District of Columbia
District of Columbia Condo Resale Certificate: Fees, Deadlines, and How to Order
A resale certificate is the document a title company asks for before a District of Columbia closing. District of Columbia associations must deliver it within 10 days. District of Columbia puts no dollar cap on the fee.
Free for the resale platform. No contract to sign.
District of Columbia Resale Certificate
Example Tower Condominium Association
Regular assessment
$365.00 monthly
Buyer's review period
3 days by statute
Master insurance
Certificate on file
Due to the requester
Within 10 days
District of Columbia at a glance
- What District of Columbia calls it
- Resale Certificate
- Fee cap
- No fixed dollar cap
- Delivery deadline
- 10 days
- Buyer's right to cancel
- 3 days after receiving it
Also called: DC resale certificate, condo resale certificate. If you were told to get a District of Columbia resale certificate, or a DC resale certificate as closing agents write it, for a home in an HOA or a condominium, this is that document. It has nothing to do with the sales tax resale certificate a retailer files with the state.
What District of Columbia law sets
One set of rules covers District of Columbia. Havn applies it to every order in the state.
D.C. Code 42-1904.11
Condominium Act. Applies to condominiums.
- Required by statute
- Yes
- Fee
- No fixed dollar cap
- Deadline
- 10 days from the request
- Buyer may cancel within
- 3 days
District of Columbia condo laws on resale documents, in plain words
Each entry links to the official text. Read the statute itself before relying on a summary.
D.C. Code 42-19 (Condominium Act)
D.C. Code Title 42, Chapter 19 is the Condominium Act, governing the creation, registration, governance, and operation of condominiums in the District of Columbia, including the unit owners' association and executive board, assessments and liens, owner access to records, and resale disclosure obligations. The District has no separate statute governing homeowners associations or planned communities; those are typically organized as nonprofit corporations under other D.C. law and governed by their own recorded covenants, so no statutory resale disclosure requirement applies and any resale or payoff fees follow the association's governing documents rather than a state fee cap. Applies to condominiums only.
D.C. Code 42-1904.11 (Resale by unit owner)
Requires a unit owner reselling a condominium unit to obtain a resale certificate and copies of the condominium instruments from the unit owners' association and furnish them to the purchaser, and sets a delivery deadline along with a purchaser right of review tied to timely delivery. Applies to condominium resales in the District of Columbia.
D.C. Code 42-1903.13(h) (Statement of unpaid assessments)
Requires the unit owners' association to furnish, upon written request, a statement of the unpaid assessment balance against a unit (an estoppel or payoff statement) to a unit owner or purchaser, and sets a response deadline while permitting the association to charge a fee for issuing it. Applies to condominiums in the District of Columbia.
The notice Havn prints on every District of Columbia resale certificate
Every District of Columbia document Havn prepares carries a notice that tells the reader where the document comes from and what District of Columbia law says about it. This is the wording, act by act.
D.C. Code 42-1904.11Condominiums
This resale certificate is furnished under D.C. Code 42-1904.11 and includes the statement of unpaid assessments required by D.C. Code 42-1903.13(h). The amount of unpaid assessments stated here is binding on the unit owners' association, its executive board, and every unit owner. The purchaser may cancel the purchase contract within 3 business days after receiving this certificate and the condominium instruments (the recorded declaration, bylaws, and plats and plans) by giving written notice to the seller and returning the documents, but not after conveyance. If these documents were furnished on or before the date the purchaser signed the contract, the 3 business days run from the date the purchaser signed. If the seller did not furnish them by the 10th business day after the purchaser signed the contract, the purchaser may also cancel by written notice at any time before receiving them, but not after conveyance. A purchaser who cancels is entitled to the return of any earnest money or other deposit without delay or deduction. Unpaid common expense assessments that are due and payable from the seller at the time of transfer and are not paid become the joint and several obligation of the seller and the purchaser under D.C. Code 42-1903.13(i), subject to the binding effect of the statement of unpaid assessments under D.C. Code 42-1903.13(h). The information in this certificate is current as of its issue date.
Documents District of Columbia adds to the package
Beyond the governing documents, budget, and financial statements every state expects, District of Columbia adds these. Havn attaches each one as its own exhibit.
- Recorded condominium plats and plans
District of Columbia resale certificate: common questions
What is a District of Columbia resale certificate?
It is what District of Columbia law has the association provide when a home in condominiums is sold: a statement of what the home owes and of the association's finances, insurance, and rules, under D.C. Code 42-1904.11.
How much does a District of Columbia resale certificate cost?
District of Columbia sets no dollar cap, so the association or its management company sets the fee.
How long does a District of Columbia association have to provide a resale certificate?
10 days, counted from the request.
Is a resale certificate required in District of Columbia?
Yes, for condominiums, under D.C. Code 42-1904.11.
Can a buyer cancel after receiving a District of Columbia resale certificate?
Yes. The buyer has 3 days after receiving it to cancel the purchase contract.
Who pays for the resale certificate in District of Columbia?
Whoever orders it pays the association's fee, usually the seller or the closing agent on the seller's behalf, and the purchase contract can move the cost to the buyer.
What is included in a District of Columbia resale certificate?
What the home owes the association, the fees due at closing, the budget and reserves, the insurance the association carries, pending lawsuits, and the governing documents. District of Columbia adds one more item, listed on this page. The full list is in D.C. Code 42-1904.11.
How do I get a resale certificate in District of Columbia?
Ask the association, or its management company if it has one. Many take the request through an online order page and deliver by email. Once asked, a District of Columbia association has 10 days. A buyer should ask the seller or the closing agent to order it.
Is this the same as a District of Columbia sales tax resale certificate?
No. A sales tax resale certificate is a form a retailer gives a supplier so it can buy goods without paying sales tax. It shares a name and nothing else. This page is about the condo document used when a home is sold.
How District of Columbia compares with its neighbors
Management companies that work across state lines meet a different rule on each side. District of Columbia: no fixed dollar cap, 10 days.
Maryland
Resale Certificate
$250
20 days
Required by statute
Virginia
Resale Certificate
$176.64
14 days
Required by statute
See all 51 jurisdictions on the map, compare every state in the fee and deadline table, or read about lender questionnaires, estoppel letters, and demand letters.
Your next District of Columbia resale certificate could write itself.
The resale platform is free for the association. The requester pays for the document. No contract to sign.