Meet the startup tackling neighborhood regulations, one HOA at a time
Homestand AI is building the United States' largest database of HOA rules and regulations to help community members know whether they're being treated fairly.
How free is your homeowners association (HOA)?
We’re not talking cost per year, but rather the freedom to make decisions for your home without input from neighbors.
According to Homestand AI data collected from more than 6,000 HOAs across the United States, 43 percent have illegal clauses that violate state and/or federal laws. And, what’s even scarier is that 58 percent of analyzed HOAs can foreclose on your home if HOA fees go unpaid (as little as $500).
Poking around on the Homestand AI database is a quick way to learn what is normal and what is not.
Rhett Morgan started the business after a frustrating situation with his own homeowners’ association. He works full time as a private helicopter pilot, splitting his time between Texas and Tennessee. On top of that, he’s worked as a professional Baja racer for the past decade, has a wife, and is the father to two children.
Let’s just say starting a software company focused on holding HOAs accountable wasn’t on his 2025 bingo card.
“Being a pilot, it’s hard to be away from them all the time. I love them so much, and every time I have to leave, it kills me,” he said. “I’ve always had this entrepreneurial mindset to be my own boss. I was just waiting for the right opportunity.”
He didn’t know that all that time, his biggest opportunity would come from what was sitting in his driveway.
“When I first moved into my house, I drove a work truck as my personal vehicle. It had helicopter logos on it from the company I work for. And they fined me for it being a commercial vehicle,” Morgan recalled. ” And I was like… Wait a second, that’s not a commercial vehicle. This is my personal car.”
He then had to pay three 50-dollar fines and communicate with the HOA to prevent future fines. That’s when he realized that situations like this occur for homeowners every day.
“From there, I researched and could not find a single platform for the homeowner. There are so many software programs that are for HOA and management companies, but none of them really advocate for the homeowner,” Morgan said.
Launching Homestand AI
Morgan launched Homestand AI, both for current and prospective homeowners within any given homeowners’ association.
“This platform is about 10 percent personal, and the other 90 percent is to shift the asymmetry back to the people who spent money on buying these homes in the first place,” he said, expressing his desire to create a platform where people could compare rules and regulations to determine if they’re being treated with fairness.
Morgan vibe-coded the MVP before finding his technical co-founder, Natnael Getenew, on Reddit.
“I posted my validation on Reddit, and Natnael reached out, saying he wanted to come help me build it. We’ve actually become really good friends ever since. But it’s not your typical co-founder meeting story,” Morgan joked.
Now, thanks to Morgan and Getenew’s work, the Homestand AI technology analyzes HOA rules using legal databases and explains them in plain English. It finds contradictions, flags overreach, and gives every community a “Freedom Score,” which is a measure of HOA control.
The platform, Morgan said, can be used for first-time home buyers, real estate agents, and even investors. People can upload their HOA bylaws, and in return, they will receive a report showing what they do and do not allow.
“We see a lot of benefit in surfacing this risk to investors, because there are so many people who want, like to buy a home to rent it out short or long term,” he said. “Our platform helps them understand which hoops they may have to jump through with the neighborhood HOA.”
Long term, Morgan and his co-founder are hoping to work alongside real estate agents and MLS listing sites to integrate HOA scores into each home listing. They believe it will make homeowners more aware while they’re shopping.
“We want to have the biggest HOA behavioral insight, risk governance, and database in all of the nation. That’s kind of what we’re shooting for right now– and we’re pretty close with more than 6,000 HOAs in Homestand’s database,” Morgan said.
You can learn more about Homestand AI here.
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