Webinar - Modern Tools for HOA Success: Digital File Solutions

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for taking the time to join today's webinar. It is titled ‘Modern Tools for HOA Success: Digital File Solutions’.

My name is Rebecca, and I am from the customer success team at Condo Control. I am also joined by our guest speaker, David Harshfield. He is the president and board member of Cromwell East HOA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and also joined by Miryam Scanga, the senior customer success manager at Condo Control.

She's going to be helping walk through some of the key features and field questions during our q and a.

So, before we get started, just wanted to provide a few reminders. This webinar is being recorded. A follow-up email will be sent to all registrants with the recording link once it becomes available.

After the presentation, we will have a q and a session. So just wait until then to ask any questions. And if you do have any, please submit questions at the bottom of your screen in the Zoom q and a, and we'll do our best to get to as many as we have time for. Please note that all attendees are muted, so you do need to use that Zoom q and a to ask a question. And then after the webinar upon leaving the Zoom meeting, a survey will automatically appear in your browser to gather feedback you may have.

On our agenda for today, we'll start by discussing some of the common HOA administrative and filing challenges, and then dive into the importance of unit files for HOA management. We'll then highlight how digital file solutions like Condo Control can help resolve some of these challenges.

And then following this, we'll further explore the key features that Condo Control offers, including the file library and unit file features, including some of the main benefits. And then, we'll hear from our guest speaker, David, who will provide his perspective and input on how Condo Control has helped with HOA management. And then Miryam will provide a walk through and demo of these features. And then finally, we'll finish with the q and a.

So starting out with some of the common challenges faced by HOA's when it comes to administrative functions. So living in a community that's managed by a homeowners association has a lot of benefits. The HOA takes care of property maintenance, giving you access to some great community facilities. Also, safety is prioritized, and, it can also help to elevate your property's value over time. However, HOA's often face challenges with some of the traditional filing systems, particularly if you're still using physical file cabinets, for example. And some of the biggest challenges that HOA's may face, you know, include some of those inefficiencies, like wasting time driving around, difficulty accessing documents, like, are people unsure of the bylaw details, for example.

 

There's also the high cost just of paper and ink, and then the vulnerability to theft or damage. So these issues really may complicate managing the administrative files, like invoices, owner data, and board meeting minutes.

Now, here, I just wanted to provide some potential real world scenarios of filing challenges. And some of these may sound familiar to you. So first scenario being, you know, what are the emergency contacts for owners who are snowbirds? So, the property manager may need the emergency contacts, like snowbirds, meaning a seasonal resident of a house or unit in a building. That's part of an HOA community.

So, you know, imagine it's middle of winter and a water pipe bursts in a unit belonging to a snowbird who spends half the year in Florida. You know they're not in town, but who do you call to handle the situation? Do you have their emergency contact info handy? You try and dig through the paper files or worse, you know, try to guess, which family member might be able to help. So without this, an efficient system, finding this information can waste valuable time increasing the risk, also of property damage or other issues. Okay. So that's a big one.

Second issue that could happen is easily how can I easily update certain documents? So you might be, you know, wrapped up in an HOA board meeting board meeting and the rules for, say community parking have need to be updated or have been updated, and you want to share that information with every resident. So in the past, this might have meant, you know, printing out flyers or sending physical mail, walking around door to door to ensure everyone received the latest information.

So very much the manual updating and redistributing paper documents, this can very much be a logistical nightmare. Plus, it's not sustainable, financially or environmentally over the long term. So this makes maintaining up to date and accessible info a very significant challenge for many HOAs.

And then lastly, what are the rules for holiday decorations? Very common question. If someone is unsure of what, if a resident as the festive season approaches and they want to decorate their homes or yards, they just want a simple wreath on the door or inflatable Santa, for example, you may have specific rules about what's allowed and what's not. So the problem arises when these rules aren't easily accessible.

Residents start decorating without guidance and disputes arise over what's permitted. So this could lead to some confusion or unnecessary tension between the HOA board and homeowners. So these scenarios very much show. There's some everyday challenges that the HOA's may face.

 Now before we go into some of the digital filing solutions that could help solve these challenges. I just wanted to go over first, the importance of unit file, very key for HOA management.

 

And when I say unit, it refers to a specific residence within the community, or door. Okay. So the unit file is essentially a directory of all the units and users within a community and something to note: the unit file is, with Condo Control, at least only accessible to staff level accounts. So, if you're a resident, you can see your unit information by using something called the my account feature. 

The unit file really is the centralized repository where administrators can keep track of unit info like maintenance fees, common elements, or at least details, user information like phone numbers and email addresses, including emergency contact info, including for aging or vulnerable community members, for example.

And it may also include info like the maintenance history for specific properties and owner profiles, including special notes, and you can even add in things like language preferences, whether they may require a translator.

So why are the unit files so important for HOA management? Really, they help you stay organized, prepared, connected. If your HOA is still relying on paper files or scattered systems, we do suggest upgrading to a digital solution like Condo Control.

Now with that, I want to go through how the digital file solutions can resolve those challenges like I mentioned before. So, you know, switching to a digital solution can really help with improving your organization.

It's a big one. Instead of juggling those physical files and scattered spreadsheets, everything is stored in one centralized location. So, essentially, you can have all of your community documents, the meeting minutes, bylaws, forms, and more just a few clicks away. And this level of organization makes it, easier to retrieve the right info at the right time, reducing the time driving around the community, ensuring that nothing gets displaced or overlooked, and it's especially useful during board transactions where maintaining that continuity, is critical. So, next, there's the cost savings. So HOAs can spend, as I said, quite a bit on printing, mailing, and storing physical documents, and these costs can add up quickly, especially for larger communities.

But by switching to something more digital, you can eliminate or significantly reduce the need for physical materials. Plus, the environmental benefits are a bonus, so it's very much a selling point for those eco conscious communities.

And then third, here security. So, this is another major advantage to digital solutions, physical docs are very vulnerable to theft loss or damage from disasters like fires or floods. And once a file is gone, it's gone. So a digital file solution provides the security features.

 

Also the encrypted storage and access controls ensuring that only authorized individuals can view sensitive documents. And then additionally, your files are protected from those physical, disasters. So even if your office is damaged, your digital records remain safe and accessible through the cloud.

 And lastly, it's a great time saver, so accessing those documents instantly, whether you're at the office, at home, or on the go, no more digging through the file cabinets, driving to the office, or waiting for someone to track down what you need. So this instant access is great for the busy property managers and board members freeing up more time for other responsibilities. 

 So remember those real world scenarios I mentioned. So, just to directly address these, you know, having a digital solution like Condo Control can really help in these situations, especially first, can easily access the first point here, contact info to reach off-site owners during an emergency. 

A detailed unit file or owner profile makes it easier to reach an owner. Another way if say email isn't working, or you can't just hand deliver letters like you would in a condo. And, and in Condo Control, there's the option to include the off-site address and phone numbers. And then, just in general, it can help with emergency preparedness and pulling up info to provide to emergency personnel or the fire department, for example. You could provide them with a community map, help them understand the physical layout of the community. So this could be really, really helpful. 

And then, two other examples here. The ability to update and retrieve the important documents and the convenience of instantly accessing community bylaws and rules. Right? So, you know, you need to pull up a meeting agenda from last year done instead of fielding the multiple calls or, you know, scrambling to locate a copy of the Christmas decoration rules. You can simply direct residents to the file library.

We will now conduct a poll to the audience. So today's question is, how does your currently manage and maintain community documents? So please, select all that may apply here. We want to just get a sense of what our audience is currently doing in your situation, right, with you know, is it a physical system? Is it digital? Is it a mix of both? Is it something entirely different that you want to specify in the chat? Please do. Let's see what we've got. So it looks like we have many people using Condo Control and a mix. Okay. A mix of physical and digital storage.

Happy to see that software is in the lead here. We'll just wait for everybody to put their responses in. And for people who are currently using the physical filing system, we hope that this will convince you to move to digital. 

Thank you, everyone. We just ended the poll, and the Condo Control software is in the lead, next being a mix of physical and digital storage. And then with, physical filing and then basic digital being that's interesting. Awesome. So I'll just share the results with everyone so you can all see. We appreciate your input here. So thank you so much, everybody.

 So next, we will explore how, having heard from many of you that you're using Condo Control and some of that are not, we're gonna dive into the benefits of the platform, and, we'll hear we will hear from David and Miryam as well. So first off with the benefits.

 So unit file, here are the four biggest benefits here. Now we wanna say, firstly, all resident data is stored in a single secure online location. This really ensures easy access and management. The more information you have on each unit, the better. So the unit file is your key to logging the basic info about a resident as well as, as we said, their emergency contacts, their vehicle details, pets, lockers, so much more. 

And then next, the admin makes tasks more efficient and reduces clutter. So there's this efficient record keeping. The digital storage really helps with that. And then quick retrieval of unit details so property managers can quickly find and update unit information, and enhancing the responsiveness to resident needs and emergencies. 

And then finally, organized resident grouping. So the system really allows for organizing residents into specific groups, which Miryam will show, and, facilitating the targeted communication and management. 

And then next, benefits of the file library.

Big one being, again, centralized document storage. All files are organized in a secure centralized location, ensuring easy access and management for board members, residents and property managers. So even better, you can upload.

An unlimited number of files to the library and add attachments or photos if you need as well And then enhanced search functionality. So enhanced in content search feature.

Please do ask your customer success manager about this if you don't already have it. This allows users to efficiently sift through scanned and uploaded docs using precise keyword searches really streamlining the retrieval process and then user notifications for new uploads. Very helpful when the notification system alerts the relevant parties when a new document is uploaded, promoting the timely communication and, essentially transparency within the community and then customizable permission levels. So, admins can set permission levels to control who can view and who can edit Docs, and just enhancing the security and ensuring that sensitive information is accessible only to those authorized individuals. 

So highlighting the benefits of unit file and file library. Next, I am going to pass it over to our guest speaker, David Harshfield, and he, as I said, is the president and board of the Cromwell East HOA. He will discuss his experience using Condo Control, mainly the file library, doc portal, and announcements features. David, all yours.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Hello, everybody. When I was connected or contacted about joining the webinar, Rebecca asked me what I use the most and what I found to be the most useful for the community.

We have an office manager. Our our association is self managed. So we have an office manager, and we're run by the board of directors. So our office manager does the lion's share of all the work. But what I get to do is participate in helping out by using the file library and the document portal.

Over the years, when somebody would request a document, they would have to come in and get it. We'd have to either search it on a file if it was on the computer or actually go to a physical file and copy it and provide it for them. And with Florida law where we live, you have ten days to do this. So the, document portal really helps the association with transparency and efficiency with getting the documents to people when they request it or just having access to it at the click of a mouse.

They're very easily accessible. The hardest part is actually downloading them into the system, and that just takes a little bit of time. But once that's accomplished, all the information is there for the owners and saves a bunch of time, going back and forth. The people can just sign on to Condo Control and get whatever docs they're looking for. So that is really a huge service to both the management part and to the community, and it really is a good way to share the information.

And then the announcements feature is something I use almost daily.

We get to it's like using the email, which we still do to duplicate, certain things, but we make the announcements to make sure that everybody gets it because everyone's email is on there. And we even include some of the long term renters that are there that need to share in the information.

So once we put an announcement out, it goes to their email. They can click on that and see through Condo Control what's going on. And if it's information about a file or something like that, they can just switch over and get what we are posting.

But, anything unlike the PowerPoint says, building updates, parking, if there's gonna be work done, alarm sounding, things like that that happen almost daily that the community wants to know about. And rather than posting it on posters or handing it out to the community, this is just one click away. You type in what the announcement is, and the people have instant access to it. So it's very efficient that way.

You can also send it to specific groups of people in the community, however, they're signed up and logged in. And you can also share it with everyone. Like I said, the owners, all of the owners, and even some of the tenants that are renting from owners. So it's one of the best tools that I see in communicating with everybody, and it's really modernized our operation as far as being self managed because it's difficult. And there are a lot of questions that come in, and this is a way to help us answer them. But I think the most significant thing we found is going back to the document portal where all that information is out there for everybody to just come in and get it almost instantly, without having to go through a whole lot of time delay and actually physical effort of looking it up because it's already been downloaded into the portal.

Oh, that's so great to hear. Thank you, David, for sharing those points. I and we hear this time and time again about just how much time is really saved, right, with, not having to physically go around and, the do the physical printing, etcetera.

It we've heard it it can be really helpful. So, thank you. Helpful also with, if if there's any kind of, attorney involved with an owner, they're looking for certain things to, back up their files and everything like that, we can refer them to that. And sometimes you'll get a request for a lot of documents. And in Florida, we have to hold certain things for seven years. Other things we can discard after a year. So all that is already sorted out, and it's real easy for somebody to get access for their attorney if they have any kind of issues that they're trying to deal with.

Yeah. So important. And, so glad to hear. Thank you for sharing those points.

If people are wondering, what does this look like? What is the file library unit file you've been going on about here? Well, now I am going to pass it over to Miryam. I'm gonna just stop sharing my screen here. Thank you. And, Miryam, if you don't mind taking us through a little demo and walk through of these wonderful features.

Absolutely. We'd love to. And, maybe we could we have a show of hands if anyone's done administrative work. Have they had a filing cabinet fall on them from all the paperwork, or have they had coffee spill everywhere or a water leak and you thought you had it all and then suddenly it's all gone? So my hand is raised because that has all happened to me.

As a retired property manager, I definitely have some funny stories of things that, you know, just it's just that it is. Right? But, I've used Condor Control in my professional life, and that's how I joined Condo Control being a customer success manager, because I basically love the product so much. So that was about four years ago.

So for today's session, like Rebecca mentioned, I'm just gonna review all the abilities you have within the unit file as well as the file library. So everything that you're going to see today is from an administrative point of view. So if you are an administrator within Condo Control, it will look very similar. If you're a board member, it also might look very similar.

If this doesn't look familiar at all, it might be because your permissions are a little bit different than what, it needs to be to make these changes.

 

So we're gonna start with the file library. It's located here at the top left hand side of the screen with that menu, And your file library will have all of your file folders very clearly indicated. There is, areas where I have some free documents kind of just hanging about because I haven't organized them in that way. But if I wanted to have them accessible for everyone to see, they are, available there and ready.

One thing I'd like to mention that I like to highlight is all of these folders also have permissions. And so within each permission, you can have subfolders as well. So like David was mentioning, and if attorney needs to see certain documents or an owner's requesting access to certain documents, you can give them whether it be temporary access or full access depending on their needs. And so depending on their group type, you can either give full access, like view access or no access. And then for staff members, it's something more of the full access or view access. And the difference is giving the ability for that person to be able to upload, download, delete, versus just being able to upload and view.

So that is a really important thing that I like to highlight because, you are gonna be putting in a ton of documents and a ton of graphics and layouts and all sorts of wonderful things. But who needs to see them and at what point do they need to see them? So absolutely recommend utilizing your folder permissions and creating subfolders, within the file library to keep you organized. 

So you can do it by year. You can do it by subject matter. It really just depends. There's no wrong answers, but this is very much, for you to keep yourself organized. And then like David mentioned, you know, the heartbeat is really just getting all the documents and putting in them all in place.

And so I also wanna highlight our ability for you to upload multiple documents. So you could kind of do this all in one go where you have all of your meeting minutes for the year, and you can go ahead and upload that document by selecting multiple, upload option within the file folder itself. If you wanted to upload a document here and there, you're absolutely welcome to. We just give you some flexibility to move the documents around or to upload them all at once because, we all understand, you know, that it it shouldn't take too long to do these types of administrative tasks.

So we make it really quick and easy for you. And then if notification needs to be sent out that a document has been uploaded, like Rebecca was mentioning, that is also possible when you select the certain fields to make that happen. So definitely recommend playing around with your file folders, your file library, your permissions to make it more accessible for your residents. So that's the file library and the library module.

 

The next we're gonna move on to is the unit file. So, again, still, located on the left hand side of your menu, just a little bit lower down, the unit file, which is how we refer to your lot or your doors.

This is basically that, that space where everything will live. I call it the meat and potatoes of the system. We need this to make sure you can communicate with your residents. So within your unit file, you'll have the unit, the name, the group related to that user, the username and phone number, as well as an offset address.

So there are two areas that we like to store information in. One being the user themselves and the other being the unit. So when we click into the user themselves, this is all of their personal information. This is their phone number. This is their emergency contact details. If they have a particular fob or key or buzzer code or access key card associated with their person. This is where it can live. Vacation details, if they're going to Hawaii for a little bit, they can put that information in there as well as any sort of person specific announce, attachments or notes.

And like Rebecca was mentioning, notes is a really good tool for administrators to keep track of just little kind of bits and bobs of things that you need to know about a customer. For example, the one that I used most in my professional work is if my resident needed any type of translating services because I didn't always have someone that spoke English, who was an owner. So I could put in that type of information into the notes as well as my emergency contact information. But you can really put in any type of note that you can think of.

The nice thing is this is not visible to the resident. This is only visible to yourself and other staff members. Okay? And like I mentioned, there's a few other things like assets that are related to the person as well as just any history records related to that person's use of Condo Control. So that's the information that lives within Condo Control for the user profile.

Now we're gonna jump into the unit profile, which, again this would be referring to your lot or your house, And we're gonna simply click on that number. So in my case, it's 01604. And this is where, again, you'll have that ribbon of information where you can store the store any types of notes or details. So you'll have the first tab being users, and that could be a list of all the users in relation to that lot, that unit. Then you'll have things like the unit details. So is this unit an owner occupied? Is it rental? Is it vacant?

You'll have items such as common elements, which could be your boat slips, areas within the community where it's maybe not physically attached to the building itself, but some sort of racking location. So boats, bikes, motorcycle spots, like, you name it. This can be utilized for that.

 

We also have an area for maintenance fees, vehicles, general authorization. So, again, if you have a security component to your community and you wanted to have a pre cleared list of authorized personnel that can come in in relation to this unit. For example, PSWs, dog walkers, personal assistants. There may be not residents or on title, but, you know, they're common to the community enough that you you wanna make sure that they are treated with the same level of customer service and respect when they get to the front gate.

Moving forward on the ribbon oh, sorry. I went a little too quickly. We have again, fobs remotes, buzzer, key codes. We also have pets. This is where that information lives if you wanted to keep track of all the fuzzy furry animals.

Electronic consent is another one as well as attachments very similar to the user, but this is specific to the unit. So, again, I like to put rental agreements or specific things, documentation, maybe notifications about the unit itself. Right? Then, again, you'll have your notes that are visible only to your administrators. And then we have a few more tabs like lease details related activity.

We do have a module called violation tracking as well. Everything is just kinda kept here. So that way, if I were to go into a unit, I can see all the history all available to me all at one time. I don't have to think about, oh, right. That that unit, that two years ago, and that's what happened, and it's all here for you. So, definitely, extremely helpful tool to keep yourself organized.

Rebecca, did I cover everything that you were looking for? Absolutely did.  Fabulous.

That, ends off quite well next with what, I will do a little recap of what we've talked about here in in, especially organization as you just mentioned. So I'm just gonna share now my screen, and we'll go back into presentation mode.   

So as I said, just a recap of some of those main benefits, of the digital filing really helps to reduce the costs, the time, the driving around your HOA, and there's that improved organization and, also enhanced security, as well as, you know, just having a more modern. These, you know, aren't just conveniences. These are very essential tools for running a modern and efficient. 

So thank you so much everyone, for listening. That concludes the presentation component for today. We are now going to start the q and a session. And as I said, if you do have any questions, please submit them, at the bottom of your screen in the q and a function.

So I am going to start off here. Let's see what's the questions we have to start.  From Vince. Are there plans to increase the file size upload?

 

I sometimes have to load presentations with photos up in sections, making things more difficult for readers. Miryam, are you aware of any plans to increase any of the file size?

Currently not at the top of my head, but, we'll reach out to you, and we'll we'll take a look, together to see, how we can better assist. I think there might be some ways that I could, provide, some workarounds or some solutions, but we'll reach out so we can specifically take a look at your, what your what your needs are and address them.  

From Janine, she says we can't currently share a link to a shared working file such as Excel. So, you know, Dropbox, one box is needed. Is allowing links for shared working files something that's also in the works?

That's another great question. I'm thinking, you know, shared, like, a Google Doc is kind of what I'm envisioning. Right now, again, at the top of my head, what I can picture or suggest in terms of a solution is, instead of, linking it to well, because you can't link the document itself into the Condo Control file library because it's, like, it's two different platforms, is taking a word document and linking that Word, link putting that link within that Word document and showcasing that this is a shareable document. And then that way, it's still accessible within Condo Control. It's still accessible for the residents to edit. And so you kind of have best of both worlds. You're just applying it in a different way. So what I would do is, like I mentioned, take that link, put it in a word doc or a PDF, and then save it. So then when the residents need to find the document, if they don't have it saved somewhere in their favorites, they can go into Condo Control, find it in the doc find it in the file library document, click on that link, and then they'll have that community access that you're looking for.

Thank you for the question. We have a question asking, when owners change, does the unit information stay?

Great question. So it depends on the information. So for the most part, unit information is, you know, things that don't normally change too much. But, absolutely, depending on the situation, there could be a complete overhaul.

So we do have a process called process move out, within the unit file where it allows the administrator to go through all the steps, making sure that pets are updated, the vehicle details are updated, and all these little bits and pieces again are updated. So we do have a process to make it a lot more easier without you having to maybe forget, oh, yeah. They have a pet in their unit. So I definitely follow that, what we call the process move out, within the unit file.

It'll make it a lot easier. Exactly. Yeah.

 

Alright. Question from Mary. Our library is cluttered with some similar topics. Is there a way to combine file library topics? I guess, themes is also Yeah.

Absolutely. All you'll have to do is just, either rename the file folder. You can move the documents of those files into that new file folder.

It's it's really just about moving the documents around. And to do so, you'd simply click on the document itself. There is an option category on the right hand side, and it will give you the option to move or edit and simply just moving it to the correct folder. It's a really easy way of doing it. 

We have a question about mass upload to update info in the unit file. For example, from Jim, he's asking, you know, we have a list of fobs to units in Excel. How can that be uploaded?

Great question. I definitely suggest seeing if there's a volunteer in your community.

I would say that is probably the best way of doing it because then that way you can go through it with a fine tooth comb and making sure that information is uploaded correctly. The other way, you know, you could talk to your CSM and see if there is additional services that we can offer.

That's you know, it is it could be something, that that might be helpful for you. There would be a cost associated, but, again, a conversation that can certainly had be had if if you don't have a volunteer or a board member who could potentially put that data in there for you.

And just to note, if we don't, answer your questions here directly, we will follow-up with you. We have your emails, so it it's all good. We can, answer these questions, directly to you if we don't get to them today. Okay.

From Timothy, what happens to files if organization no longer wants to use Condo Control?

Great question. So if an organization no longer wishes to use Condo Control, we have to have that cancellation notice submitted, at which point we will allow the customer to download the reports and details as they wish.

And then, basically, the workspace is deactivated and unaccessible to to everybody, including, Condo Control staff. And then the information is then, deleted shortly after. So we definitely have a plan in place when that type of thing happens. But when there is a change of management, a part of the beauty of using Condo Control, is that you maintain that workspace. So and I see I think, to see in some of the questions here is the beauty of it is that you can maintain the consistency of communication, whether it's a new manager or not or there's a transition or anything like that. You keep that history with the community directly. So I think there might be, you know, some communities where the property management firm pays for their subscription to Condo Control.

 

Don't have fear on losing Condo Control because you change management firms. You can always keep that workspace for the community. And then, you know, depending on what you choose to do in terms of your management style, you can maintain that. So, yeah, we definitely have item ways and processes to make it easier for everybody. Absolutely.

We have a few questions, here in terms of the, in in case the board has hired a proper property management company to handle day to day, can the board ask to have access to Condo Control? First question. And basically board should have access and which should be optional. Management can't deny access to the board of directors. Correct.

Miryam, just if you could clarify exactly the permissions of a board versus property managers and what's allowed there.

Absolutely. Yeah. They're very similar, if not almost the same. And, David, I think you could, you can put in some comments to this as well. You have a ton of administrative access, I think, if not the exact same as your property manager. Correct?

Well, we are self managed, so, the board of directors has, access to it. I think we have our legal counsel, the president, and the vice president, and the treasurer, I think, are the the managers, listed on Condo Control.

So as your administrators. But yeah. Absolutely. Administrators.

In terms of configuration, again, it just comes down to what the community wishes, everything can be turned on and turned off quite quickly. So, same with adding and removing people from the unit file. If there's an election of a board and someone is no longer on the board, that can easily be changed, right, in terms of their access, to maintain that privacy.

That's a great example as well. We're having an election here in a week or so. So anything that changes with the election as far as personnel, that would be entered in and changed over. Yes. Exactly. Click the button. Awesome.

A question here, from John. Are there any potential privacy issues in storing any of the information you have referred to, for example, violations?

Not no. Like, realistically, there are none. Everything is password protected. And for administrators, we'd highly recommend enabling the two step authentication, process that we have in place.

So in terms of security you're good. That’s what Condo Control is basically built off of is ensuring a secure platform for this type of information.

 

Where I think, I would probably wanna provide some clarity with violations.

So we have a process, within Condo Control, a module titled violation tracking, and that's strictly used for administrators to administer violation notices to their residents, whether it's the garbage bins are out of place or something with landscaping is not in order. And that process allows, trackability from basically first friendly reminder or first notice to then the final notice maybe with the with the corporation's, attorney or corporate solicitor. All of that information stays within the unit itself or depending, on the communication, it stays within the user itself. So nothing is shared between units or between users unless that user is related to that unit. So I would say one hundred percent very secure. I yeah. That wouldn't that wouldn't be an issue.

Yeah. And I think that, builds on another question, coming from Diane about do you run-in she's asking, do you run into problems with residents regarding privacy issues around loading vehicle information?

So, again, just to echo what I was saying, the information is only visible to that user of that unit. So they can't see their neighbor's information or anything else that is very much, in relation to their own account. So that information is not shared for regular owners and regular residents.

Let's see. Some of these questions we will address directly, and some will direct you to your customer success manager. They can take a more deep dive in, but let's see.

Ben is asking, we are missing features like unit file in our Condo Control plan. Do we need to upgrade our plan, or has our property manager not set up the features yet?

Great question. I believe that's just a settings permission.

A part of our core package is the unit file, like I mentioned, is the meat and potatoes. So if you don't currently see it when you log in to Condo Control, it might just be simply a permissions, because that what you saw on my screen was administrator access. Right? So the administrator access does have that high level, accessibility to all the modules, included in your package. So, definitely speak with your administrator first. I don't think it's a package upgrade requirement.

If the file is updated, does the old file remain if we need to get access to it?

Great question. If you delete it, then it's deleted. If you, simply upload a new file and retitle it, you know, 2025, then it will stay accessible. So it really just depends again, like, on how much information you want within the unit file at one time. If it's truly outdated, I don't think it's necessarily as David was saying in Florida specifically, they have files that they need to keep for seven years and other files that can be discarded depending.

 

So it's just about naming conventions of your documents, putting them into the file folders that are pertinent for that year or for that user access. But if it's like an old document you don't need anymore, feel free to delete it. There's no point of necessarily storing it if it's not gonna provide any value to you. Right?

I know some people definitely like to hoard documents. Mhmm. But if it's if it's really not needed, you know, make yours like, make it easier for yourself and have it deleted.

 Question from Daniel. Just on the topic of violations. So to clarify, would subsequent homeowners be able to see, all the violations of the previous owner?

Great question. And, no, they cannot. So, again, this is all sticks within the people who are, you know, to to be in the know. Right? So if something happened two years ago and now it's a new owner, that that information is not accessible to that owner the new owner, I should say. 

Question from Michelle, and I think this will be the last question that we take unless, we have another, a minute or so if anyone chimes in. But Michelle asked, can you set auto delete for files that only need to be kept for, say, ninety days?

Great question. No. Not currently for the file library.

I know we have a function within the lease is within the unit file where you can have a reminder that the, renewal is coming up, and an automated reminder can be sent to the administrator and the user to say, you know, you need to make sure you update your lease. We do have that functionality, but not in terms of delete. I don't think that would be built in a way so an auto delete because what if you need it. Right? So, it's really just keeping on track. And, again, that's why something like violation tracking or utilizing the unit file with the leases where it allows the automation to actually pulling the trigger to delete, I think that's still really important that the administrator maintains that control.

Okay. We have couple more questions that we'll take here. Joel asks, you mentioned providing temporary permissions. How is that done, and can it time out?

Great question. So, how is it done is there's two ways. One within the user groups, so you can add and disable certain permissions and not just within the unit file or sorry. I should say the file library. In any sort of module that you have accessible within your package.

But in terms of the unit file specifically, that's where you can choose to, toggle on or toggle off view, not view preferences, again, depending on what the folder has or needs to share. There is no automated function, though. Again, I think it is important for administrators to maintain that control to turn on and turn off as needed. Right?

 

So if it's, details in relation to your annual general meeting, maybe you have it available for the, you know, for the year. And then once that year has finished, then you move it to no view. And then that way, it's nice and clean. Because, again, the only documents or only folders that you will see when you log in are what you have access to.

So residents that don't have access to view it, they won't see it in their file library, so they won't know what they're missing in a way. Yeah.

And then final question from Janine. Can we run a report of the library to see all documents and file structure?

Great question. I don't think that we have a specific report per se from that capacity, but within the file library on the left hand side of the menu, you'll see, the same file folders titled. And within those kind of smaller, shorter version of that, you can see the drop down and all the subfolders that are within it. And, again, you can navigate very quickly through that way. So that might be an easier way to navigate if you don't like the bulkiness of having the actual icon of a folder.

 Thank you so much for all of your questions. We really appreciate it. Just wanted to say, thanks for everybody and for our wonderful speakers. Thank you, Miryam and David.

We hope this encourages people to further look into, Condo Control if you're not already using it or really learning more about the, unit file and file library features. So, thank you so much, everyone. If you would like to learn more information about upcoming webinars, please go to events.condocontrol.com and we will see you next time.