What is an estoppel certificate in Florida, and how much can the association charge?

What does the estoppel certificate show?

Florida law prescribes the certificate's contents for condominiums in section 718.116(8) and for homeowners' associations in section 720.30851. It is commonly requested in connection with a sale or mortgage, and it must include:

• The regular assessment amount, the date it is paid through, and the next installment due
• An itemized list of all assessments, special assessments and other money owed, plus amounts scheduled to come due during the certificate's effective period
• Any capital contribution, resale, transfer or other fee due
• Whether there are open rule violations noticed to the owner
• Whether board approval of the transfer is required (and granted) and whether a right of first refusal exists (and was exercised)
• Other associations the property belongs to, and contacts for the association's insurance[1][2]

Deadlines, validity and reliance

The association must issue the certificate within 10 business days after a written or electronic request from the owner, the mortgagee or either one's designee; if it misses that deadline, it may not charge a fee for that certificate. A certificate delivered by hand or electronically is effective for 30 days, and one sent by regular mail is effective for 35 days. An amended certificate is free and starts a new effective period.

The association waives the right to collect more than the certificate states from anyone who relies on it in good faith. If the sale doesn't close and a payor other than the owner sends a written request with documentation within 30 days after the scheduled closing date, the fee must be refunded within 30 days.[1][2]

How much can the association charge? (as of 2026)

The statutes set base caps of $250, an extra $100 for delivery within 3 business days, and an extra $150 if the account is delinquent, and require inflation adjustments every 5 years, with DBPR publishing the adjusted amounts. DBPR's current schedule, which says the next update will be released by July 1, 2027, lists:

• Preparation and delivery: not more than $299
• Expedited delivery within 3 business days: an additional $119
• Delinquent account: an additional fee not to exceed $179
• Several units or parcels of one owner requested together with nothing past due: aggregate caps of $896 (25 or fewer), $1,194 (26 to 50), $1,791 (51 to 100) and $2,985 (more than 100)[1][2][3]

Who pays, and how is it different from a transfer fee?

The association may charge the fee only if a written board resolution or a management, bookkeeping or maintenance contract authorizes it. The statutes don't say whether the buyer or seller pays it at closing; that is handled in the purchase contract.

A condominium association may charge a separate transfer fee for a sale or lease only if it must approve the transfer and its declaration, articles or bylaws provide for the fee. The statute caps that fee at $150 per applicant, subject to periodic inflation adjustment published by DBPR, and counts spouses, or parents and their dependents, as one applicant. Ask the association for its current fee before closing.[1][4][3]