what was discussed, who recorded the decision, what conditions applied, and when each step occurred - without tracking down the former chair.
RECORDED DECISION · ARC-2026-014
Approved with conditions
FinalizedQuorum met · Decision recorded September 3, 2026
Fence must match the submitted black aluminum design and remain within the property boundary shown on the approved survey.
- Application received
- Updated survey attached
- Written decision sent
Kept on each case
- The application and a snapshot of the questions asked.
- Uploaded plans, drawings, photos, and marked-up survey.
- Status changes, ownership changes, and their actors.
- Vote sessions, individual choices, quorum, tally, and conditions.
- The correspondence thread and written decision notice.
MY REQUESTS · ARC-2026-014
Your fence application
Approved with conditions128 Willow Lane · Updated September 3
Your fence application has been approved with conditions. Please review the written decision before beginning work.
Thank you for the updated survey. The approved design and boundary requirements are included in your decision.
Conversation attached to your requestFor homeowners
Fewer “did you get my request?” emails.
Homeowners can file the request, pay the fee, respond to questions, follow the status, and keep the final decision from one portal. They see their own case - not another resident’s application or the committee’s internal vote.
- Clear case number and current status.
- Email replies that return to the right request.
- Written outcome and conditions available later.
- Optional Nova answers about their own request status.
Connected operations
Architectural review works better when it is part of the HOA system.
The request does not end at a form submission. It connects to the people, money, communication, and records already inside totalHOA.
One owner account
Application fees appear beside assessments instead of in a separate payment report.
Communications →One conversation
Questions, email replies, notices, and the final decision remain attached to the case.
Document management →Guidelines close at hand
Boards keep governing documents and architectural guidelines in the same platform.
Nova →Fewer status checks
Residents can ask about their own request and get the current status and next action.
The fee carries the case number into the ledger.
When a homeowner pays an architectural application fee, totalHOA records the charge on the owner’s account with the originating case number. The treasurer can answer “was this fee paid?” from the same balance used for dues.
OWNER ACCOUNT · 128 WILLOW LANE
Account activity
PaidIllustrative amounts. Your association sets its fees.
Clear scope
A reliable record of your process - not a substitute for legal advice.
totalHOA records the association’s application, plans, discussion, vote, conditions, and decision. Each association should have counsel confirm that its notices, meetings, deadlines, decision language, and other procedures meet its governing documents and applicable law.
Private by design
Homeowners see only their own requests. Internal fields and the vote record stay on the administrative side.
Decision-stage workflow
The built-in workflow ends at the decision; it does not currently manage approval expiry, construction completion, or reinspection.
A request record
The approval remains on the applicant’s request. It is not currently added to a transferable property record.
Separate from enforcement
Architectural requests and violations remain separate workflows; approving a request does not automatically close a related violation.
Questions
Architectural requests FAQ
Yes. Homeowners can open an Architectural Review Request from the resident portal, confirm their prefilled contact and property details, describe the project, upload plans and a marked-up survey, acknowledge the requirements, and pay any configured application fee.
Authorized administrators, forms processors, and the active chair of the assigned committee can open, participate in, and finalize a vote from the administrative request view. Ordinary committee members do not receive architectural voting access by membership alone.
Yes. The association can configure a fee on the form. The homeowner pays online, sees the fee and card cost separately, and the application fee posts to the owner’s totalHOA account as an administrative charge tied to the request.
An authorized voter can enter a condition with an approving vote. If an approval includes condition text, the request is finalized as Approved with Conditions and the conditions are included in the stored decision and homeowner notification.
Yes. Each request has a reply address that routes the homeowner’s email response back into the case thread, keeping the conversation attached to the application rather than a personal inbox.
No. A homeowner can view only their own architectural requests. They can see the status, correspondence, decision, and applicable conditions, but not the internal vote, tally, voter names, or staff-only fields.
Not currently. The built-in architectural workflow ends when the request is approved, approved with conditions, denied, or closed. It does not include approval expiry, start-of-work notices, completion sign-off, or reinspection.
No. totalHOA documents the association’s own process but does not determine whether that process satisfies state law or the governing documents. Associations should have counsel review their notice, meeting, deadline, decision, and recordkeeping requirements.