Washington guide
Washington condo document review
Washington condo document review operates under one of two condominium statutes — WUCIOA (RCW 64.90) for post-2018 condos or the 1990 Condominium Act (RCW 64.34) for 1990–2018 stock — both of which require a detailed resale certificate with a 5-business-day buyer rescission right. The certificate is binding on the association for the amounts disclosed.
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Resale certificate under RCW 64.34.425 / WUCIOA 64.90.640
The certificate must include current and unpaid assessments, current operating budget, recent financial statements, current reserve balance and contributions, the reserve study, master-policy insurance details, pending litigation summary, transfer fees, and copies of declaration, bylaws, and current rules. It is binding on the association for the assessment figures disclosed. The buyer has 5 business days after first receiving the certificate to rescind.
Which statute governs
Verify before anything else. WUCIOA applies to associations created on or after July 1, 2018. RCW 64.34 applies to 1990–2018 condos. The 1963 Horizontal Property Act (RCW 64.32) applies to older inventory but is repealed by January 2028. Each carries different reserve, insurance, lien, and governance provisions.
Reserve study compliance under RCW 64.34.380 / WUCIOA 64.90.545
Associations with significant assets must maintain reserve studies — initial professional inspection, annual updates, on-site updates every 3 years. Compliance is statutory. A study older than 3 years on-site is a statutory issue. Verify the update history.
Seattle-specific items
For older Seattle buildings, also request voluntary seismic-evaluation reports, recent envelope-related engineering, master-policy earthquake treatment, and any recent special-assessment history. None of this is statutorily disclosed in the resale certificate, but all materially affects the diligence picture.
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Washington legal references
- RCW 64.34 — Washington 1990 Condominium Act
- RCW 64.34.425 — Resale certificate requirements
- RCW 64.90 — Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA)
- RCW 64.90.640 — WUCIOA resale certificate
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
- Verify which statute governs (WUCIOA, RCW 64.34, or RCW 64.32)
- Request the resale certificate under RCW 64.34.425 or WUCIOA RCW 64.90.640
- Use the 5-business-day rescission window — review the certificate immediately on delivery
- Verify reserve study compliance (initial, annual, triannual on-site)
- Confirm master-policy details including earthquake treatment
- Request 18+ months of board minutes (not in the certificate)
- For older buildings: request voluntary seismic and envelope reports
- Request explicit delinquency-rate disclosure
- Address contract allocation of any assessment levied between certificate and closing
- For recently transitioned: request developer-turnover documentation
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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 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
HOA document review
An HOA document review reads the full association document set — declaration or deed restrictions, CC&Rs, bylaws, resale or disclosure certificate, current budget, audited financials, meeting minutes, and any enforcement history — and surfaces the items that actually affect your ownership cost, your usage rights, and your exposure to surprise assessments.
Reserve studies
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.
Insurance risk
The association's master insurance policy determines what your personal HO-6 policy needs to cover — and what it does not.
Related reading
Guides for Washington buyers and owners
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.
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.
How to Read a Reserve Study Before Buying: Is the Funding a Red Flag?
Reserve studies are dense engineering-financial documents. Learn what percent funded and baseline funding mean, how to spot unfunded repairs, and when the numbers are a special-assessment red flag — before you buy.
Condo Master Insurance Red Flags: What to Check Before Closing
Master-policy gaps, large deductibles, exclusions, and loss assessments can become the buyer's problem after closing. Learn what each section of the master insurance certificate discloses — and the red flags to check 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.
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What a finding looks like
Every finding cites the exact page in your documents
“The board approved a $15,000-per-unit special assessment for façade repairs, payable over 12 months.”
Source: Board meeting minutes, p. 12 — quoted and linked in your report so you can verify it in seconds.
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We surface what your documents actually say so you can ask better questions of your attorney, lender, and inspector.
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