Try our new AI search - enter a question instead of a keyword!

Articles in this section

See more

Vantaca Home: Architectural Requests

Avatar
Shelley Labrecque
  • Updated
Follow

Early Access: If your account looks different from what's shown here, don't worry! This update is rolling out gradually and will be available to you soon.

The Architectural Request page in the Vantaca Home portal allows homeowners to submit applications for property modifications directly to your management company. This article covers what homeowners see on the default ARC form, how to enable and configure the page for an association, how to make ARC forms and documents available to homeowners, and the mobile QR photo upload feature that lets homeowners attach photos from their phone while filling out a request on desktop.

Important: The ARC Request page is not enabled by default for all associations. You must enable it for each association under Association > Portal Pages.

Note: This article describes the default ARC submission form. Coming Soon: You'll soon be able to replace the default form with a custom form built using the Forms feature, which lets you add, remove, and rename fields to match your association's review process. When a custom ARC form is published, it will replace the default form for homeowners. For instructions on building a custom form, see the "Vantaca Home: Build and Manage Forms" article.

Contents

How Homeowners Reach the ARC Form

Homeowners can open the ARC submission form in three ways:

  • They click Requests in the left navigation menu, click New Request, and then click Architectural Request in the New Request screen.
  • They click Quick Actions at the top of the left navigation menu, click New Request, and then click Architectural Request in the secondary screen.
  • They open the page directly from a custom link in your portal content.

 

What Homeowners See on the Default ARC Form

The default ARC submission form includes these fields:

  • Property: The homeowner's property. If they have more than one, they select from a dropdown.
  • Area of Work: The category of the project, such as Fence, Paint, or Landscaping, etc.
  • Start Date and End Date: The planned project dates.
  • Work to Be Done: Details about the planned work.
  • Attachments: Documents, photos, or plans. The total attachment size is limited to 25 MB across all files combined.

If you have made ARC forms available in the document library, homeowners can download them directly from the form before submitting. See the Make ARC Forms Available to Homeowners section.

Any custom instructions or information you add to the page body appear at the top of the form. Use this space to communicate association-specific requirements, rules, or deadlines.

To change which fields appear on the form, or to add fields beyond the defaults listed above, use the Forms feature. See the "Vantaca Home: Build and Manage Forms" article.

 

Enable or Disable the ARC Request Page

To enable or disable the ARC Request page for an association:

  1. Navigate to Association > Portal Pages.
  2. Verify the correct association is selected at the top of the page.
  3. Locate the ARC Request page in the list.
  4. To enable: if the page appears in the Unused Portal Pages tab, click Use to move it to the Association Portal Pages tab and make it visible to homeowners.
  5. To disable: if the page appears in the Association Portal Pages tab, click Not Used to move it to the Unused Portal Pages tab and hide it from the portal.

Note: For associations that do not have an architectural review process, leave the ARC Request page disabled. Homeowners do not see the option in the portal or in the New Request screen.

 

Customize the ARC Request Page Content

You can add custom text to the ARC Request page to provide instructions, requirements, or other information homeowners need before submitting. The content appears at the top of the form.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Portal Pages for a change that applies to all associations, or Association > Portal Pages for a change specific to one association.
  2. Click Edit next to the ARC Request page.
  3. Open the Edit Body Content section and enter your content using the rich text editor. You can also click the View HTML icon to enter HTML directly.
  4. Click Update.

Consider including:

  • Which types of projects require an ARC request for your association.
  • How far in advance homeowners must submit before starting work.
  • Links to governing documents or community standards.
  • Contact information for questions.
  • Any fees associated with the review process.

 

Make ARC Forms Available to Homeowners

You can make downloadable ARC forms (application templates, plot plan requirements, material specification sheets) available directly on the ARC submission form. Homeowners can download these forms before submitting their request.

The form pulls files from a specific subfolder in the association's document library. The subfolder must be named exactly ARC (all uppercase, no extra spaces or characters) and must be located inside the Forms folder.

  1. Navigate to Association > Documents.
  2. Locate the Forms folder. If it does not exist, create it.
  3. Inside the Forms folder, create a subfolder named exactly ARC.
  4. Upload your ARC forms into the ARC subfolder.
  5. Verify the folder security is set to allow homeowner access.

Important: The subfolder name must be exactly ARC (all uppercase, no extra text, spaces, or punctuation). Any variation such as 'ARC Forms' or 'Arc' prevents the forms from appearing.

 

Mobile QR Photo Upload

When a homeowner opens the ARC submission form on a desktop computer, a QR code appears in the attachments area of the form. The homeowner scans the QR code with their phone camera, which opens a secure upload page on their phone that is already connected to the desktop form. Photos or files uploaded from the phone appear in the attachment list on the desktop form automatically.

How It Works

When the form opens on the homeowner's desktop:

  • A draft session is created automatically in the background and linked to the form.
  • A QR code is generated from that session and displayed in the attachments area.
  • The homeowner scans the QR code, authenticates through the portal's standard handoff process, and lands on the mobile upload page.
  • Files uploaded from the phone are stored in the draft session and appear in the desktop form's attachment list within a few seconds.
  • When the homeowner submits the request, all uploaded files are included.
  • If the homeowner closes or cancels the form without submitting, the draft session and any uploaded files are deleted automatically.

QR Code States

The QR code area shows one of three short messages depending on the state of the underlying draft session:

  • Preparing mobile upload QR: The draft session is being created. The QR code is not yet scannable.
  • Or scan the QR code to upload from a mobile device: The session is ready and the QR code is active.
  • Mobile upload is temporarily unavailable: The draft session could not be created. The QR code is not scannable, but the homeowner can still attach files from the desktop.

What You Need to Configure

Nothing. The mobile QR upload feature works automatically when the ARC form is opened. There is no portal page or action item configuration required.

For homeowner-facing instructions, see the "Upload Photos from Your Phone When Submitting an Architectural Request" article.

 

FAQ

Q: Homeowners do not see the ARC Request option in the New Request screen.

A: Verify the ARC Request page is enabled for the association in Association > Portal Pages and is in the Association Portal Pages tab.

 

Q: ARC forms are not appearing on the form for homeowners.

A: Navigate to Association > Documents > Forms and verify the ARC subfolder is named exactly 'ARC' (all uppercase, no extra text or spaces). Any variation prevents the forms from appearing. Verify the folder security allows homeowner access.

 

Q: A homeowner submitted an ARC request but I cannot find it in Vantaca.

A: Portal submissions create action items using the ARC Model configured in Association > Settings > ARC. Verify an ARC Model is assigned for the association. Check Action Items > All Action Items and expand the date range if needed.

 

Q: The ARC page is showing a different name than 'ARC Request' in the portal.

A: The page name is customizable. Navigate to Association > Settings > ARC and check the Modify ARC Name field. Whatever name is entered there is what homeowners see in the portal navigation and on the page.

 

Q: A homeowner says the QR code on the ARC form is not working.

A: The QR code requires the form to be open on a desktop browser. If the homeowner is on a mobile device, the QR code is not displayed. Confirm the area next to the code shows the active 'scan the QR code' message and not 'Mobile upload is temporarily unavailable'. Have the homeowner refresh the form. Each new form session generates a new QR code, and previous codes expire.

 

Back to Top

 

 

Related articles

Comments

0 comments

Please sign in to leave a comment.