Do I have to tell buyers about an assessment that has not been voted on yet?

The standard contract asks whether an assessment is being considered, and board minutes that discuss one are part of the records a buyer can request, so yes: disclose it. Your attorney can advise on how to word it.

Can the buyer make me pay the whole assessment?

Only if you agree to it. Who pays is a negotiated contract term. Paying it off can make the unit easier to sell and finance, which is why many sellers choose to.

Will a pending assessment stop a buyer from getting a mortgage?

It can make it harder. Lenders review the association's budget, reserves, insurance and any structural reports. Consult a mortgage lender about your building before listing so you know which buyers can finance it.

Should I Sell My Florida Condo Before a Special Assessment?

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Published October 9, 2026

The Short Answer

You can sell before, during or after a special assessment, but you cannot sell around it: Florida requires the buyer to be told about assessments that have been approved or are being considered, and the contract decides who pays the instalments. Selling before the work is done usually means a lower price or paying the assessment at closing; selling after usually means a higher price in a building buyers trust again. Which is better depends on the size of the assessment against your equity and how long the work will take.

What Must Be Disclosed

Florida's condominium law requires a seller to give a buyer the association's governing documents, the most recent financial information and the questions-and-answers sheet, and the standard contract asks the seller to state whether any special assessment has been approved or is being considered. Since the 2024 changes, buyers are also entitled to the building's milestone inspection report and structural integrity reserve study where they exist. Hiding an assessment that is under discussion is how sales fall apart in due diligence. Your attorney confirms exactly what must be delivered for your building.

Who Pays the Assessment

Under the standard Florida contract, the seller pays assessments that are due before closing and the buyer pays those due after, unless the parties agree otherwise. Instalment assessments are commonly negotiated: a seller may pay the balance in full at closing to make the unit easier to sell, or the buyer may take over the payments in exchange for a lower price. The association's estoppel letter, ordered before closing, states what is owed.

How Buyers and Lenders React

A large pending assessment narrows the buyer pool. Cash buyers price it in; financed buyers may find their lender asking about the building's reserves, structural reports and litigation before approving the loan, and some buildings do not pass. A building that has finished its repairs and funded its reserves is easier to finance, which widens the pool again. Consult a mortgage lender about the building if you expect financed buyers.

Selling Before the Work

The case for it: you avoid years of construction, noise and uncertainty, and you stop paying instalments. The cost: buyers discount the unit for the assessment and for the disruption, and some will not consider a building mid-repair at all. If you sell now, decide whether paying the assessment off at closing or leaving it with the buyer produces the better net, and have the figures ready for the first showing.

Selling After the Work

A building with a new roof, repaired concrete, a passed milestone inspection and funded reserves is a building buyers and lenders can say yes to, and prices in the building usually recover once the scaffolding comes down. The cost is time: carrying the unit, paying the instalments and living through the work. If you can hold and the building is on track, waiting often returns more than the assessment cost.

Pricing a Unit With an Assessment

Price from the closed sales in your building and in buildings in the same condition, not from sales before the assessment was announced. A BreakThru agent pulls the building's recent closings and the comparable buildings nearby and shows you the net under each option: sell now and pay, sell now and pass the instalments to the buyer, or sell after the work.

Talk It Through With a Broker

Every sale is its own set of numbers. Request a free valuation built from the closed sales that match your home, or read the market figures for your county on BreakThru Realty Research.

Should I sell my condo before a special assessment: Questions

Should I sell my Florida condo before a special assessment?: You can sell before, during or after a special assessment, but you cannot sell around it: Florida requires the buyer to be told about assessments that have been approved or are being considered, and the contract decides who pays the instalments. Selling before the work is done usually means a lower price or paying the assessment at closing; selling after usually means a higher price in a building buyers trust again. Which is better depends on the size of the assessment against your equity and how long the work will take.
Do I have to tell buyers about an assessment that has not been voted on yet?: The standard contract asks whether an assessment is being considered, and board minutes that discuss one are part of the records a buyer can request, so yes: disclose it. Your attorney can advise on how to word it.
Can the buyer make me pay the whole assessment?: Only if you agree to it. Who pays is a negotiated contract term. Paying it off can make the unit easier to sell and finance, which is why many sellers choose to.
Will a pending assessment stop a buyer from getting a mortgage?: It can make it harder. Lenders review the association's budget, reserves, insurance and any structural reports. Consult a mortgage lender about your building before listing so you know which buyers can finance it.