Maryland guide
Maryland condo resale certificate review
Maryland's condo resale certificate is the Resale Disclosure Certificate the seller must deliver under the Maryland Condominium Act, Md. Real Prop.
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§11-135. It travels with the governing documents — declaration, amendments, bylaws, and rules — and gives the buyer a 7-day right to cancel after receipt. Among the strongest disclosure regimes in the country, it discloses the current assessment, unpaid amounts, reserve and reserve-study status, the budget and financials, insurance, known litigation, and any approved special assessment. But it is a disclosure mandate, not a quality guarantee: a complete certificate can still reveal an association mid-catch-up on Maryland's mandatory reserve funding, a master deductible of $25,000 or more, or an approved assessment that runs with the unit. The value is in reading it against the building's age and its Chesapeake or Atlantic exposure.
What §11-135 requires in the certificate
Under §11-135 the seller must furnish the governing documents plus a Resale Disclosure Certificate disclosing the current monthly common-expense assessment and any unpaid assessment against the unit, any special or other charges, the status of the reserve account and reserve study, the most recent budget and financial statement, insurance information, known pending litigation or claims, and any approved capital expenditures or special assessments. The practice norm is delivery at least 15 days before closing so the 7-day cancellation window is preserved. Confirm the package is complete before relying on it — a missing reserve study, omitted special assessment, or undisclosed litigation is exactly what this certificate exists to surface.
The 7-day right to cancel
After receiving the required resale information, the buyer may rescind the contract in writing within 7 days, without stating a reason and without liability, and recover deposits. This is a meaningful protection many states do not offer — but it only works if the complete package actually arrives in time. If mandatory fees change beyond the disclosed amount, additional notice and cancellation rights can apply. Track the delivery date carefully and treat the 7-day window as your core diligence period; the condo right is 7 days, distinct from the 5-day HOA right under §11B-106.
Read reserves and assessments together
Since HB 107 (2022) the association must have a professional reserve study, and since HB 292 (2025, effective October 2025) it must fund reserves to the study's recommended level, with a five-year ramp-up for first studies. Read the reserve-study status and any approved special assessment disclosed in the certificate, then request the full study and funding plan. An association still in its catch-up window will have rising regular dues, and a bylaw cap will not protect you — HB 107 lets the board override it to fund reserves. An approved assessment generally runs with the unit, so the buyer inherits it.
What to request beyond the certificate
The certificate is a snapshot — read it against documents you request directly. Ask for the full reserve study and funding plan (not just the summary), the master-policy declarations page and claims history, several years of board and member minutes, any engineering or balcony reports, a full pending-litigation summary, and the community-wide delinquency rate. In Ocean City and other coastal stock, request the special-assessment history and balcony or structural reports, since salt-air deterioration concentrates the risk. A clean-looking certificate on an aging building can still carry significant special-assessment exposure that only surfaces when the documents are cross-referenced.
Maryland legal references
- Md. Real Prop. §11-135 — Resale of unit; Resale Disclosure Certificate; 7-day cancellation
- Md. Real Prop. §11-109.4 — Reserve study requirement and funding plan (HB 107)
- House Bill 107 (2022, Ch. 664) — mandatory reserve study and funding
Informational only. Not legal advice. Always confirm against current statute and counsel.
Need help applying these Maryland statutes to your specific situation? We can connect you with state-licensed counsel and specialists familiar with this exact regulatory environment.
Find a Maryland specialist →Reviewer's checklist
- Confirm the seller delivered the full §11-135 resale package and Resale Disclosure Certificate
- Track the delivery date and preserve the 7-day cancellation window
- Read the disclosed reserve-account and reserve-study status, then request the full study
- Confirm whether the association is in its five-year reserve catch-up window (rising dues)
- Read the certificate for any approved special assessment or capital expenditure
- Confirm whether an approved assessment was levied before settlement (runs with the unit)
- Request the master-policy declarations page, claims history, and insurance statement
- Request several years of board and member minutes for assessment and litigation discussion
- Request a full pending-litigation summary and the community-wide delinquency rate
- Weigh the certificate against the building's age and coastal or flood exposure
Want this same review on your actual documents? We do it free, with page citations you can verify.
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 — maryland 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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A reserve study tells you what the association expects to spend on long-term capital repairs and replacements, and whether it is funding those obligations adequately.
Condo Buying Checklist
Buying a condo is not like buying a single-family home.
Related reading
Guides for Maryland buyers and owners
Maryland Condo Resale Package and Your 7-Day Right to Cancel (and Why HOAs Are Different)
Maryland gives condo buyers a 7-day right to cancel after receiving the resale package — and HOA buyers a different 5-day right. Here is what the package must contain, how the cancellation windows work, and how to protect them.
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.
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Reviewed by Kirk Hasley, Founder. Every claim here is checked against current Maryland 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