What the certificate is
The name comes from Chapter 183A, section 6(d). After a written request, the association must provide, within ten business days, a statement of the amount of unpaid common expenses and any other sums assessed against the unit, including any amount it claims has priority over a mortgage. It may charge a reasonable fee, though not to a mortgagee in a foreclosure that has given the required notice.
Once recorded at the registry of deeds, the statement discharges the unit from any lien for other sums then unpaid, and it binds the association and every unit owner. That is why closing attorneys insist on it: it fixes what the seller owes.
What it leaves out
Section 6 says nothing about reserves. A certificate can show a clean unit in an association whose reserve would not cover one roof. It also says nothing about special assessments that a board is discussing but has not yet voted.
Where buyers see reserves
- The budget and financial statements. Buyers and their attorneys often ask for the current budget, the latest year-end figures and the reserve balance.
- The lender's questionnaire. Lenders ask what share of the budget goes to reserves and whether special assessments are planned. Fannie Mae's 10 percent test and its reserve study exception are explained on our lender page.
- Minutes and the reserve study itself. A buyer who reads the minutes will find any discussion of failing roofs or decks. A current study shows those items have a date and a plan.
What a board should have ready
A one-page summary from the latest reserve study, the approved budget with its reserve line, the most recent reserve balance from the manager's report, and a plain statement of any special assessment voted or proposed. With those to hand, sale questionnaires stop being a scramble and buyers see a board that plans ahead.
General information on the statute as published on November 6, 2026, not legal advice. The association's attorney or the closing attorney can confirm what applies to a particular sale.