The request path
Submission → documents → review → vote → decision → notice
This is the committee process associations already describe in their guidelines. The software is the folder, the ballot, and the letter.
Step 1
Resident submission
The owner opens a request from the portal: fence, paint, roof, addition, landscaping — whatever the guidelines require an application for.
Step 2
Documents and photos
Plans, material samples, neighbor acknowledgements, and site photos attach to the request. The committee is not chasing attachments across three inboxes.
Step 3
Board or committee review
ASC / ARC members see the packet. Comments stay on the request. AI can flag guideline language that applies — the committee still decides.
Step 4
Vote
Approve, deny, or approve with conditions. The tally is on the record so “I thought we already voted” is a closed question.
Step 5
Decision and resident notification
The owner gets the written result. Conditions and expiration dates stay on the file for the inspector who checks the finished work.
The request card
A fence request with a vote, not a rumor
Status, materials, and the decision letter queue on one surface — the same pattern the homepage product stage uses.
4 of 5 committee votes in. Decision letter queued to the homeowner. Conditions and height limits remain on the file.
What committees need
Guidelines, votes, and a paper trail
A complete packet
Photos, drawings, and notes live on the request. Reviewers stop asking “which version of the sketch?”
Committee voting
Members vote in the workspace. The decision is recorded, not reconstructed from a group text after the fact.
Guideline-aware review
The assistant can surface the architectural standard that applies — height, materials, setbacks — from the documents the board uploaded.
Conditions and follow-up
Approvals with conditions stay visible. If the finished work does not match, it can become a violation case with the original request attached.
Owner notification
The resident is told the outcome in writing. The committee is not hoping someone remembered to email them.
Roles that match the charter
Architectural committee can be a stacked assignment on a homeowner. Board and officers keep oversight without making every owner a reviewer.
Why this is not a form tool
The request is the beginning of a record
A PDF application that emails the chair is how requests disappear. HOA-I keeps the submission, the discussion, the vote, and the letter together so a later board can see why a fence was allowed on lot 14 and denied on lot 22.
When an owner builds first and asks later, the violation case can point at the missing request. The two workflows are related on purpose.
FAQ
Questions boards actually ask
Can homeowners submit architectural requests themselves?
Yes. Owners submit from the resident portal with photos and documents. They do not need to email a board member to start the file.
Who can approve or deny a request?
Architectural committee members, plus board, manager, secretary, and admin roles. Committees can be assigned on top of a homeowner role so a volunteer does not need a full officer seat just to review fences.
Does the AI approve requests?
No. It can highlight guideline language that appears to apply. The committee or board casts the vote.
What if work starts without approval?
That is an enforcement question. Create a violation and attach the missing-request context. The two modules are meant to talk to each other.
Related
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