Texas guide
Texas condo document review
Before you close on a Texas condominium, state law gives you the right to request a specific set of documents — and a narrow window to review them. The Texas Uniform Condominium Act (Chapter 82, Texas Property Code) governs what the association must disclose and what the seller is required to provide.
SB 711 (2025) requires 60+ unit associations to publish governing documents. The mandate is uneven — verify before you close.
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Texas urgency: SB 711 (2025) requires 60+ unit associations to publish governing documents. The mandate is uneven — verify before you close. Data current as of June 13, 2026.
Unlike Florida, Texas imposes no statutory reserve requirement, so the financial health of the community depends almost entirely on what you uncover in the documents themselves.
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What Texas law requires sellers to provide
Under Chapter 82, a seller of a condominium unit must furnish the buyer with a resale certificate issued by the association. As of September 2025, Senate Bill 711 capped the fee an association can charge for that certificate at $375. The certificate must include current assessment amounts, any outstanding violations on the unit, pending litigation involving the association, and a statement of the association's current budget. You have a rescission period after receiving the certificate — review it carefully because waiving that window means you accept the unit's financial position as-is.
The document package to request beyond the certificate
The resale certificate alone is not enough. Ask the seller or association for the full governing document package: the declaration of condominium (the master deed), the bylaws, all rules and regulations, the most recent annual budget, the current year's financial statements, and the minutes from the last twelve months of board meetings. SB 711 (effective September 2025) also requires associations with 60 or more units to maintain a public-facing website where governing documents must be posted. If the association you are evaluating meets that threshold, confirm the site exists and that the documents are current.
Management certificate and what late filing means
Texas condominiums managed by a third-party company must file a management certificate with the county clerk. SB 711 tightened the timeliness rules: if a management certificate is not filed on time, the association loses the ability to collect attorney fees from an owner in any subsequent collection or enforcement action. A missing or outdated management certificate in the county records is a governance red flag worth investigating before you close.
No reserve mandate — and why that matters
Texas does not require condominium associations to maintain a reserve fund or conduct a reserve study. Florida mandates reserve studies and Structural Integrity Reserve Studies for older buildings; Texas does not. This shifts the risk entirely to the buyer. Look at the current budget line item for reserves. Ask what percentage of monthly dues goes to the reserve account. If the answer is zero or less than 10 percent, the community is likely underfunded and a major repair — roofing, elevators, parking structure — could trigger a special assessment with little warning.
Reading the budget for financial health signals
Texas associations set their own reserve policy through bylaws and board discretion, which means budgets vary widely. Look for the ratio of reserve contributions to total revenue, outstanding loans from the association, and whether any deferred maintenance items appear in the minutes. In Dallas, Houston, and Austin, condo median prices in 2025 were in the mid-$200,000 range with months of supply well above six months — meaning you have negotiating leverage if documents reveal financial weakness. A community carrying deferred maintenance in a buyer's market is a meaningful risk.
Red flags specific to the Texas market
Texas condominiums in coastal areas face wind and hail exposure; those in Houston and the Gulf Coast corridor are especially vulnerable after events like Hurricane Harvey. Review the master insurance policy for the deductible structure — some policies carry a 5 percent wind/hurricane deductible based on insured value, which can mean a six-figure per-unit exposure after a major storm. Also verify that the association carries general liability, directors-and-officers coverage, and fidelity/crime insurance. If the community has experienced any storm-related assessment in the prior five years, those details should appear in the financials and meeting minutes.
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Texas legal references
- Texas Property Code Chapter 82 — Uniform Condominium Act
- SB 711 (89th Legislature, 2025) — Condo website & resale certificate reforms
- Texas Department of Insurance — Home Insurance Guide
Informational only. Not legal advice. Always confirm against current statute and counsel.
Need help applying these Texas statutes to your specific situation? We can connect you with state-licensed counsel and specialists familiar with this exact regulatory environment.
Find a Texas specialist →Reviewer's checklist
- Request the resale certificate and confirm the fee did not exceed $375 (SB 711 cap)
- Verify the association has filed a current management certificate with the county clerk
- If the association has 60+ units, confirm a public website exists with current governing documents
- Obtain the declaration, bylaws, rules and regulations, and current budget
- Review the last 12 months of board meeting minutes for pending litigation, deferred maintenance, or assessment discussions
- Calculate what percentage of monthly dues is allocated to reserves
- Ask whether a reserve study has been completed voluntarily and, if so, request a copy
- Check the master insurance policy for wind/hail deductible amounts and coverage limits
- Confirm general liability, D&O, and fidelity coverage are current
- Ask whether any special assessment has been levied in the prior five years
Want this same review on your actual documents? We do it free, with page citations you can verify.
Get my free risk report →Want every document to request before you buy in Texas — with the local red flags and the statute behind each? See the complete Texas condo due-diligence checklist →
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 — texas condo document 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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Related risk areas
Read these next to round out your due diligence
Condo Resale Certificate Review
In Texas, a resale certificate is the statutory document that gives a prospective condo or HOA unit buyer a snapshot of the association's financial and legal standing at the moment of sale.
Condo Buying Checklist
Buying a condo is not like buying a single-family home.
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.
Related reading
Guides for Texas buyers and owners
Texas HOA Resale Certificate: What to Verify Before Closing
Section 207.003 of the Texas Property Code defines what a resale certificate must contain. Review this checklist of what to verify — and what the certificate legally omits — before you close.
Master-Planned Community Due Diligence: Mapping Every Layer
Multi-layered master and sub-associations are common in Texas and Arizona. Learn how to map who governs what, which fees apply to your unit, and which restrictions run with the land.
Hurricane Deductibles and Loss Assessments: Evaluate Your HO-6 Exposure
Master-policy hurricane deductibles can pass through to you as loss assessments. Understand how percentage deductibles work, how to calculate your real exposure, and what your HO-6 needs to actually cover.
The Complete Texas Condo and HOA Guide (2026)
Texas Property Code Chapters 82 and 209, the 2023–2025 legislative wave, voluntary reserves, coastal insurance exposure, and what every buyer must verify before closing.
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Owner guides for the notice you just got
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Reviewed by Kirk Hasley, Founder. Every claim here is checked against current Texas statute and primary sources, using the same documented review framework we run on every file. Last reviewed June 13, 2026.
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“The board approved a $15,000-per-unit special assessment for façade repairs, payable over 12 months.”
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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
- Mortgage broker
- Insurance broker