Relying on memory
Use the adopted documents and current records rather than a prior board’s recollection.
What is the association responsible for?
The association supports a sale through its records, financial certifications, and any approval rights established in its governing documents. It should respond accurately, track deadlines, and use a consistent process.
The sale contract and transfer of title involve the seller, buyer, and their professionals. The board’s task is to carry out the association’s role within its authority.
Who does what?
| Participant | Typical role |
|---|---|
| Seller and seller’s representatives | Arrange the sale and required seller disclosures; submit transaction materials and coordinate required approvals. |
| Buyer and buyer’s advisers | Review documents and costs, complete applications, investigate the property, and arrange financing. |
| Association board | Apply authorized procedures, oversee accurate responses, and make association decisions through the proper process. |
| Property manager or authorized agent | Coordinate requests, prepare records or certifications within assigned authority, and track completion. |
| UCO | Provide the investigation and related administrative services applicable to Century Village’s current arrangements. |
| Closing agent and counsel | Address title, documents, funds, and legal issues within their respective engagements. |
1. Help make current documents available
For a nondeveloper resale, § 718.503 places disclosure duties on the selling owner. The statutory package includes current governing documents, financial statement and budget, FAQ and governance materials, and specified inspection and reserve-study information where applicable. [1]
Maintain an organized, current document set and a reliable way for sellers or authorized representatives to obtain it. Include amendments and applicable reports; identify missing material rather than substituting an outdated copy.
Seller disclosure and association assistance are separate responsibilities.
The association can help provide its records. Seller and buyer advisers should determine the required disclosures, contractual rights, and applicable delivery deadlines.
2. Issue an accurate estoppel certificate
Section 718.116(8) requires the association to issue an estoppel certificate within 10 business days of a qualifying written or electronic request. It identifies assessments and other required information, including approval and right-of-first-refusal status. An authorized representative may prepare it. [2]
Reconcile the account and verify the required statements before issuing it. Coordinate with the collection attorney where an account has been referred.
The certificate has statutory effective periods and reliance consequences: the association can lose the ability to collect omitted amounts from protected good-faith parties. Use the statutory amendment procedure if an error is discovered before a completed transaction. Fees require authority and are subject to statutory limits and adjustments. [2]
Documents with different purposes
- Estoppel: Certifies specified financial and other association information.
- Approval or waiver: Records the association’s action where its documents require it.
- Certificate of Approval (COA): UCO’s term for approval documentation in its community process; coordinate the actual document needed with UCO and the closing agent.
- Deed: Transfers title through the closing process.
Issuing one does not complete the work served by the others.
3. Process screening and approval within your authority
Check the declaration and amendments for approval rights, criteria, notice requirements, and decision deadlines. A customary application process does not itself establish authority to deny a purchase.
Use lawful, consistent standards and an appropriately authorized decision process. Verify disputed information and obtain legal advice before a consequential denial or accommodation decision.
UCO’s part in Century Village
UCO’s current forms page requires applications to pass through the condominium association for board signatures before UCO accepts them. Realtors are directed to the relevant association board. [3]
Use the current purchaser/deed-transferee/trustee-successor packet and confirm submission instructions. [4]
Screening purpose and process →The board’s part
Confirm what the association must decide, provide complete information to the investigator, and communicate its authorized action. Keep investigation processing distinct from final approval.
Coordinate any required Certificate of Approval (COA) with UCO and the closing agent. Use the linked application-to-access process and tracking checklist; WPRF ID and access arrangements are separate steps.
Related screening checks: use the Buyer Screening guide, Fair Housing Act overview, and 55+ 80/20 explanation. An applicant’s age, investigation results, ownership, and occupancy eligibility are separate questions.
4. Address a right of first refusal, if one exists
A right of first refusal can give its holder an opportunity to purchase on specified terms before a proposed transfer proceeds. It is different from a general screening or approval provision.
Have counsel identify the holder, triggering transaction, notice, response period, and consequences in the actual documents. Do not assume the association itself holds the right, or that every Century Village association has the same provision.
Arrange the required exercise, waiver, or confirmation with the closing agent. An informal “we do not object” may not be the document needed for closing.
5. Coordinate reliable information for closing and financing
Designate a contact for lender questionnaires and closing requests. Verify answers against current records, including budgets, reserves, insurance, litigation, inspections, and pending work when requested and appropriate.
Avoid promising that financing will be approved or that no future assessment will occur. A lender determines its lending eligibility; the association supplies information within its knowledge and authority.
Refer unclear questions, certification language, privacy concerns, or conflicting requests to counsel. Keep copies of responses and identify who authorized them.
6. Complete the ownership handoff
Obtain reliable confirmation of the recorded transfer and update the ownership roster, mailing information, payment instructions, and other relevant records. Do not change the owner solely because an application or proposed closing date was received.
Reconcile closing payments, coordinate any required lien satisfaction with counsel, and give the new owner current rules, reporting contacts, and welcome information. Section 718.116 addresses successor liability for unpaid assessments, with exceptions and special circumstances. [2]
Explain the separate UCO and WPRF processes for access and resident credentials. Confirm their current requirements rather than treating closing as automatic completion of every community step. Keep the owner roster, resident information, emergency contacts, and age-verification records distinct; a new owner is not necessarily the person occupying the unit.
A practical sale checklist
- Log requests, contacts, and relevant deadlines.
- Confirm the association’s actual transfer and approval provisions.
- Make current records available through an appropriate process.
- Track the estoppel request separately and verify its contents.
- Coordinate the correct UCO application and investigation.
- Resolve legal questions about approval, denial, fees, or first refusal.
- Deliver authorized approval or waiver documentation as required.
- Retain responses and closing-related records securely.
- Confirm title transfer, reconcile payments, and update records.
- Welcome the new owner and explain contacts and next steps.
Common mistakes to avoid
Mixing approvals and accounting
Track each requirement separately so a completed investigation is not mistaken for a completed closing file.
Inventing extra requirements
Verify legal authority before imposing a fee, new criterion, or transaction condition.
Keep one transaction file, with separate tracks
Board Synergy recommended practice
Assign a coordinator and backup. Track the actual document, request date, applicable deadline and its source, responsible person, status, and completion evidence. A proposed closing date does not replace a statutory or governing-document deadline.
| Track | Confirm before marking complete |
|---|---|
| Records and resale materials | Current versions supplied through the appropriate process; missing items identified. Seller and buyer advisers confirm disclosure obligations. |
| Estoppel | Qualifying request logged, figures and statements checked, authorized certificate delivered, and any correction coordinated appropriately. |
| Investigation and association action | Current packet and submission route followed; association authority and decision process checked; investigation kept distinct from the approval decision. |
| Approval, COA, and first refusal | Required documents identified with the closing agent; authorized action and any required waiver or exercise documented. |
| Closing and handoff | Reliable title-transfer confirmation received; payments reconciled; records updated; new-owner contacts and separate community steps explained. |
When something changes: identify affected documents if the purchaser, ownership structure, occupants, closing date, or transaction terms change. Ask the authorized preparer, closing professional, or counsel whether an update or renewed review is needed. Do not assume an earlier response still fits the revised transaction.
Use the decision/action log and deadline register. Keep applicant information, account data, and privileged advice in controlled records; give each participant only the information appropriate to their role.
Official sources & scope
- Florida Statutes § 718.503 — seller disclosures.
- Florida Statutes § 718.116 — estoppel certificates and assessment liability.
- UCO Forms & Resources — application routing and current services.
- UCO purchaser / transfer application packet — June 24, 2025 revision.
Resource and styling update: October 16, 2026. Official UCO forms and statutory source pages consulted; original review October 3, 2026. Obtain the current application from UCO’s forms page rather than assuming the linked dated packet is the latest revision. General education focused on ordinary resales; developer sales, estate transfers, foreclosures, and other transactions may raise different requirements. Consult association counsel and the parties’ closing professionals about the particular documents and transaction.