Washington guide
Washington condo buying checklist
Buying a Washington condo means buying into a building governed by a transitioning legal framework, voluntary reserve funding, and Cascadia earthquake exposure. That puts the weight on the documents and on you.
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This checklist separates what the seller or association must deliver — the resale certificate under RCW 64.34.425 (or WUCIOA §64.90.640), with its five-business-day cancellation right — from what you should request on your own, and centers the questions that decide most Washington deals: which law governs your building, what the master insurance actually covers (and whether its earthquake deductible blocks financing), whether reserves are funded behind a required study, and whether any special assessment is coming. Use your five-day cancellation window deliberately, because it is your strongest statutory protection.
Determine which law governs first
The first Washington question is which statute governs, because it changes your protections. A condominium created on or after July 1, 2018 follows WUCIOA (RCW 64.90), with stronger records-inspection rights, detailed reserve-study contents under §64.90.550, open meetings from 2026, and a resale certificate under §64.90.640. A condominium created before that date follows the 1990 Condominium Act (RCW 64.34), with the resale certificate under §64.34.425, and the oldest "horizontal property" condos may still sit under RCW 64.32 (repealed effective January 1, 2028). HOAs and planned communities follow the 1995 HOA Act (RCW 64.38), which carries no automatic resale certificate. SB5796 and SB5129 are phasing WUCIOA in to all communities by 2028. Confirm the declaration's recording date and the community type before you apply any rule — it determines which disclosures you are owed and which protections you can rely on.
Documents the seller or association must provide
For a condominium, the resale certificate under RCW 64.34.425 (or WUCIOA §64.90.640) must include the regular dues, any unpaid or pending special assessments, the unit's delinquency status, the current budget, financial statements current to within 120 days, the reserve account balance plus contributions and the most recent reserve study, pending litigation, the insurance coverages and deductibles, any transfer fees, and copies of the declaration, bylaws, and rules. It triggers an unconditional five-business-day right to cancel from first receipt. For an HOA under RCW 64.38, there is no automatic statutory certificate, so you must proactively request a payoff or estoppel-style letter. Treat the condo certificate as the floor — request it early, calendar the five-business-day window, and complete your review inside it.
Documents you should request proactively
Washington's biggest risks live in documents you should request yourself: the master-insurance declarations page and the earthquake and flood coverage, deductibles, and premium trend (the OIC requires insurers to explain large increases); the full reserve study and whether the budget actually funds it, since funding is voluntary; two to three years of minutes for special-assessment, insurance, defect, and litigation discussion; the association-wide delinquency or aging report; the management contract; roof, deck, building-envelope, and structural condition reports given the region's water-intrusion pattern; a full pending-litigation summary; any association loan documents; and the declaration's short-term-rental and earthquake-deductible apportionment provisions. Also pull FEMA flood maps, USGS Cascadia seismic information, and — for a Seattle building — any local major-maintenance or seismic requirements you should confirm with the city.
The questions that decide the Washington deal
For every Washington condo, answer a few questions before you commit. Which law governs, and does the master insurance actually cover the building — is earthquake coverage carried, is the earthquake or master deductible above the GSE 5% cap, and (for a condo) is property coverage at least 80% of replacement value? Are reserves funded behind the required study, or is a current study paired with thin funding that points to future special assessments? Is any special assessment approved or pending? And how does the declaration apportion the master and earthquake deductible to owners after a loss? Read everything together — the reserve study against the budget, the insurance statement against the declarations page, and the assessment line against the minutes. The buyers surprised by a five-figure Washington assessment usually had the documents but did not read them together, or did not use their five-day cancellation window in time.
Washington legal references
- RCW 64.34.425 — Condominium resale certificate; 5-business-day cancellation
- RCW 64.34.352 — Condominium master insurance (≥80% of replacement value)
- RCW 64.34.380 — Condominium reserve study (required; funding not mandated)
- RCW 64.90 — WUCIOA (post-2018 communities; phasing in to all by 2028)
Informational only. Not legal advice. Always confirm against current statute and counsel.
Need help applying these Washington statutes to your specific situation? We can connect you with state-licensed counsel and specialists familiar with this exact regulatory environment.
Find a Washington specialist →Reviewer's checklist
- Confirm the declaration's recording date and community type to determine which law governs
- For a condo, obtain the RCW 64.34.425 (or §64.90.640) resale certificate and calendar the 5-business-day cancellation window
- For an HOA, proactively request a binding payoff / estoppel-style letter (no automatic certificate)
- Confirm the financial statements are current to within 120 days
- Pull the master-insurance declarations page; confirm earthquake coverage and check deductibles against the GSE 5% cap and (condo) 80% replacement value
- Confirm how the declaration apportions the master / earthquake deductible to owners after a loss
- Read the required reserve study against the budget's actual reserve funding (funding is voluntary)
- Request two to three years of minutes, the delinquency report, and a full pending-litigation summary
- Request roof / deck / envelope / structural condition reports given the water-intrusion pattern
- Pull FEMA flood and USGS Cascadia seismic information, and confirm any local Seattle requirements with the city
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 — washington condo buying checklist 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
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
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- Insurance broker
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 Insurance Requirements
Most condo buyers spend more time choosing their unit's paint colors than understanding how insurance works in a condominium.
HOA Fee Analysis
Monthly HOA and condo fees are a fixed ownership cost that compounds over your entire holding period.
Related reading
Guides for Washington buyers and owners
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.
Washington Condo Resale Certificate Guide: RCW 64.34.425 and the 5-Day Rescission
Washington's RCW 64.34.425 resale certificate is one of the stronger statutory disclosure regimes in the country. Here is what it must include and how to use the 5-business-day rescission right.
Washington Cascadia Seismic Risk: What Condo Buyers Should Read on the Master Policy
Cascadia subduction-zone exposure runs across Washington's I-5 corridor, but earthquake coverage is rarely standard. Here is how to read the master policy and size your personal exposure.
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 Washington statute and primary sources, using the same documented review framework we run on every file. Last reviewed June 13, 2026.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
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
- Mortgage broker
- Insurance broker