Case Studies > How Buildium Helped Vantage Heights HOA During a Devastating Fire

How Buildium Helped Vantage Heights HOA During a Devastating Fire

Company Size

1-10

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

Buildium

Tech Stack

Cloud Storage
Mass Email Capability
Online Document Management

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Customer Satisfaction
Digital Expertise
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Facility Management

Use Cases

Remote Asset Management

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
System Integration

About The Customer

Vantage Heights HOA is a homeowners association located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The association is managed by a volunteer board, which includes members who are residents of the neighborhood. In 2009, Joan Grant, the treasurer of the Vantage Heights HOA board, was tasked with modernizing the association's operations by finding a technological solution that would provide easy access to information for all members and a user-friendly bookkeeping system. After researching various options, Joan discovered Buildium, a software solution designed for small volunteer homeowner associations. Buildium met the association's needs by offering board and member access as well as a comprehensive bookkeeping system. The Vantage Heights HOA has since relied on Buildium to manage their operations and maintain communication with their members.

The Challenge

On June 23, 2012, a fire erupted in the foothills of Colorado Springs. Though the fire was three miles and two canyons away from the Vantage Heights neighborhood, residents were evacuated and informed to take belongings for 72 hours as a precaution. Residents believed they would all be back in their homes soon because the focus of the fire were homes in a neighborhood up in the foothills. On June 26, a perfect storm of conditions hit between a thunderstorm to the west, high winds, and flame. Unexpectedly, the fire jumped the two canyons and then with the energy from the thunderstorm, blew the inferno down into the Vantage Heights area, consuming 347 homes and killing two people. Areas that weren’t in danger and not evacuated on the 23rd were engulfed in flames, and people fled with fire within range of their homes. Following the massive destruction of the neighborhood, some residents chose to rebuild and others sold their lots and moved to new locations.

The Solution

The Vantage Heights HOA membership was scattered to the winds after the fire. Seventeen of their 30 homes were totally destroyed by the fire. People stayed with friends, with family, at hotels … wherever they could find a place. With Buildium and the capability to mass email, they were able to start communicating with their membership. They sent out notices regarding upcoming meetings for those affected by the fire, with requests about what could be done to facilitate the rebuild process. They also used the bulletin board -- members began posting information about debris and foundation removal, upcoming events, insurance information, etc., that was of immediate concern in the aftermath of the fire. With Buildium, the Vantage Heights HOA had all of their documents stored online, as well as their membership information and finances. Their paperwork was destroyed, but that didn’t matter as all had been scanned and saved. Those who lost their homes were refunded checks for services they wouldn’t need, such as trash removal. Also, some members chose not to rebuild and needed dues information for closing. Buildium’s online access to all HOA documents and records allowed them to focus on helping the membership recover and rebuild.

Operational Impact

Buildium enabled the Vantage Heights HOA to maintain communication with its scattered membership through mass email capabilities.
The online document storage feature of Buildium ensured that all important documents and records were preserved, even though physical paperwork was destroyed in the fire.
The bulletin board feature allowed members to share critical information about debris removal, insurance, and other post-fire concerns.
Buildium's financial management tools facilitated the refunding of checks for services no longer needed and provided necessary dues information for members who chose not to rebuild.
The HOA was able to focus on recovery and rebuilding efforts, thanks to the comprehensive and accessible nature of Buildium's platform.

Quantitative Benefit

17 out of 30 homes in the Vantage Heights neighborhood were destroyed by the fire.
347 homes were consumed by the fire in the broader area.
Two people lost their lives in the fire.