For lenders, title companies and vendors
How to Get Condo Documents: Questionnaires, Master Insurance, Budgets and Estoppels (Florida)
By Nick McCandless · Updated · How we research
The short answer
Condo questionnaires, master insurance documents, budgets and estoppel certificates come from the condominium association or, where it has one, its management company. Florida law sets the estoppel process in section 718.116(8), with a 10-business-day deadline,[1] and gives unit owners and the people they authorize a right to inspect official records under section 718.111(12).[2] Miami Condo HQ is an independent research website: we are not any association or manager and cannot issue or forward these documents.
Who issues each document
| Document | Who issues it | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Estoppel certificate | The association. A board member, authorized agent or representative, or a management company employee may complete it. | Fla. Stat. 718.116(8): requested by the owner, a mortgagee or their designees; issued within 10 business days.[1] |
| Lender condo questionnaire (Form 1076 or a lender's own form) | The association or its manager. | A lender form, not a statutory document. Fannie Mae calls Form 1076 optional.[3] Fees and timing are set by the association or manager. |
| Master insurance policies and declarations pages | The association; ask the manager or the association's insurance agent for certificates. | Current insurance policies are official records under 718.111(12)(a).[2] |
| Annual budget and financial report | The association or its manager. | Official records; associations of 25 or more units must post the annual budget and financial report on their website or app.[2] |
| Declaration, bylaws, rules and the question-and-answer sheet | The association or its manager. | Official records under 718.111(12)(a).[2] |
Estoppel certificates under Florida Statute 718.116(8)
An estoppel certificate states what a unit owes the association. The association must issue it within 10 business days after receiving a written or electronic request from a unit owner or the owner's designee, or from a unit mortgagee or the mortgagee's designee, and deliver it by hand, mail or email on the date it is issued. Each association must designate on its website a person or entity with a street or email address to receive requests.[1] Check the association's website for that designee before emailing anyone else.
A certificate delivered by hand or electronically is effective for 30 days, and one sent by regular mail for 35 days. If new information or a mistake is found during that period and the sale or refinance has not closed, the association may issue an amended certificate without a fee, which starts a new effective period.[1]
On fees, the statute sets caps of $250 for preparing and delivering a certificate when nothing is delinquent, an additional $100 when the certificate is requested on an expedited basis and delivered within 3 business days, and an additional fee of no more than $150 when the unit is delinquent, with aggregate caps for multiple units of the same owner requested together. The fee must be authorized by a board resolution or a written management, bookkeeping or maintenance contract.[1] The same subsection directs DBPR to adjust the caps every 5 years by the Consumer Price Index and publish them. DBPR's currently published caps are $299, an additional $119 for expedited delivery and an additional fee of up to $179 for a delinquent unit, and DBPR says its next update will be released by July 1, 2027.[4] Use DBPR's published figure, not the base amount in the statute.
- If the certificate is not delivered within 10 business days, no preparation or delivery fee may be charged.[1]
- If the certificate was requested for a sale or mortgage that does not close, a payor other than the owner can request a refund in writing, with reasonable documentation, within 30 days after the closing date; the fee must then be refunded within 30 days.[1]
- The certificate must include contact information for all insurance maintained by the association, which points you to the master policy's agent or carrier.[1]
- The association waives the right to collect more than the certificate states from someone who relied on it in good faith.[1]
Official records under Florida Statute 718.111(12)
The association's official records include the recorded declaration, bylaws and current rules, all current insurance policies, financial reports and the current question-and-answer sheet. They are open to inspection by any association member and by any person a member authorizes. The association must make them available within 10 working days after receiving a written request; missing that deadline creates a rebuttable presumption of willful noncompliance, and the statute sets minimum damages of $50 per calendar day for up to 10 days, beginning on the 11th working day.[2]
The statute does not name lenders or title companies as entitled requesters, so a third party can order through the manager's document process or ask the unit owner to authorize the request in writing. An association managing a condominium with 25 or more units must post specified documents, including its declaration, bylaws, rules, budget and financial report, on a website or app within 30 days after creating or receiving them.[2]
Find the association's legal name, registered agent and manager
Start with the condominium's page in our condo association directory. It shows the association's legal name and DBPR managing-entity number from Florida DBPR's condominium register, which is the name to search everywhere else.
Search that legal name on the Florida Division of Corporations' Sunbiz site for the association's registered agent, principal address and the officers on its annual report. To find or verify the management company, ask the board or front desk which firm manages the building, then check the firm or the individual manager in DBPR's license search. DBPR licenses both community association managers and community association management firms.[5]
Boards and managers can send us their management company and document-ordering link through our claim process. We review every submission manually before publishing anything.
- Our condo association directoryLegal names and DBPR numbers for registered condominiums
- Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)Registered agent, principal address and officers
- DBPR license searchVerify a community association manager or management firm
Master insurance and the unit owner's HO-6 policy
Every Florida condominium association must carry adequate property insurance, and its current policies are official records.[2] Ask the manager for the declarations pages and the association's insurance agent for a certificate naming your borrower and lender; the estoppel certificate lists the association's insurance contacts.[1]
The association's policy must exclude personal property within the unit and items such as floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets and countertops that serve only one unit. The statute makes that property, and insuring it, the unit owner's responsibility, and says a unit owner's policy must conform to section 627.714.[2] That is the gap the owner's HO-6 (walls-in) policy fills, so a lender may ask for evidence of both the master policy and the borrower's own policy.
Lender questionnaires and Fannie Mae project review
A condo questionnaire is the lender's form, not a document the association is obliged to create. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide describes its Condominium Project Questionnaire (Form 1076) as optional: lenders are encouraged to use it, and a substantially similar form may be used instead.[3] That is why associations and managers receive many different lender-branded versions.
The current Selling Guide lists these review methods for condo units: a Full Review, Fannie Mae's Project Eligibility Review Service (PERS), FHA project approval, and a waiver of project review for certain projects and transactions.[3][6] We did not find a method called "limited review" in the August 5, 2026 version of that section, so a request labeled that way may follow an older guide or a lender's own overlay. Ask the lender which guide version its form follows.
In a full review the lender examines the HOA's projected budget, including whether it sets aside at least 10% for replacement reserves (or relies on a qualifying reserve study), checks delinquent common-expense and special assessments against a 15% limit, and verifies the project's insurance against the Selling Guide's insurance chapters. The guide states that Fannie Mae does not itself review insurance policies in this process.[7] Those facts come from the association's budget, ledgers and insurance documents, which is why the request goes to the manager.
How long it takes
Florida law sets two deadlines: 10 business days for an estoppel certificate (or 3 business days for an expedited request that carries the extra fee)[1] and 10 working days for an owner's written records request.[2] We found no statutory deadline for lender questionnaires or insurance certificates. Their timing varies by manager and agent, so ask when you order.
Related on Miami Condo HQ
Common questions
Who completes a condo questionnaire for a Florida condo loan?
The condominium association or its management company. A questionnaire is the lender's form; Fannie Mae describes its Form 1076 as optional and accepts a substantially similar form. Miami Condo HQ is an independent research site, not an association, so we cannot complete questionnaires.
How do I request an estoppel certificate in Florida?
Send a written or electronic request to the person or entity the association designates on its website. Under section 718.116(8), the unit owner, a mortgagee or their designees may request one, and the association must issue it within 10 business days.
How much can a Florida condo association charge for an estoppel certificate?
Section 718.116(8) sets base caps of $250, plus $100 for expedited delivery within 3 business days and up to $150 more for a delinquent unit, and requires DBPR to adjust them for inflation every 5 years. DBPR's currently published caps are $299, an additional $119 for expedited delivery and an additional $179 for a delinquent unit (checked October 30, 2026). No fee may be charged if the certificate is not delivered within 10 business days.
Can a lender inspect a Florida condo association's official records?
Section 718.111(12) opens official records to association members and people a member authorizes, within 10 working days of a written request. It does not name lenders, so a lender can order through the manager's document process or with the owner's written authorization.
Where do I get the master insurance certificate for a Florida condo?
From the association's manager or its insurance agent. The estoppel certificate must list contact information for all insurance the association maintains, and current insurance policies are official records under section 718.111(12).
Is Miami Condo HQ the condo association or its manager?
No. Miami Condo HQ is an independent research website published by Eltherion, LLC. We hold no association records, cannot issue documents, accept invoices or verify rentals, and cannot forward requests to an association.
Sources
- [1] Florida Legislature, The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 718.116. Subsection (8): who may request an estoppel certificate, the designated recipient, the 10-business-day deadline, required contents, effective periods, fee caps and their CPI adjustment, refunds and the effect of late delivery. Checked .
- [2] Florida Legislature, The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 718.111. Subsection (11): association property insurance, its exclusions and unit owner policies. Subsection (12): what the official records include, who may inspect them, the 10-working-day deadline and the website posting duty for associations of 25 or more units. Checked .
- [3] Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B4-2.1-01, General Information on Project Standards (08/05/2026). The project review methods (Full Review, PERS, FHA approval, waiver), that the Condominium Project Questionnaire (Form 1076) is optional and that a substantially similar form may be used. Checked .
- [4] Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Estoppel Certificate Fees. The currently published, inflation-adjusted estoppel fee caps and the next update date. Checked .
- [5] Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Community Association Managers and Firms. That DBPR licenses community association managers and management firms, and that licenses can be verified by name or number. Checked .
- [6] Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B4-2.1-02, Waiver of Project Review (08/05/2026). The projects and transactions for which Fannie Mae waives project review. Checked .
- [7] Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B4-2.2-01, Full Review Process (08/05/2026). What a full review checks: the HOA budget and replacement reserves, delinquent assessments, and compliance with the Chapter B7-3 and B7-4 insurance requirements. Checked .
This guide is general information, not legal, lending or insurance advice. Statutes and agency figures change; confirm the current text before relying on it. How we source and correct pages is explained in our editorial policy and methodology.