Storing documents isn't complying. A website isn't a compliance system.
Weighing a shared drive, a website vendor, or just keeping the site your webmaster runs? Here's the honest difference — and why it matters the moment an owner, the state, or an insurer asks for proof.
Why not just Dropbox or Google Drive?
File storage holds your PDFs — but it doesn't know the statute. No posting clock, no compliance score, no public-notice-versus-owners-only split, and nothing that proves you're current. Uploading a document isn't complying, and a shared folder won't track the 10-working-day records-request clock when an owner demands records.
Why not a website or resident-portal vendor?
A site builder or resident portal gives you a website — with compliance bolted on behind a login, if at all. Most are resident-portal-first: built for community engagement, not §718 records. You still won't get posting clocks, timeliness scoring, a dated compliance snapshot, or a reviewer link to prove standing. We're compliance-first; the public site is the output, not the product.
Why not keep our current site and webmaster?
This is the most common answer — and the most fragile. The site is only as current as one person's availability, the statute lives in nobody's head, and every posting depends on someone remembering to email the webmaster in time. When the board turns over or the webmaster moves on, the knowledge leaves with them. A volunteer-run site can be up and still be out of compliance — and you'd have no way to know, or to prove otherwise.
What actually keeps you compliant
| Capability | Community Portal | Document storage | Website / portal vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stores your official documents | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Profile-aware public notices + protected records split | ✓ | — | ~ |
| Posting clocks for applicable statutory deadlines | ✓ | — | — |
| Compliance score & worst-first to-do list | ✓ | — | — |
| Records-request workflow on the 10-day clock | ✓ | — | — |
| Compliance snapshot — dated, shareable proof | ✓ | — | — |
| Reviewer link — verify standing, no login | ✓ | — | — |
| PII screening at upload (Professional) | ✓ | — | — |
| Survives board and webmaster turnover | ✓ | — | ~ |
| Built on the statute, cited line by line | ✓ | — | — |
| Made for volunteer boards, not IT | ✓ | ~ | ~ |
"Document storage" = Dropbox, Google Drive, Box. "Website / portal vendor" = generic site builders and resident-portal platforms; capabilities vary, but §718 compliance is typically an afterthought behind a login. Your current site + webmaster behaves like the vendor column — minus the vendor.
Switching is the easy part.
Keep your domain, bring your documents, and we handle the migration — early-access associations get white-glove setup. Your current site stays up until the day the new one is compliant, so there's no gap to explain to anyone.
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