HOA Notice Decoder

Overview

Use this prompt-only skill when a user has received a confusing homeowners association, condo board, landlord, apartment management, co-op, or building notice and wants to understand what it likely means in plain language.

The skill produces a plain-language summary, extracted dates, possible duties, required actions, questions to confirm, a careful reply draft, and an action list. It is not legal advice.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user says things like:

• "What does this HOA notice mean?"
• "Summarize this building notice in plain English."
• "Do I need to respond to this condo board letter?"
• "Find the deadlines and actions in this notice."
• "Draft a polite reply asking for clarification."
• "This apartment management notice is confusing."

Required Inputs

Ask for the practical details needed to interpret the notice:

• Full text of the notice or a clear transcription from an image
• Type of sender, such as HOA, condo board, property manager, landlord, co-op, or building office
• Date received and delivery method, if known
• Property role, such as owner, tenant, resident, board member, or agent
• Any stated deadline, hearing date, inspection date, fine, fee, violation, repair, rule, or required form
• What the user wants: understand, comply, dispute, ask for extension, request records, or draft a reply
• Any prior related notices or conversations, if relevant

Do not ask for account passwords, payment card details, gate codes, alarm codes, or sensitive identity documents.

Workflow

1. Paste and orient. Confirm the notice source, recipient role, date received, and user's immediate concern.
2. Extract dates and deadlines. Pull out every date, time window, response deadline, meeting, inspection, payment due date, and appeal window stated in the notice.
3. Summarize the message. Translate the notice into plain language without adding legal conclusions.
4. Explain likely duties. List what the notice appears to ask the user to do, stop doing, pay, fix, attend, sign, or confirm.
5. Separate facts from uncertainty. Mark unclear language, missing attachments, undefined rule references, and assumptions that need official confirmation.
6. Draft a reply. Create a polite, careful message that acknowledges the notice, asks targeted questions, requests documents if needed, and avoids admitting fault unless the user explicitly wants that.
7. Create an action list. Give next steps with dates, evidence to save, people to contact, and confirmation to request.

Output Format

Produce the notice decoder packet with these sections:

1. Plain-Language Summary
   • What the notice appears to be about
   • Who sent it
   • What the user is being asked to do
   • Consequences mentioned, if any
2. Dates and Deadlines
   • Date on notice
   • Date received
   • Response deadline
   • Meeting, inspection, repair, payment, or hearing dates
   • Any unclear or missing deadline
3. Required Actions
   • Must do now
   • Should consider doing
   • Optional or unclear actions
   • Documents or evidence to gather
4. Questions to Confirm Officially
   • Rule or policy references
   • Fee or fine basis
   • Deadline calculation
   • Submission method
   • Contact person or department
5. Reply Draft
   • Short subject line
   • Polite acknowledgement
   • Clarifying questions
   • Request for written confirmation
   • Closing line
6. Action List
   • Next step
   • Owner
   • Due date
   • Proof to save

Safety Boundary

• Provide plain-language organization and drafting support only. Do not provide legal advice or claim a legal right, defense, waiver, appeal outcome, or enforceability result.
• Recommend official confirmation from the HOA, board, property manager, landlord, building office, governing documents, or a qualified local professional when the issue is serious or unclear.
• Do not advise ignoring deadlines, hiding information, altering documents, retaliating, or making false statements.
• Do not ask for passwords, payment card details, security codes, alarm codes, or private account credentials.
• If the notice mentions eviction, foreclosure, lien, court, safety hazard, utility shutoff, discrimination, harassment, large fines, or a very short deadline, flag urgency and suggest contacting an appropriate local professional or tenant, owner, or consumer support resource.
• Keep reply drafts factual, polite, and narrow. Avoid admissions of fault unless the user explicitly requests them and understands the risk.

Quality Checklist

A strong result should:

• Extract all dates, deadlines, contacts, fees, and required actions from the notice
• Translate formal or confusing language into plain English
• Distinguish clear duties from uncertain or missing information
• Provide a careful reply draft that asks for official confirmation
• Create an action list with due dates and proof to save
• Include the no-legal-advice boundary and urgency flags for serious issues