Washington guide
Washington condo resale certificate review
Washington requires a condominium resale certificate, but the rules depend on when your building was created. Condominiums created before July 1, 2018 follow the 1990 Condominium Act (RCW 64.34), whose §64.34.425 requires the seller or association to furnish a current resale certificate before closing.
Risk Intelligence
Review the documents before your contingency ends
Expert Matching
Need a real estate lawyer or mortgage specialist?
Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 follow WUCIOA (RCW 64.90), with a parallel certificate under §64.90.640 — and WUCIOA is being phased in to all associations by 2028. Either way, a buyer who first receives the certificate gets an unconditional five-business-day right to cancel the purchase. The first task is to confirm the declaration's recording date so you know which statute, and which protections, apply.
What RCW 64.34.425 requires the certificate to contain
For a pre-2018 condominium, the resale certificate under RCW 64.34.425 must disclose a defined set of facts: the regular periodic dues and the basis on which they are determined, any unpaid or pending special assessments, the unit's delinquency status, the association's current budget, financial statements current to within 120 days, the reserve account balance plus reserve contributions and the most recent reserve study, any pending litigation involving the association, the insurance coverages and deductibles carried, any transfer or move-in fees, and copies of the declaration, bylaws, and rules. WUCIOA's §64.90.640 certificate covers similar ground for newer communities. Read the certificate as a connected picture rather than a checklist — the reserve balance read against the budget, and the insurance deductible read against the master policy, are where Washington risk actually surfaces. Confirm the financials are genuinely current to within 120 days before you rely on them.
The five-business-day right to cancel
Washington gives the buyer an unconditional right to cancel the purchase within five business days after first receiving the resale certificate, under RCW 64.34.425 (and §64.90.640 for WUCIOA communities). This is a genuine statutory protection, but it has a timing trap: if the certificate is delivered to you more than five days before you sign the purchase agreement, the cancellation right can lapse before you ever exercise it. The practical move is to request the certificate early, then calendar the five-business-day window from first receipt and make sure your review is complete inside it. Do not let the certificate sit unread — a clean-looking cover page on an aging Seattle or Tacoma building can still hide a thin reserve, a contested insurance claim, or a pending construction-defect suit that only the underlying documents reveal.
Which law governs — and why it changes your protections
Washington is mid-transition between regimes, and the declaration's recording date decides which one applies to your building. Condominiums created on or after July 1, 2018 are governed by WUCIOA (RCW 64.90), which carries stronger statutory protections — broader records-inspection rights, detailed reserve-study contents under §64.90.550, and (from 2026) open-meeting requirements. Condominiums created before that date remain under the 1990 Condominium Act (RCW 64.34), and the oldest "horizontal property" condos may still sit under RCW 64.32, which is repealed effective January 1, 2028. SB5796 (2024) and SB5129 (2025) are phasing WUCIOA in to all common-interest communities by 2028. Confirm the recording date so you know whether you are buying into the stronger WUCIOA framework or an older one with thinner statutory disclosure.
Read the certificate together, and request what it omits
The certificate is a disclosure floor, not a guarantee. Read the disclosed reserve balance and the reserve study against the budget — remembering Washington requires reserve studies for associations with significant assets but does not mandate any reserve funding level, so a low or unfunded reserve is legal yet a real red flag. Read the insurance line against the actual master-policy declarations page, because earthquake and flood are commonly excluded and master deductibles run high in Cascadia country. The certificate must disclose pending litigation, so probe any suit listed — construction-defect and water-intrusion claims are a notable Pacific Northwest pattern. If the certificate is incomplete or the financials are stale, treat that as a signal and request the missing items before your cancellation window closes.
Washington legal references
- RCW 64.34.425 — Condominium resale certificate; 5-business-day cancellation
- RCW 64.90.640 — WUCIOA resale certificate; 5-day cancellation (post-2018 communities)
- RCW 64.34 — Washington Condominium Act (1990; pre-2018 condos)
- RCW 64.90 — WUCIOA (2018; phasing in to all communities 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 to determine whether RCW 64.34 or WUCIOA (64.90) governs
- Obtain the full resale certificate under RCW 64.34.425 (or §64.90.640) before closing
- Calendar the five-business-day cancellation window from first receipt of the certificate
- Confirm the financial statements are current to within 120 days
- Read the disclosed reserve balance and reserve study against the current budget
- Read the insurance coverages and deductibles against the actual master-policy declarations page
- Probe any pending litigation the certificate discloses (defect / water-intrusion claims especially)
- Confirm the unit's delinquency status and any unpaid or pending special assessment
- Verify any transfer or move-in fees disclosed in the certificate
- Request any missing or stale documents before your cancellation window closes
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 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
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
Related risk areas
Read these next to round out your due diligence
Estoppel Certificate Review
In Florida, an estoppel certificate is the legally binding document that fixes, at a specific moment in time, everything a buyer and a closing agent need to know about a unit's financial standing with its condominium association.
Condo Insurance Requirements
Most condo buyers spend more time choosing their unit's paint colors than understanding how insurance works in a condominium.
Condo Buying Checklist
Buying a condo is not like buying a single-family home.
Related reading
Guides for Washington buyers and owners
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.
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.
What Is a Condo Estoppel Certificate? A Buyer's Guide
The estoppel certificate is the one document an association is legally required to provide before closing. Understand what it says, what it omits, and how to read each line before you sign.
Already own in Washington?
Owner guides for the notice you just got
Already dealing with a specific Washington situation? Start here instead of the buyer flow:
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