What if I wasn't given the HOA disclosure summary before I signed?
Use the free tool — HOA Docs Decoder
What the disclosure summary is supposed to do
Florida law requires that a buyer of a home in a homeowners' association be given a disclosure summary. It is meant to tell you, before you sign, that you are buying into a community governed by covenants and an association that can charge assessments and enforce rules. If nobody handed you that summary, Florida gives you a short window to walk away from the contract.
The 3-day right to cancel
Under Fla. Stat. 720.401, if the disclosure summary was not provided to you before you signed the contract, you get 3 days to void the contract. The clock is counted from whichever comes first:
- the date you actually received the disclosure summary, or
- before closing.
Florida is explicit that any attempt by the seller or the contract to make you waive this right has no effect. But the right does not last forever — it terminates at closing. Once you close, this window is gone, whether or not you ever saw the summary.
What this right is not
- It is not a right to cancel for any reason, at any time — it applies specifically to the missing disclosure summary situation described above.
- It does not apply if you are buying a condominium. Under Fla. Stat. 720.401(2), section 720.401 does not cover associations under Chapter 718 (condominiums), Chapter 719 (cooperatives), Chapter 721 (timeshares), or Chapter 723 (mobile home parks). A condo buyer's disclosure and cancellation rights come from a different statute, Chapter 718. If that is your situation, do not rely on this page — talk to a Florida community association attorney about your Chapter 718 rights instead.
- It is not the tool to use if you already own the home and received a violation notice or a fine from the association. That is a different situation — use the HOA violation responder for that instead.
What the HOA can charge and enforce after you close
Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes is the law that governs homeowners' associations, including what an association may charge and enforce once you close. But the statute itself does not tell you your community's actual assessment amount, its rental restrictions, or its pet rules — those come from your own community's declaration and bylaws. If you were given covenants along with the disclosure summary, read them, or paste them into a tool that can point out the obligations in that specific document.
What to do next
Paste the disclosure summary, or the covenants, into the free tool. It reads your own document and points out the obligations, the money, and your deadline in plain English — nothing invented, only what is in your paperwork. This explanation is general information, not legal advice. For anything contested, or to confirm your specific deadline and situation, talk to a Florida community association attorney.
HOA Docs Decoder reads what you type and explains Florida Chapter 720 in plain language. It can be wrong, it is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading your community's own declaration and bylaws, and it does not apply to condominiums, cooperatives, timeshares or mobile home parks, which have their own statutes. For anything contested, talk to a Florida community association attorney.