Texas resale certificate fees, payment terms and delivery deadlines
Buying in Sienna: What an HOA Resale Certificate Costs and Who Pays
Updated October 2026
How much does an HOA resale certificate cost in Texas, and who pays for it?
In October 2026, preparing a Texas property owners' association resale certificate can cost up to $375, and the contract addendum decides whether buyer or seller pays it.
Yolanda Ames, Houston Properties Team, Sienna
Source: Texas State Law Library general information guide on property owners' associations, October 2026.
What can a Texas association charge for a resale certificate, and who pays?
The Texas Real Estate Research Center reports that the 2021 S.B. 1588 changes set a ceiling on resale certificate fees. Under that law, an association's fee must be reasonable and necessary and may not exceed $375 for assembling and delivering the information, the Texas Real Estate Research Center says.
The Texas State Law Library's general guide on associations says preparation of these records can cost up to $375. Condominium associations are governed by a separate law, Chapter 82 of the Texas Property Code.
Who pays depends on the contract. The Texas State Law Library's records guide notes that the buyer may have to pay a fee. The Texas Real Estate Research Center's legal Q&A points to paragraph 3 of the addendum, which allocates the cost of obtaining the information from the association.
Read paragraph 3 before you sign, and settle the fee there in writing.
This amendment established that fees for resale certificate information must be “reasonable and necessary” and cannot exceed $375 for assembly and delivery of the information or $75 for an updated resale certificate.
Which Sienna associations stand behind a resale certificate?
Sienna has two associations with offices in the community, the Sienna Residential Association and the Sienna Community Association. Their duties include keeping up common areas and enforcing deed restrictions.
The developer lists 2026 dues of $1,580 a year for homes in the non-gated neighborhoods. Gated sections may carry their own assessments, and townhome and duplex assessments vary.
The parks the levee district runs, Camp Sienna among them, belong to that district. It funds them through its tax and its rental fees.
Sienna Point, a separate acreage neighborhood near Sienna, has its own homeowners association, which owns the lakes and channels inside the neighborhood. A buyer there asks that association for its resale certificate, its current budget and the lot's deed restrictions.
When should a Sienna buyer read the certificate?
Ask for the certificate and the association's current budget during the option period, while backing out of the contract is still open to you. The section's deed restrictions belong in the same stack.
Deed restrictions govern fences, additions and other changes to a lot. Set them against any change you plan before the option period closes.
Compare the fees the certificate lists with the dues the developer publishes. In Sienna, association dues are separate from the property tax. The levee district's and the utility district's notices to purchasers carry the tax side, and Yolanda Ames sets those rates side by side for the homes a client is weighing.
Questions & answers
Sienna questions, answered
What does an HOA resale certificate in Texas show?
A Texas resale certificate summarizes the association's finances and the property's standing with it. The Texas State Law Library's general guide says it covers the association's financial status, fee structures and any unpaid debts owed by the property, among other information. The Library's records guide adds that it lists any unpaid debts owed by the property owner. For a Sienna buyer, that line shows whether the seller's account carries a balance.
The general guide's list ends with "among other information," so expect more on the form than those three items. Gated Sienna sections may carry their own assessments. Check which association and which fee schedule the certificate describes before you rely on its figures.
How long does a property owners' association in Texas have to deliver the resale certificate?
Ten business days from the request. The Texas Real Estate Research Center's legal Q&A says the association must deliver the subdivision information within 10 business days of the request. The Texas Real Estate Research Center also reports that a 2021 change cut the deadline after a second request from seven days to five days. On a Sienna purchase, count from the date of the request.
Ask the listing side when the request went in. The clock starts with the request, not with the date the contract was signed.
What if the resale certificate needs to be updated before closing?
An updated certificate has its own clock and its own fee ceiling. The Texas Real Estate Research Center's legal Q&A says an update must be requested within 180 days of the original certificate's issuance. It must then be provided within seven business days after the new request. The Texas Real Estate Research Center separately reports that the fee for an update may not exceed $75.
Track the 180 days from the issuance date on the original certificate. Track the seven business days from the new request.
Who usually orders the HOA resale certificate on a Texas sale?
Usually the seller's side. The Texas Real Estate Research Center's legal Q&A says the documents are usually requested by the seller or seller's agent from the association or its management company. They may be delivered with the Subdivision Information, Including Resale Certificate form, numbered 37-5. Who orders the certificate and who covers its cost are separate questions.
The Texas State Law Library's records guide says Texas law requires most associations to provide the governing documents and a resale certificate to a buyer who requests them. A buyer who wants the documents directly can ask under that rule, keeping in mind that it reaches most associations rather than every one.
Can a buyer choose not to receive the HOA documents in Texas?
Yes, on the Texas Real Estate Commission's addendum for property subject to mandatory membership in a property owners association. TREC's form page says the addendum allows the buyer to elect to receive or not to receive information concerning the details of an owner's association. The form is used where membership is required and tied to the property, and TREC marks it not for use with condominiums.
Electing not to receive the information leaves a buyer without the written summary of the association's finances, fee structures and any unpaid debts on the property, as the Texas State Law Library describes the certificate.
Can I read a Sienna association's deed restrictions online before I make an offer?
Possibly, depending on the association's size and how it is run. The Texas State Law Library's records guide sets the test: 60 or more lots, or operation by a management company. Where either applies, Texas law requires dedicatory instruments to be posted online for all members. The rule speaks of members, so a buyer may still need the seller or the association to share them.
Older Sienna filings may carry the former name, Sienna Plantation. Search under both names when you look for a section's instruments.
Is there a Texas agency that oversees HOAs if a resale certificate problem comes up?
No. The Texas State Law Library's general guide says there is no Texas state agency that oversees property owners' associations. The delivery rules are statutory, though. The Texas Real Estate Research Center reports that the judgment penalty for failing to deliver the information on time rose from $500 to $5,000 under the 2021 changes.
On a purchase, the contract addendum is where a buyer's remedies for late information sit. The Texas Real Estate Research Center's legal Q&A points to paragraph A, which specifies the time allowed for providing the information and the buyer's remedies. Read it before you sign.
