Help & FAQ

Common questions about using Issue Monkey. View the full Users Guide →

Getting Started

After signing in, you'll see the "Select Your HOA" page. Click "Create a New HOA", enter your community name, and you're set. You'll be the admin automatically. Your HOA gets a 30-day free trial with up to 100 issues.

Go to Users in the navigation. Fill in their name, email, and select their role (Board Member or Resident). Click Invite. They'll receive an email with a link to accept and set up their account.

  • Admin — Full access. Can manage users, properties, settings, subscription, and do everything board members can.
  • Board Member — Can manage issues (update status, assign, edit location), view all data, but can't manage users or properties.
  • Resident — Can report issues, view their own community's issues, and add notes/photos.
Reporting Issues

Click "Report Issue" from the dashboard or issues page. Describe the problem, select the issue type (Violation, HOA Maintenance, Safety, or Other), and optionally:
  • Search for an address using Google autocomplete
  • Click the map to place a pin
  • Upload photos (up to 10, JPEG or PNG)
  • Select a property from the dropdown
If you search an address that's not in your community yet, you'll see an "Add to Community" button — your form data is preserved.

Violation — A homeowner or resident is not complying with community rules (e.g., overgrown lawn, unapproved modifications, parking violations). HOA Maintenance — An issue with common areas that the HOA is responsible for (e.g., broken streetlight, damaged fence in common area, pothole on community road).

Yes! Open the issue detail page and use the "Add Photos" section in the sidebar. You can also delete photos you've uploaded.
Map Features

Long-press (hold for 1 second) or right-click anywhere on the community map. A popup will show the 5 nearest property contacts with their name, address, phone, and email. You can tap a phone number to call directly.

Click the funnel icon (top right of the map). You can filter by status (Open, In Progress, Resolved, Closed), type, and date range. Quick date buttons (30/90/180 days) are saved as your personal preference. By default, only Open and In Progress issues are shown.
Properties & Contacts

Go to Properties and use the "Import from CSV" section. Upload any CSV file — the system auto-detects your column headers (address, name, email, phone, etc.) regardless of the format. You'll see a preview with the detected mapping and can adjust before importing. GPS coordinates are automatically geocoded for addresses that don't have them.

Yes. Go to Settings and toggle "Property List Lock". When locked, no one can add new properties through any method (form, import, or the "Add to Community" button). Only admins can unlock it.
Subscription & Billing

Your trial lasts 90 days with up to 100 issues. After expiration:
  • Days 1-30: Read-only mode — you can view but not create or update.
  • Days 31-60: A reminder overlay appears before each page.
  • Days 61-90: A warning that data will be deleted.
  • After 90 days: Data is archived and access is blocked.
Subscribe anytime to restore full access.

  • Starter — $29.99/year, up to 250 issues
  • Growth — $39.99/quarter, up to 1,000 issues
  • Pro — $39.99/month, up to 5,000 issues
Issue counts include all issues ever created (not just open ones). You can upgrade anytime — access is immediate.

Go to Settings. You'll see your current plan, usage meter, and available plans. Click "Manage Subscription" to update payment, view invoices, or cancel through Stripe's secure portal.
Search & Communication

Click Search in the navigation. Type any part of their name, email, phone number, or address. Results show all matching contacts with click-to-call and click-to-email buttons.

Yes! Go to My Profile (click your name in the top right). Click "Send Verification Email" to verify your email with our email provider. Once verified, all notifications you trigger will come from your email address, and recipients can reply directly to you.
AI Violation Notices

Board members can click "Draft Violation Notice (AI)" on any violation issue. The AI reads your uploaded CC&Rs and generates a professional notice referencing the relevant sections. You can choose a tone (Friendly, Professional, Formal, or Custom), then review and edit the draft before sending it via email, copying it to your clipboard, or printing it.

Go to Settings → "Violation Notice Tone" and select a preset (Friendly & Neighborly, Professional & Balanced, or Formal & Firm) or write your own custom instructions. This sets the default tone for all notices. Board members can also override the tone on a per-notice basis from the draft page.

Go to Settings → "HOA Contact Information" and enter your board's name, email, phone number, and mailing address. This information is automatically used in violation notice letterheads and signatures, so recipients know who the notice is from and how to respond.

Go to Docs in the navigation. Upload PDF, DOCX, or TXT files. The system extracts the text content so the AI can reference specific sections and articles when drafting violation notices. You can upload multiple documents and replace them as your CC&Rs are updated.
Contact Updates

On the Properties → Contacts page, click the envelope icon next to any contact that has an email address. They'll receive a link to a simple form where they can update their name, email, phone, and notification preferences — no app account is needed. This is a great way to keep your contact list current without manual data entry.
Mobile App

Yes! Visit the site in your phone's browser. On Android, you'll see an "Add to Home Screen" prompt. On iPhone, tap Share → Add to Home Screen. The app launches full-screen with the Issue Monkey logo and works even with spotty connectivity. You get the full experience without downloading anything from an app store.
Referral Program

Go to Settings and find your unique referral link. Share it with other HOA communities — post it on neighborhood forums, send it to board members you know at other communities, or include it in your newsletter. When another community signs up through your link, the referral is tracked to your account.
HOA Management

This happens when board members sign up independently. To merge:
  1. Both board members need to be members of both HOA tenants (accept an invite to join each other's HOA)
  2. Once a user belongs to two HOAs as an admin/owner, go to Settings → Merge HOAs
  3. The system may auto-detect the duplicate if the HOA names are similar
  4. Select which HOA to keep (target) and which to archive (source)
  5. All issues, properties, contacts, and users from the source are moved to the target
  6. Issue numbers are re-sequenced, duplicate properties are merged, and the source HOA is archived
Tip: The merge requires approval from an admin of the target HOA, so both parties are involved.

Go to Settings → Leave HOA. If you're the last member, you'll have the option to permanently delete all HOA data. If you're not the last member, you'll simply be removed and other members can continue using the HOA. Note: If you're the billing owner, you must transfer billing to another admin before leaving. If you're the last admin, you must promote someone else to admin first.
Full Users Guide Dashboard