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What are HOA fees on a Loan Estimate?
Updated November 2026 · Every dollar figure is an illustrative example, not a quoteHOA fees on a Loan Estimate are one-time charges from a homeowners' or condo association at closing: a transfer or set-up fee, a capital contribution to the association's reserves, and sometimes a fee for the association's status letter, together commonly a few hundred dollars and sometimes more. They appear in Section H when the lender knows about them; the regular monthly dues are on page 1, not here.
Where it is on the form
Page 2, Section H, Other, as HOA Transfer Fee, HOA Capital Contribution, HOA Dues (prorated) or similar lines. The monthly dues themselves are on page 1 in Projected Payments, inside Estimated Taxes, Insurance & Assessments, with a note that they are not in escrow.
Transfer and estoppel or status-letter fees are set by the association or its management company and vary a lot. Capital contributions, a one-time payment into reserves, are common in newer communities and can be a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Prorated dues for the rest of the month are small.
Why they matter beyond closing: the association's monthly dues are part of what the lender counts as your housing payment when it decides how much you can borrow, and they are the line on page 1 the lender cannot escrow for you. A special assessment the association has already voted, for a new roof or a repaving, can be a large one-time bill in your first year; the status letter should disclose it, and the contract should say who pays it.
On a condominium the lender also reviews the association itself: its reserves, its insurance, how many units are rented, any litigation. That review can add a questionnaire fee to Section H as well, often $100 to $300, paid to the management company.
Can you shop for it?
No. The association sets the fees, and the purchase contract decides whether the buyer or seller pays each one. Reading the association's documents and fee schedule early is the only real lever, along with asking the seller to cover the transfer fee in the contract.
Can it change between the Loan Estimate and closing?
No tolerance limit. These are charges the lender does not require, so they are outside the tolerance rules. The lender may not even know about them until the title company gets the association's status letter, which is why they often appear first on the Closing Disclosure.
Questions to ask the lender
- Which HOA charges at closing are mine under the contract, and which are the seller's?
- Has the association voted any special assessment, and who pays it?
- Is there a condo questionnaire fee, and is it on this estimate?
Red flags
- HOA transfer fees that appear for the first time on the Closing Disclosure, with no earlier mention.
- A pending special assessment not disclosed in the association's status letter.
- Monthly dues missing from page 1's Projected Payments on a home that has an association.
Questions people ask
Are HOA dues included in the mortgage payment?
No. The lender counts them in your total housing cost and shows them on page 1 under Estimated Taxes, Insurance & Assessments, but it does not collect them through escrow. You pay the association directly.
What is an HOA capital contribution?
A one-time payment into the association's reserve fund, charged to the buyer at closing in many newer communities. It is often one to three months of dues. It is not refundable and is separate from your regular dues.
Can the seller pay the HOA transfer fee?
If the purchase contract says so. Who pays which association fee at closing is a matter of local custom and negotiation between buyer and seller, not a rule.
Only have one quote? That's the problem.
Tell us the rate and the fees you were quoted. It is free, there is no credit pull, and nobody calls you. We check whether another lender beats it, fees included. Or start with the free Loan Estimate checker, which reads your rate, points and Section A and flags anything out of the ordinary.
Check my quoteEvery dollar figure on this page is illustrative. Fee ranges are general observations, not a survey or a quote, and are not a loan offer, approval, commitment to lend, or Loan Estimate. Your actual rates and fees depend on qualification with lenders, your state and county, and your closing date. The tolerance rules described are the federal TRID rules in general terms; the rule itself and your own Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure decide how it applies to your loan. comparemyloan does not negotiate with lenders, lock rates, or take loan applications.