Commonly Asked Questions
Sentry Management, in partnership with Smartstreet bank services, has created an Association website portal for its client association members to have easy access to forms and governing documents, and to schedule online payments by eCheck or credit card. The website is secure and only members of your community association have access to the information displayed. Access to each registered user’s profile is limited to the registered user by login and confidential password, generated by the user. Your association may also host its own website at another location. If this is the case, a link to that site will be available on the Sentry-hosted site.
Registration/Access (http://www.sentrymgt.com/homeowners/payments)
Choose Homeowners/Payments button on the top right menu bar. Then choose the Sentry office location from which your association is managed and click on Community Website/Payment Center.
You will be prompted to enter the 16-digit account number provided to each homeowner on the payment coupon(s) mailed at the beginning of the year and to new owners throughout the year. The full 16-digit account number is needed to properly identify your account.
Click FIND to validate your account number and the account owner name(s) should be displayed. If correct, select the account with a mouse click to access the Smartstreet web server.
If this is the first time you have logged in to your website, you will need to register and then secure your password. A registration page is displayed for the user to enter an email address and password. The registration page displays the owner name(s) and property address on file. Complete the required fields and click SUBMIT to be directed to the association’s temporary home page. You will need to log in with the email address and password entered on the initial registration page; asked to establish security questions for your account; and verify your login and password to permanently secure your credentials. Your password must be, at minimum, 8 characters long in order to meet Smartstreet’s security requirements. A combination of upper and lower case letters and at least one or more numbers is required.
Once registered, the user can make payments by utilizing the Online Payments button on the left menu bar or log-in to proceed to the association home page. At the home page, users can access the association documents and forms that have been posted, as well as view the directory or update their profile information. Choose Contact Us to email your Community Association Manager.
Customer Service (http://www.customerservice@sentrymgt.com)
Sentry’s Accounts Receivable Customer Service team is available between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday at 407-788-6700 or 800-932-6636, ext 402. Customer Service can assist with questions concerning your account balance and payment information. Correspondence concerning your assessment account, but not payments, may be mailed to Homeowner Customer Services
2180 West SR 434 Suite 5000 Longwood, FL 32779-5044Smartstreet also offers a Customer Service center at 888-705-0600, option 2, during business hours, Monday through Friday. Smartstreet can answer technical questions when you are online making eCheck and/or credit card payments, questions about logging into your association website and questions about setting up eCheck, credit card or recurring payments via the Online Payments link. Smartstreet cannot answer questions regarding homeowner assessment accounts or payments that have not be made via the Smartstreet online payment center.
All other questions and correspondence concerning your neighborhood association should be directed to the Community Association Manager at your local management office. Visit sentrymgt.com for a list of local office addresses or choose Contact Us to email the manager assigned to your account.
Website Information
Your community website contains governing documents for your community (typically Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions and Architectural Guidelines) which can be downloaded and printed at no cost.
Forms for submitting requests to the association’s Architectural Review Board or Architectural Control Committee are included for your review and use.
The basic website also includes a directory of owners who have registered. Only the owner name(s) and property address are displayed once you have registered. You may update your directory profile to include additional information if you choose. You may also choose whether to display your profile in the directory at all.
Additional information may appear on the website from time to time. A link on the home page is provided for your use if your association hosts its own additional website.
Address Changes (http://www.homeowners@sentrymgt.com)
Can I change my address online?
You may submit a request for change of address at sentrymgt.com/ homeowners/payments. If you have more than one account in the association, you will need to submit a change of address for each account AND each association of which you are a member. It is important that the association is notified if your mailing address changes. Mailings are made to the membership throughout the year and the property address will be used unless a different address is provided, in writing.
General Payment Information
To whom should I make my checks payable?
Payments should always be made payable to your association, never Sentry Management, in U.S. Funds only. The association name is located in the return address section of your payment coupon(s).
What is the address to which my payments should be mailed?
All payments should include the payment coupon provided and be mailed to the post office box shown on the coupon. This is an automated lockbox payment center and deposits are made by automated equipment. Please do not send correspondence or any other information to the payment center address.
Payment Coupons (http://www.customerservice@sentrymgt.com)
Your association provides payment coupons for your use in remitting assessment payments by mail. Coupons are mailed to the membership after the budget is approved for the current operating year at the mailing address provided by the owner. Coupons are mailed to new members after Sentry Management receives the information from the closing attorney or Title Company. If a Special Assessment is passed, separate coupons will be mailed to the membership. Replacement coupons may be ordered online or you may contact Accounts Receivable Customer Service.
What happens if I forget to send in my coupon with my payment?
As long as you indicate the complete 16-digit account number on your check, then your payment will be applied to that account. If you do not include the correct account number, there will be a delay in posting your payment until we can identify to which account it is to be applied. If we are unable to identify the correct account, your payment will be returned to you or to your bill-pay service, if applicable.
Can I mail in one check for multiple lots that I own?
YES, as long as you include the correct coupons or you clearly indicate the complete 16-digit account number and amount to be applied for each account to which you want payments applied. If you own property in more than one community, you will need to write a separate check to each association.
AUTOPAY (http://www.autopay@sentrymgt.com)
AUTOPAY is a convenient method to make your assessment payment(s) automatically. Sentry Management will debit the account you specify at the payment frequency established by the Association. There is no charge for this service but the account must be current to register. To initiate AUTOPAY for your account(s), please contact autopay@sentrymgt.com or call Sentry’s Customer Service team. Special assessments are also debited as they become due.
If I am registered with Sentry’s AUTOPAY program, will I still receive payment coupons?
You will receive only one coupon (marked Do Not Pay) for your records, which lists the amount of the assessment. The assessment will be automatically debited from the account you specified when you registered for AUTOPAY, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually, depending upon your association’s structure. AUTOPAY is not available for annual assessments.
If I am already registered with Sentry’s AUTOPAY program and want to change my payment method to online recurring payments with the online payment center, what should I do?
First, you will need to cancel your AUTOPAY registration so that your account is no longer debited automatically. Request a form from autopay@sentrymgt.com or call Sentry’s Customer Service team. Acknowledgement of your cancellation will be mailed to you so that you can then set-up an automatic recurring payable at the online payment center on your association website.
Bill-Pay Services
If you utilize an online bill-pay service to make your payments for you, you will need to provide them with the payment address, your 16-digit account number, the association name and assessment amount, all shown on the payment coupons.
What if I do not have my coupon?
If you do not have your blue payment coupons which show your 16-digit account number, please contact Customer Service or your local Community Association Manager for your complete 16-digit account number.
Can I mail one bill-pay service check for multiple lots?
Yes, if you include the complete 16-digit account number for each account, your check will be applied properly. If you only submit one 16-digit account number, the entire payment will be applied to that account. You should initiate separate transactions in your electronic bill-pay service for each account to which you want to apply payments.
Association Website Online Payment Center
Each Sentry-sponsored association website has an Online Payment option for community members to make immediate payments or to set-up a recurring payment schedule. Payments can be made by eCheck, at no charge, or by Mastercard, Discover or American Express, at a charge of $9.95. Visa will not permit Smartstreet to offer their card unless a fee is charged for all payment options; even those we provide at no charge. The majority of assessment payments are made by eCheck and AUTOPAY, for which there is no service fee. It is Visa that prohibits the use of their card on this payment site, not Smartstreet and not Sentry Management.
My association payment is due today and it has not been mailed. Can I make a payment to be applied to my account today?
YES, by using a credit card or eCheck. All online payments made before 4:00 p.m. EST will be credited to your account that day, but will not appear on your statement until the next business day after the payment has been verified by the payment center.
If my online payment has not been posted to my account, who do I contact?
Please contact Sentry Management’s Customer Service team.
Can I see my payment history online?
YES. All account activity is recorded on your account ledger card. To view your personal account, login to the online payment center (see Registration Access above) and choose a payment option. (Note: You will not be required to make a payment to view your ledger card.) Once you have validated your account and your association information is displayed, you will see the option to View Ledger Card displayed below the name of your association. Click on this line for the ledger card screen. Choose a date to begin your display by using the calendar or entering a date (01012010, for example) and click SEARCH.
Does the payment center show me the amount due?
Yes and No. There are prompt fields that show your current assessment(s) amount and frequency (monthly, quarterly, etc.) as shown on your payment coupons, but not the actual balance. Note that the amount of the assessment prompt is for the current year’s operating budget and will not reflect future fees. If you think you may have overpaid or underpaid, you can view your account balance and payment history if you click on View Ledger Card. For example, December will show the amount of the budgeted assessment for the current operating year but will not reflect the new operating year budget until the new year begins. If your assessment(s) will increase or decrease in January, the new payment amount prompt will not appear until January.
What do I do if I accidentally made an online payment for too much money?
Sentry Management cannot edit or delete any online payments. Only the registered user may edit their account. If it is before 4 p.m. EST on the day of the payment, you may call Smartstreet Customer Service to delete the payment. You will need to login again and make another payment before 4 p.m. EST for it to post to your account that day.
How far in advance can I schedule automatic payments using the online eCheck system?
You may create automatic payments scheduled for up to 12 months. The Smartstreet Payment Center will email the user in advance of each scheduled payment as a reminder of the amount and date you have scheduled the payment to be debited from your account.
What do I do if I need to delete or modify a recurring automatic payment?
On sentrymgt.com go to Homeowners/Payments and log into the online payment center recurring assessment payment option to view your next scheduled payment. Any or all remaining recurring payments may be deleted from this screen by checking the box next to each listed payment and choose DELETE, or you can click on the confirmation number and edit or delete each payment individually.
Will the amount of my scheduled recurring payments automatically change if my association changes the amount of the assessment(s)?
NO. You will need to login to the payment center and edit your scheduled payment(s) accordingly. New payment coupons are mailed out each year, and when the assessment is increased or decreased, so that you are notified if you need to change your scheduled payment amount or payment date. Smartstreet’s Payment Center also sends the user an email in advance of the last scheduled payment as a reminder that there are no more scheduled payments.
Can I pay my special assessment or other assessments online?
YES. There are fields available for you to make a one-time payment or create a recurring payment for the cycle of the special assessment, utility assessment, etc. This is a useful option for homeowners to schedule payments to be made while they are on vacation.
Our association has a custom website. Can I make online payments there?
Yes. You can reach your website by clicking “Community Websites” on the Phoenix Office page. After entering the welcome page, enter the first three characters of your community name in the box and press “Continue.”
