Oregon guide
Oregon HOA document review
Oregon HOA document review operates under ORS Chapter 94 (the Oregon Planned Community Act). The statute requires reserve studies, master insurance, and 80-percent owner approval for material loans.
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Resale disclosure runs through the SPDS — there is no comprehensive HOA-specific resale package mandated by statute. Reading the declaration and bylaws against the statutory floor is essential.
What ORS Chapter 94 requires
Mandatory initial reserve study and annual update (ORS 94.595), master property and liability insurance (ORS 94.675), 80-percent owner approval for material loans or to sell/encumber common property (ORS 94.665), and standard governance baselines around meetings and records. Class I/II developments require fidelity bond. Older associations (pre-1999) may adopt reserve plans by resolution if not originally required.
What to request from an Oregon HOA seller
Declaration and amendments, bylaws, articles of incorporation, current rules, current reserve study and update history, master policy declarations page, current operating budget, recent financials, statement of unit assessments, 18+ months of meeting minutes, any voluntary engineering reports, and an explicit litigation summary. The SPDS captures some but not most of this.
Reserve compliance verification
ORS 94.595 requires annual review or update of the reserve study. A study that has not been updated annually is a statutory compliance issue and a governance flag. Request the update history (when did the board last review the study and how did funding adjust?). For pre-1999 communities without an original reserve requirement: confirm whether the board adopted a reserve plan by resolution and when.
Loans and special assessments
Material borrowing requires 80-percent owner approval (ORS 94.665) — a high bar. Special assessments for capital improvements during declarant control require 50-percent owner approval (ORS 94.704(11)). Outside declarant control, the declaration governs vote thresholds. Read minutes for any board discussion of borrowing or planned capital programs.
Oregon legal references
- ORS Chapter 94 — Oregon Planned Community Act
- ORS 94.595 — Reserve account and annual update
- ORS 94.675 — Required HOA insurance
- ORS 94.665 — 80% owner approval for material loans
Informational only. Not legal advice. Always confirm against current statute and counsel.
Need help applying these Oregon statutes to your specific situation? We can connect you with state-licensed counsel and specialists familiar with this exact regulatory environment.
Find a Oregon specialist →Reviewer's checklist
- Verify Chapter 94 applicability and any pre-1999 status
- Request declaration, amendments, bylaws, articles, and current rules
- Request the reserve study and annual update history (ORS 94.595)
- Confirm master insurance compliance under ORS 94.675
- Request the master policy declarations page and exclusions endorsement
- Verify fidelity bond compliance (Class I/II developments)
- Request 18+ months of meeting minutes
- Check for any borrowing — confirm 80% owner approval (ORS 94.665)
- Use the SPDS 5-business-day revocation window if needed
- Request an explicit litigation summary
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Related risk areas
Read these next to round out your due diligence
Condo document review
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.
Governance risk
An association's governance health is a leading indicator of every other risk.
Special assessments
Special assessments are the single largest source of financial surprise in condo and HOA ownership.
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Risk Intelligence
Get Your Free Condo Risk Report
Upload condo or HOA documents for a free risk review. We read reserve studies, budgets, meeting minutes, insurance summaries, and assessment exposure — every finding linked to the exact page.
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
- Mortgage broker
- Insurance broker