What HOA Documents Must a California Condo Seller Give the Buyer?

Under California Civil Code section 4525, a condo seller gives the buyer a set of association documents as soon as practicable before the transfer of title. The set includes the governing documents and the most recent budget and reserve disclosures. It also includes a written statement of current assessments and fees, along with several other items. The seller pays the association's reasonable fee for preparing them. The association delivers within 10 days of a written request.

For a Los Feliz condo sale, this package is often the slowest piece of the transaction, and the one buyers read most closely. At Rooster Homes™, we order it the day a seller signs. This article walks through the list and the rules around it. It is general information based on the current Civil Code, not legal advice.

Section 4525(a) lists these items:

1. All governing documents, such as the CC&Rs, the bylaws and the rules. If the association is not incorporated, a written statement saying so.
2. An age-restriction statement, if the documents limit occupancy by age in a way that differs from Civil Code section 51.3.
3. The most recent budget and reserve disclosures the association distributed, including the annual budget report.
4. A written statement of assessments and fees from the association. It shows current regular and special assessments and fees, anything unpaid on the unit, unpaid fines and the late charges and collection costs that could become a lien.
5. Unresolved violation notices. A copy or summary of any notice sent to the owner about an alleged violation that is still unresolved.
6. Construction defect information. A copy of the initial list of defects given to members under section 6000, unless the matter has since been resolved, and the latest information provided under section 6100.
7. Approved changes not yet due. Any change in regular or special assessments and fees the board has approved that is not yet payable.
8. A rental prohibition statement, if the governing documents prohibit renting or leasing units.
9. Board minutes, if the buyer requests them. These are approved minutes of board meetings from the past 12 months, not counting executive sessions.
10. The latest balcony and walkway inspection report under section 5551.

The budget and reserve disclosures are explained in how the HOA budget and reserve study work under California law. Approved increases and special assessments are covered in the 20% and 5% rules.

Section 5551 requires the board of a condominium association to have a visual inspection done at least once every nine years. The inspector is a licensed structural or civil engineer or an architect. They inspect a random, statistically significant sample of the exterior elevated elements the association is responsible for.

Those elements are decks, balconies, stairways and walkways with their railings. They count when the walking surface is more than six feet above the ground and the structure is supported in whole or in large part by wood. The inspection determines whether they are in generally safe condition and performing to applicable standards. The latest report is part of the resale package.

The seller. Under section 4530, the association may collect a reasonable fee from the seller based on its actual cost to prepare and deliver the documents. It may not charge extra for electronic delivery instead of paper. Section 4530 makes it the seller's responsibility to pay whoever provides the documents.

A few more protections come with that fee:

• On request, the association gives a written estimate of the fees before it processes the order, on a standard form called Charges for Documents Provided. That form is set out in section 4528.
• Document fees are stated and billed separately from other transfer fees and charges.
• The fee for each document is itemized in the statement the seller gives the buyer.
• A seller provides the buyer, at no cost, current copies of any listed documents already in the seller's possession.

Transfer fees and move-in fees are separate from document fees. Who pays those is set by the building and the purchase contract.

Within 10 days. Section 4530 says that on a written request, the association provides the requested documents within 10 days of the mailing or delivery of the request. The association may keep them in electronic form, and the person requesting them can choose electronic delivery when it does.

The law also says delivery may not be withheld for any reason or put under any condition, other than payment of the authorized fee.

Ten days is the legal limit, not the whole timeline. The buyer still needs time to read what arrives, ask questions and talk with their own advisors before removing contingencies. That is why the request date matters so much.

The package can run long. A buyer does not need to read every page in order. Start with the parts that answer the biggest questions:

1. The statement of assessments and fees. Confirm the current fee and whether anything is unpaid on the unit.
2. Approved changes not yet due. This is where a coming increase or special assessment shows up.
3. The budget report and disclosure summary. Look at the percent funded and the 30-year question.
4. The CC&Rs and rules. Check pets, renovations, parking and leasing against how you plan to live in the unit.
5. The balcony inspection report, if the building has wood-supported balconies or walkways.
6. Board minutes, if you asked for them. Minutes often show what the owners have been discussing before it reaches the budget.

Write your questions down as you go. We ask them of the association or the listing agent and get the answers in writing before your contingencies come off. If you are buying with a loan, share the insurance summary and the FHA or VA status with your lender early.

Rooster Homes™ is a Los Feliz, Los Angeles real estate brokerage owned by Brandon and Sarah Arlington (DRE #02051216) helping buyers and sellers of Los Feliz condos and townhomes. Every listing starts with a same-day kickoff: escrow, the HOA documents and the disclosures are moving within hours of signing. For a condo, that means the section 4525 request goes to the association on day one.

With the package in hand early, we can answer a buyer's questions about the fee, the reserves and the rules before they become a reason to wait. From day one on, we stay involved. You get a real, specific update after every showing and open house through closing. See selling your Los Feliz condo for the full plan.

Selling a condo that belonged to a parent? The same package applies, and the timing is planned around the court or trust steps. See selling an inherited condo.

Buying instead? We read this package with you before you remove contingencies. Start with buying a condo in Los Feliz.

To talk about your sale, send us a note or call (323) 201-2724. For advice on your own disclosure obligations, talk with a California real estate attorney. This article reflects the California Civil Code as read on the Legislature's website on September 23, 2026. Laws change, so confirm the current text before relying on it.