Washington
Washington HOA and Condo Resale Certificate: Fees, Deadlines, and How to Order
A resale certificate is the document a title company asks for before a Washington closing. Washington associations must deliver it within 10 days where the statute sets a deadline. The fee is capped at $275 where the statute sets a cap.
Free for the resale platform. No contract to sign.
Washington Resale Certificate
Example Ridge Owners Association
Regular assessment
$345.00 monthly
Buyer's review period
5 days by statute
Fee for this document
$275, the Washington cap
Due to the requester
Within 10 days
Washington at a glance
- What Washington calls it
- Resale Certificate
- Fee cap
- $275 where the statute sets one
- Delivery deadline
- 10 days where the statute sets one
- Buyer's right to cancel
- 5 days after receiving it
Also called: condominium resale certificate, WUCIOA resale certificate. If you were told to get a Washington resale certificate, or a WA 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 each Washington act sets
Washington has 3 sets of rules, and which one applies depends on how the community was created. Havn asks once which act governs a community, then applies that act's limits to every order.
RCW 64.90.640
WUCIOA. Applies to condominiums, HOAs and planned communities, and cooperatives.
- Required by statute
- Yes
- Fee
- $275
- Deadline
- 10 days from the request
- Buyer may cancel within
- 5 days
RCW 64.34.425
Condominium Act. Applies to condominiums.
- Required by statute
- Yes
- Fee
- $275
- Deadline
- 10 days from the request
- Buyer may cancel within
- 5 days
RCW 64.38
HOA Act. Applies to HOAs and planned communities.
- Required by statute
- No. Furnished under the governing documents.
- Fee
- No fixed dollar cap
- Deadline
- None set
Washington HOA laws on resale documents, in plain words
Each entry links to the official text. Read the statute itself before relying on a summary.
RCW 64.34 (Condominium Act)
Governs condominiums created in Washington state after July 1, 1990, covering how a condominium is formed and organized, the powers and governance of the unit owners' association, budgets and common expense assessments, insurance, and access to association records. It also sets requirements for the public offering statement given to buyers of new units and the resale certificate given to buyers of existing units. Certain provisions continue to apply to earlier condominium projects and to sales that began before the state's newer common interest ownership law took effect.
RCW 64.38 (HOA Act)
Governs homeowners' associations for planned residential communities in Washington that are not organized as condominiums, covering formation, board and member governance, meetings and voting, reserve studies and reserve accounts, financial records, and collection of unpaid assessments through liens. It also addresses owner rights such as inquiries to the association and protections for certain uses like solar panels and drought-resistant landscaping. Communities formed more recently may instead be governed in whole or part by the state's newer common interest ownership law.
RCW 64.90 (WUCIOA)
Washington's Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act governs condominiums, planned communities, and cooperatives created in the state after July 1, 2018, and also applies certain of its provisions to some communities formed earlier or that elect coverage. It provides a unified framework covering creation and governance of the community association, budgets and assessments, liens, insurance, owner access to records, and disclosure documents such as the public offering statement and resale certificate for buyers.
RCW 64.34.425 (Resale certificate)
Requires a condominium association to provide a resale certificate to a unit owner reselling a unit, disclosing the current assessment amount, any unpaid assessments owed by the seller, financial and budget information, insurance coverage, and other information about the association. It also limits the charge the association may impose for preparing the certificate and sets a deadline for furnishing it after a request.
RCW 64.90.640 (Resale certificate)
Requires a common interest community association to provide a resale certificate to a unit owner reselling a unit, disclosing current and delinquent assessments, financial statements and budget information, reserve study status, insurance, pending litigation, and other disclosures about the community. It also limits the charge the association may impose for preparing the certificate and sets a deadline for furnishing it after a request.
The notice Havn prints on every Washington resale certificate
Every Washington document Havn prepares carries a notice that tells the reader where the document comes from and what Washington law says about it. This is the wording, act by act.
RCW 64.90.640Condominiums, HOAs and planned communities, and cooperatives
This resale certificate is furnished under RCW 64.90.640 within 10 days of the unit owner's request and payment; the charge for preparing it does not exceed $275 and covers the direct costs of copying and providing the information. A purchaser is not liable for any unpaid assessment or fee greater than the amount set forth in it, nor for a violation of the governing documents created by an alteration the association should have known of but did not identify. The purchaser may cancel the contract within five business days after first receiving this certificate (RCW 64.90.640(3)(b)). The information in this document is current as of its issue date.
RCW 64.34.425Condominiums
This resale certificate is furnished under RCW 64.34.425 within 10 days of the unit owner's request, subject to payment of the fee; the charge for preparing it does not exceed $275. A purchaser is not liable for any unpaid assessment or fee against the unit as of the date of this certificate greater than the amount set forth in it, unless and to the extent the purchaser had actual knowledge thereof. The purchaser's contract is voidable until the certificate has been provided and for five days thereafter, or until conveyance, whichever occurs first. The information in this document is current as of its issue date.
RCW 64.38HOAs and planned communities
No Washington statute requires this resale certificate for an association governed by chapter 64.38 RCW; it is furnished under the association's governing documents, and the amounts stated are the association's statement of the account as of the issue date. Chapter 64.38 RCW sets no fee, deadline, cancellation right, or purchaser liability rule tied to it. The information in this document is current as of its issue date.
Washington's payoff statement
RCW 64.34.364(15) (condominiums) and RCW 64.90.485(11) (communities under chapter 64.90 RCW): on written request the association must furnish a unit owner or a mortgagee a statement setting forth the amount of unpaid assessments against the unit (under RCW 64.90.485(11), the unpaid assessments, the priority amount, or both) within 15 days after receipt of the request. The statement is binding on the association unless the recipient knows it to be false. Neither section states a fee. Chapter 64.38 RCW imposes no payoff statement duty (RCW 64.38.100 covers liens and delinquency notices only); for those associations the letter is furnished under the governing documents.
About Demand LettersWashington resale certificate: common questions
What is a Washington resale certificate?
It is what Washington law has the association provide when a home in condominiums, HOAs and planned communities, and cooperatives and condominiums is sold: a statement of what the home owes and of the association's finances, insurance, and rules, under RCW 64.90.640 and RCW 64.34.425.
Does an older Washington HOA under RCW 64.38 have to provide a resale certificate?
Not by statute until January 1, 2028. Before that date chapter 64.90 RCW applies in full only to communities created on or after July 1, 2018, and to older ones that opt in. The short list of sections that already reach older communities does not include the resale certificate section. On January 1, 2028 chapters 64.34 and 64.38 are repealed and chapter 64.90 applies to every common interest community.
How much does a Washington resale certificate cost?
Washington caps the fee at $275 where the statute sets one. Inside the cap, the association or its management company sets the price.
How long does a Washington association have to provide a resale certificate?
10 days where the statute sets one, counted from the request.
Is a resale certificate required in Washington?
Yes, for condominiums, HOAs and planned communities, and cooperatives and condominiums, under RCW 64.90.640 and RCW 64.34.425. For HOAs and planned communities outside those acts, no statute requires it, and associations furnish it under their governing documents.
Can a buyer cancel after receiving a Washington resale certificate?
Yes. The buyer has 5 days after receiving it to cancel the purchase contract.
Who pays for the resale certificate in Washington?
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 Washington 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. The full list is in RCW 64.90.640.
How do I get a resale certificate in Washington?
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 Washington association has 10 days where the statute sets one. A buyer should ask the seller or the closing agent to order it.
Is this the same as a Washington 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 HOA document used when a home is sold.
How Washington compares with its neighbors
Management companies that work across state lines meet a different rule on each side. Washington: $275 where the statute sets one, 10 days where the statute sets one.
Oregon
Resale Package
No fixed dollar cap
10 business days
Not required by statute
Idaho
Statement of Account
No fee allowed
5 business 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 Washington resale certificate could write itself.
The resale platform is free for the association. The requester pays for the document, never more than Washington's $275 cap. No contract to sign.