Florida Condo Questionnaire Explained for Mortgage Buyers

A condo questionnaire is not busywork. It is one of the main ways a mortgage lender learns whether the condominium project creates risks that are not visible inside the unit.

Your income, credit, and down payment can be solid while the project review is still incomplete. The lender may need current answers about ownership, assessments, delinquent dues, insurance, litigation, repairs, reserves, and how the property is used.

For an Orlando or Florida condo buyer, the practical move is simple: start the questionnaire and supporting document request early. Waiting until the appraisal is back can burn valuable contract time.

What Is a Condo Questionnaire?

A condo questionnaire is a project-level information request, usually completed by the condominium association, management company, or an authorized document vendor. The lender uses it with other records to review the project under the applicable loan program and lender rules.

There is not one universal questionnaire for every mortgage. Freddie Mac publishes an optional full condominium project questionnaire, and lenders may use agency forms, lender forms, vendor forms, or additional questions. The required review can also differ by loan type, occupancy, transaction, unit, project status, and lender overlay.

The questionnaire is evidence, not an approval certificate. A complete form can still reveal a problem, and a short answer may trigger a request for source documents.

What the Lender Is Trying to Confirm

Project identity and legal structure

The lender needs the exact legal project name, address, phase, number of units, completion status, and association information. A marketing name or master community name may not identify the legal condominium tied to the unit.

Ownership and use of the units

The questionnaire may ask how many units are owner occupied, second homes, investor owned, rented, vacant, commercial, or controlled by one owner. Those facts can affect which project review applies and whether the project fits the selected program.

Association finances

Expect questions about the annual budget, reserves, regular dues, delinquent assessments, special assessments, and other financial obligations. Fannie Mae's current Full Review requirements include limits on serious assessment delinquency and require lenders to review whether the association budget adequately funds applicable expenses and reserves.

Repairs and building condition

The lender may ask about deferred maintenance, structural or mechanical problems, inspections, evacuation orders, unsafe conditions, and current or planned repairs. A vague answer can lead to requests for engineering reports, inspection records, permits, contracts, or proof that work is complete.

Litigation

Pending lawsuits do not all create the same mortgage risk. The lender needs enough detail to understand the parties, allegations, insurance involvement, claimed damages, project exposure, and current status. The questionnaire answer alone may not be enough, so legal pleadings, attorney letters, or insurance correspondence may be requested.

Insurance

The questionnaire may identify the association's insurer and policy basics, but insurance review usually needs the actual policy documents. Coverage type, limits, deductibles, exclusions, replacement-cost treatment, flood exposure, and fidelity or crime coverage may require separate evidence and specialist review.

The Questionnaire Is Only Part of the Condo Package

Buyers sometimes hear that the questionnaire was ordered and assume the project review is handled. That is premature. Depending on the facts and loan program, the lender may also request:

The current association budget and recent financial statements.
Declarations, bylaws, amendments, and project legal documents.
Recent board and owner meeting minutes.
The master insurance policy, endorsements, and evidence of coverage.
Reserve studies, structural integrity reserve studies, or milestone inspection records.
Special assessment notices, payment schedules, and repair budgets.
Engineering, structural, roof, balcony, elevator, seawall, or parking reports.
Litigation documents and attorney or insurer explanations.
Commercial-space, ownership, rental, or unit-sales data.
Evidence that required repairs are complete.

The exact list can change after the lender reads the first documents. One answer often creates the next question.

Who Completes It, Who Pays, and How Long It Takes

The association, management company, or its document vendor usually controls completion. A buyer, seller, agent, or loan officer should not guess at answers on the association's behalf.

Many associations or vendors charge a fee, offer standard and rush service, and set their own turnaround. The amount and timing are not controlled by the loan officer. Before writing an offer, ask who orders the package, who pays, what the normal response time is, and whether rush delivery is actually available.

A fast questionnaire does not guarantee a fast condo approval. Missing attachments, conflicting answers, or a newly disclosed project issue can extend the review.

Answers That Commonly Trigger Follow-Up

A special assessment is proposed, approved, collecting, or tied to major repairs.
The association reports structural, water, roof, balcony, electrical, elevator, fire-safety, or parking problems.
An inspection, engineering report, or reserve study recommends work that is not complete.
The project has an evacuation order, unsafe-building notice, or code issue.
Association dues or special assessments are seriously delinquent.
The association is involved in litigation or cannot describe the claim clearly.
The master insurance coverage, deductible, or replacement-cost evidence is unclear.
One investor owns many units, or the ownership and occupancy counts conflict.
Short-term rentals, hotel-style services, mandatory rental programs, or commercial activity exist.
The questionnaire is unsigned, undated, incomplete, or inconsistent with the budget and meeting minutes.

These are investigation triggers, not automatic conclusions. The lender must apply the current program, project-review method, documentation, and any lender overlays.

What Buyers Can Do Before Making an Offer

Tell the loan officer the property is a condo, not just an attached home.
Send the full address, unit number, legal project name, phase, and listing before the offer when possible.
Ask whether the lender or a third-party vendor orders the questionnaire.
Confirm the fee, payer, standard turnaround, and rush option.
Ask the seller for recent budgets, meeting minutes, assessments, insurance information, inspection reports, and repair notices.
Keep financing and condo-document protections that fit the transaction risk.
Build enough contract time for follow-up documents, not only the initial form.
Do not rely on an old questionnaire from another buyer or a listing remark that says financing is available.

What Sellers and Listing Agents Can Prepare

A seller cannot answer for the association, but a clean document path helps. Identify the management contact, ordering portal, fee schedule, legal project name, phase, and normal turnaround before the listing goes under contract.

If a special assessment, repair project, insurance change, inspection, or lawsuit exists, gather the actual documents. A generic statement that everything is handled will not satisfy underwriting.

Never promise that a project is warrantable or approved based on a prior closing. Project facts, agency guidance, lender requirements, and documents can change.

How the Questionnaire Fits Different Loan Programs

Conventional, FHA, VA, and other mortgage programs do not use identical project-review paths. Even within conventional financing, the lender may use a full review, another permitted review method, or an agency project-status tool when applicable.

Freddie Mac's official condo resource directs lenders to determine which project review applies and notes that its full questionnaire is optional. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide separately lays out project eligibility and Full Review requirements. That is why borrowers should not download one form and assume they have completed underwriting.

For related project issues, read the Florida condo financing red flags guide, the condo special assessment guide, and the VA-approved condo search guide.

Questions to Ask the Loan Officer

Which loan program and condo review method are you using?
Who orders the questionnaire and supporting documents?
Has the association accepted the order and given a delivery date?
Which attachments are still missing?
Did any answer trigger a repair, insurance, litigation, reserve, delinquency, or ownership review?
Is the project status confirmed, conditional, incomplete, or ineligible under the current review?
Does the lender have overlays beyond the agency requirements?
What contract deadline is at risk if the association responds late?

The Bottom Line

The condo questionnaire is where the project starts talking. If the answers are complete and supported, the lender can move through the right review. If the answers are late, vague, or inconsistent, the loan can stall even when the borrower is qualified.

Order early, request the supporting documents, and leave room for follow-up. The goal is not to make the form say yes. The goal is to give underwriting accurate current facts before contract deadlines get ugly.

This article is general mortgage education, not legal, tax, engineering, insurance, association, or financial advice. Condo rules, agency guidance, lender overlays, project facts, and document requirements can change. Approval and eligibility require review of the complete borrower file, unit, project, and current documentation.

Sources

Fannie Mae Selling Guide, Full Review Process, official agency guide page effective August 5, 2026, accessed September 6, 2026.
Freddie Mac Condominium Unit Mortgages, official resource covering project reviews and the optional full condominium project questionnaire, accessed September 6, 2026.