HOA Certification Letter
· Updated
Fill in the highlighted fields to create an HOA certification letter confirming that a plan or completed project meets the association's requirements. Click any field to type your details, then copy the letter.
[Date]
To: [Recipient Name], [Recipient Role, for example "city building department" or "lender"]
Re: HOA certification for [Property Address], owner [Owner Name]
[Association Name] certifies that:
- The owner submitted plans for [Project Description] dated [Plan Date].
- The [Review Body, for example "Architectural Review Committee"] reviewed them against [Standards Reference, for example "the declaration and design guidelines"] and approved them on [Approval Date], subject to these conditions: [Approval Conditions].
- [Completion Statement, for example "The completed work was inspected on X and conforms to the approved plans" or "No inspection of the completed work has been performed"].
This certification relates only to the association's private requirements. It is not an approval under any building code or law, and it does not replace permits required by the local authority.
[Certifier Name]
[Certifier Title], [Association Name]
[Date Signed]
What this letter does
A certification letter is written confirmation that the association approved a plan, or that completed work meets its standards. Owners sometimes need it for a building permit, a lender, a title company or a sale.
What to include
- The property, owner and project.
- The plans reviewed and the date.
- Who approved and on what basis.
- Conditions of the approval.
- Whether the finished work has been inspected.
- A statement that it covers association rules only.
Keep the scope narrow
An association is not a building inspector, so the letter should not certify structural safety or code compliance. Limiting it to the association's standards avoids creating liability.
Related letters
The decision itself is communicated by an approval letter, variance approval or denial. Owners start with an architectural request. Letters for specific projects, such as the HOA pool approval request, shed request and solar panel request, produce the approvals a certification letter later confirms.
Common questions
Who can sign a certification letter?
An officer or the committee chair authorized by the board.
Does it replace a permit?
No. The local authority still decides on building permits.
This page gives general information and sample wording. It is not legal advice, and requirements differ by state and by association.