The condo written certification: what it says, who gets it, and when.
By Carlos Castellano · Current as of July 6, 2026
Condo board compliance involves two documents with confusingly similar names. The educational certificate proves you completed the required course. The written certification is a separate signed statement, and it is the one new directors most often miss. Here is what it says, who receives it, and how it fits with the course.
Just need the form? Download our free written certification form: the three statutory affirmations, a signature block, and a receipt section for the secretary. Print it, sign it, hand it in. No email required. Download the form (PDF).
How to read this article
BoardComply provides education and compliance tools, not legal advice. This article explains Florida law as we read it, with citations to the statutes. Where the law is unsettled we say so, and where regulators clarify a point we will update this article and note the change. For advice about your association’s specific situation, talk to a Florida community association attorney.
What the written certification is
Under Section 718.112(2)(d)5.b., Florida Statutes, each newly elected or appointed condo director must certify in writing three things: that they have read the association’s declaration, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and current written policies; that they will work to uphold those documents and policies to the best of their ability; and that they will faithfully discharge their fiduciary responsibility to the association’s members.
It is a short document. Its power is in the signature: you are putting your name to having actually read the governing documents you are about to enforce.
Who gets it, and when
The statute names the recipient: the secretary of the association. The written certification is submitted together with the educational certificate, within the same window, up to one year before election or appointment or 90 days after. It belongs in the association’s official records, where Section 718.112(2)(d)5.b. keeps it for 7 years after the director’s election or the duration of their uninterrupted service, whichever is longer.
It does not replace the course
Under the older law, signing the written statement could stand in for the course. That ended with HB 1021 in 2024. Today both components are mandatory: the written certification and a certificate for the 4-hour approved course. Signing the form alone certifies nothing. The full two-part requirement is walked through in condo board certification after the 2024 and 2025 laws.
HOA directors: this form is not yours
HOAs used to have their own version of the sign-a-statement option. HB 1203 removed it in 2024, and nothing replaced it: an HOA director satisfies the requirement with the educational certificate alone. If someone hands an HOA director a written certification form, they are working from the old law.
How long it lasts
The written certification and the educational certificate share one validity: 7 years from issuance, as long as the director serves without interruption. There is no separate renewal clock for the form. When the pair expires, or when a gap in service breaks the continuity, both are resubmitted together.
What a proper form contains
There is no single state-issued form, so associations use their own. A complete one carries the director’s full name, the association’s name, the three statutory affirmations quoted above, and a dated signature. The secretary files it with the educational certificate so the two documents that expire together stay together. Our free downloadable form at the top of this article contains all of it.
The written certification is separate from the course, and your secretary needs both on file. BoardComply sends them your course certificate as soon as you finish, so that half is handled the same day. Start the condo training.