Arkansas guide
Arkansas condo resale certificate review
Arkansas has no statutory condo resale certificate. There is nothing equivalent to a Colorado-style disclosure packet or a Florida-style condo rider, and the Horizontal Property Act (Ark.
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Code §§ 18-13-101 to -120) does not require an association to deliver financials, a budget, an insurance summary, minutes, or a statement of unpaid assessments to a buyer. There is also no statutory rescission or cancellation period, and Arkansas is a caveat emptor state, so a seller has no general duty to disclose condition. Whatever you receive is a matter of contract negotiation, which makes the buyer-assembled equivalent of a resale certificate the only real protection — and the single most important piece of it is a written statement of unpaid assessments, because under § 18-13-116(d) that debt can survive a foreclosure and bind the purchaser.
There is no statutory resale certificate
Unlike disclosure-packet states, Arkansas requires no resale certificate, no estoppel, and no disclosure of budgets, reserves, insurance, or litigation at resale. The Horizontal Property Act covers the master deed, plans, ownership percentages, common elements, assessments, and insurance, but imposes no resale-delivery obligation. The 2025 modernization, Act 516, added declarant rights, unit boundaries, and interest on past-due dues, but it created no resale-disclosure packet either. So the buyer (or the buyer's agent, attorney, or title company) must affirmatively request every document — there is no statutory form to rely on.
Assemble the certificate yourself
Build the equivalent of a resale certificate by requesting the master deed and all amendments, recorded bylaws, and plats from the county recorder; the current budget and two to three years of financial statements; any reserve study and the current reserve balance; the master insurance declarations page, its deductible, and the claims history; the board and member meeting minutes; a written statement of unpaid assessments on the unit; and a pending-litigation summary. Also confirm whether the regime is under the pre-2025 Act or has opted into Act 516, and whether the community is actually an improvement district with a different, stronger-lien assessment regime.
The unpaid-assessment statement is the load-bearing item
There is no statutory estoppel in Arkansas, and under § 18-13-116(d) the purchaser of a unit is jointly and severally liable with the seller for unpaid assessments through conveyance. In First State Bank v. Metro District Condominiums (2014 Ark. 48), the Arkansas Supreme Court held this survives a foreclosure with no exception, so a foreclosure or REO buyer can inherit the prior owner's delinquent dues. Obtain a written statement of unpaid assessments from the board or manager before closing, and confirm, if possible, that it binds the association — this is the most consequential request in any Arkansas resale.
No cancellation right — protect yourself by contract
Because there is no statutory rescission tied to receiving documents and Arkansas is caveat emptor, your only cancellation leverage comes from the purchase contract. Build explicit document-delivery and inspection contingencies into the contract that let you review the assembled package and walk away if it surfaces a thin reserve, a permissive or high-deductible master policy, a pending special assessment, or undisclosed litigation. Calendar the review so the documents arrive with time to act, and do not assume any fixed statutory number of days exists, because none does.
Arkansas legal references
- Ark. Code § 18-13-116 — Liability for expenses; lien priority; survival (Justia)
- Ark. Code §§ 18-13-101 to -120 — Horizontal Property Act (Justia index)
- First State Bank v. Metro District Condominiums, 2014 Ark. 48
Informational only. Not legal advice. Always confirm against current statute and counsel.
Need help applying these Arkansas statutes to your specific situation? We can connect you with state-licensed counsel and specialists familiar with this exact regulatory environment.
Find a Arkansas specialist →Reviewer's checklist
- Treat the resale certificate as buyer-assembled — Arkansas mandates none
- Request the master deed, amendments, recorded bylaws, and plats from the county recorder
- Obtain a written statement of unpaid assessments (critical — § 18-13-116(d) survival risk)
- Request the current budget and 2–3 years of financial statements
- Request any reserve study and current reserve balance (none required in Arkansas)
- Read the master insurance declarations page, deductible, and claims history
- Request the board and member meeting minutes
- Request a pending-litigation summary and search county liens and lis pendens
- Confirm whether the regime is pre-2025 Act or has opted into Act 516
- Build document-delivery and inspection contingencies into the contract (no statutory rescission)
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Get My Free Risk Report →Source documents
- Declaration & bylawsthe rules
- Budget & financialsthe money
- Reserve studythe big repairs
- Meeting minuteswhat the board fears
Cross-reference
The risk lives in the contradiction between documents.
An assessment in the minutes but not the estoppel; a reserve the budget never funds.
Risk report
Severity-graded across 8 categories.
Every finding cites the document, page number, and quoted text.
How CondoSignal reviews this
We read the reserve study, operating budget, and 24 months of meeting minutes together — arkansas condo resale certificate review risk usually lives in the contradiction between documents, not in any single one of them. Every finding cites the source document, the page number, and the quoted text behind it.
See our 8-category framework →Risk Intelligence
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Read these next to round out your due diligence
Estoppel Certificate Review
In Florida, an estoppel certificate is the legally binding document that fixes, at a specific moment in time, everything a buyer and a closing agent need to know about a unit's financial standing with its condominium association.
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A condo document review is the structured analysis of every disclosure document your seller or association has provided — declaration, bylaws, rules, reserve study, budgets, financials, meeting minutes, insurance summary, estoppel or resale certificate, and any pending special assessment notices.
Condo Buying Checklist
Buying a condo is not like buying a single-family home.
Related reading
Guides for Arkansas buyers and owners
Should I Buy a Condo With Incomplete Resale Documents?
Incomplete resale documents are a red flag of their own near your deadline. Learn what's usually missing and get a free document review.
What to Look for in Condo Documents: A Buyer's Complete Guide
A resale package contains roughly a dozen documents. Learn what each one discloses, what most buyers overlook, and which sections to read closely before you close.
What Is a Condo Estoppel Certificate? A Buyer's Guide
The estoppel certificate is the one document an association is legally required to provide before closing. Understand what it says, what it omits, and how to read each line before you sign.
The Complete Condo Buying Checklist (2026)
A four-phase due diligence framework — pre-offer through post-closing — covering documents, fees, reserves, insurance, lender requirements, and governance risk.
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Reviewed by Kirk Hasley, Founder. Every claim here is checked against current Arkansas statute and primary sources, using the same documented review framework we run on every file. Last reviewed June 13, 2026.
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Risk Intelligence
Review the documents before your contingency ends
Most buyers get 7–14 days to review condo documents. Upload the packet — we read the reserve study, budget, minutes, and insurance summary and flag the risks, every finding linked to the exact page. Free.
Expert Matching
Need a real estate lawyer or mortgage specialist?
We can connect you with vetted real estate lawyers, mortgage brokers, and insurance brokers familiar with the specifics of condo and HOA transactions.
- HOA lawyer