Question 1

What is HOA Plan Review?

Accepted Answer

HOA Plan Review is an AI-powered SaaS platform that pre-screens homeowner architectural improvement plan sets against a community's CC&Rs and design guidelines. It identifies potential textual compliance concerns — missing dimensions, undocumented materials, setback labeling gaps — and produces a citation-based report that cites the specific plan sheet and governing clause for each finding. It is designed for HOA managers, ARC committees, property management companies, and architects who manage architectural review.

Question 2

What does 'AI pre-screening' mean in this context?

Accepted Answer

AI pre-screening means that a large language model reads both your governing documents (CC&Rs, design guidelines) and the submitted plan set simultaneously, identifies text-based compliance concerns, and documents those concerns with specific citations. It is not a final compliance determination — it is an initial analysis that surfaces potential issues for review by a qualified person before the formal ARC process concludes.

Question 3

Is the AI pre-screen result a final approval or denial?

Accepted Answer

No. The pre-screen report is an analysis tool, not a decision. All final architectural review decisions are made by the ARC committee, HOA manager, or retained professional. The pre-screen report is one step in the review process — it catches textual compliance concerns early, but the formal decision authority remains with the human reviewer.

Question 4

What types of projects can be pre-screened?

Accepted Answer

HOA Plan Review supports pre-screening for all common project types submitted to HOA ARCs: room additions, new construction, landscaping, fence installation, exterior paint, pool and spa projects, solar panel installations, ADU and garage conversions, decks and pergolas, driveway and hardscape projects, and others. The pre-screen is driven by the content of your uploaded governing documents — if your CC&Rs address a project type, the AI will evaluate submissions against those provisions.

Question 5

What governing documents should I upload?

Accepted Answer

You should upload all governing documents that contain architectural review requirements: your recorded CC&Rs, separately adopted design guidelines or architectural standards, any applicable landscaping or water-efficient planting standards, and any recorded amendments. The AI reads all uploaded documents simultaneously and applies them to each submission. More complete document uploads produce more accurate pre-screen results.

Question 6

How long does a pre-screen take?

Accepted Answer

Pre-screen analysis typically completes in approximately 30 to 60 seconds after submission, depending on the size of the plan set and the number of governing documents uploaded. Results are available in the dashboard immediately upon completion.

Question 7

What does a citation-based finding look like?

Accepted Answer

Each finding in a pre-screen report identifies: the category (site design, architecture, or landscaping), a brief title describing the concern, the specific plan sheet or document section where the potential issue was observed, a description of what was observed, and the verbatim text of the CC&R or design guideline clause that applies. This citation chain allows the reviewer to verify every finding against the original documents.

Question 8

What can AI pre-screening not do?

Accepted Answer

AI pre-screening cannot perform professional architectural judgment — evaluating design compatibility, assessing structural adequacy, or determining whether a project meets the spirit of a community's aesthetic standards. It also cannot inspect the physical site, verify construction against the approved plans, or make legal determinations about variance applicability or state law pre-emption. These elements require professional or legal expertise.

Question 9

How does HOA Plan Review handle multiple communities?

Accepted Answer

Each community is set up separately within the platform with its own governing documents. When a plan set is submitted for review, the AI applies the governing documents for that specific community. The Architect plan supports unlimited communities, and the Community plan covers a single HOA. Property management companies typically use the Architect plan to cover all communities under management.

Question 10

Does the platform support version history for revised plans?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each time analysis is run on a submission, a new version is created and stored alongside all previous versions. ARC members can compare findings across versions to track which concerns were addressed in a resubmission and which remain. All versions are preserved in the submission record.

Question 11

Can pre-screen reports be downloaded?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pre-screen reports can be downloaded as PDF documents that include the submission details, all findings with full citations, and a pre-screening disclaimer noting that the report is an AI-assisted pre-screen and not a final compliance determination.

Question 12

What pricing plans are available?

Accepted Answer

HOA Plan Review offers three plans: Free ($0/month, 1 community, 5 AI reviews/month), Community ($99/month, 1 community, unlimited reviews, advanced reports), and Architect ($149/month, unlimited communities, 50 reviews/month, priority processing). The Free plan is available with no credit card required.

Question 13

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

You can create a free account at hoaplanreview.com with no credit card required. After signing up, create your first community, upload your governing documents, and submit your first plan set for AI analysis. The Free plan includes 5 reviews so you can evaluate the tool with your actual CC&Rs and plan submissions before upgrading.