Buyer's guides / Condos
Buying a Florida condo after the milestone-inspection laws
Florida rewrote its condominium safety rules after the 2021 Surfside collapse, and kept revising them, most recently in 2025. For buyers, the result is more information than ever about the building, and a real chance of large assessments. Here's what to ask for and how to read it.
Milestone inspections
Condo and cooperative buildings with three or more habitable stories need a milestone inspection by a licensed engineer or architect once the building is 30 years old, and every 10 years after that. Local officials can require it earlier for buildings near the coast. Phase one is a visual inspection of the structure. If it finds signs of significant structural deterioration, a more detailed phase two follows, with recommended repairs.
Ask for: the most recent milestone inspection report or its summary, whether a phase two was required, and the status of any repairs it called for.
Structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS)
The same buildings need a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years. It covers the roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows and exterior doors, and estimates when each will need replacing and how much the association must set aside. The law now limits how often associations can skip or underfund those reserves. Changes in 2025 (House Bill 913) added some flexibility, such as allowing associations to use a line of credit or loan to fund required repairs and giving them more time to deliver financial statements.
Ask for: the SIRS, the current budget, the reserve balance compared with what the study recommends, and the most recent annual financial statement.
Special assessments: the number that can change everything
If the reserves are short of what the study requires, or the milestone inspection found repairs, owners pay the difference. That can mean a special assessment of tens of thousands of dollars per unit, or a sharp rise in monthly dues.
Ask the seller and the association:
- Is any special assessment approved, and how much is still unpaid on this unit?
- Is one being discussed? Read the last 12 months of board minutes; associations of 25 or more units must post official records online.
- Has the association borrowed money, and how is the loan repaid?
- Who pays an assessment approved before closing but due after: you or the seller? Put the answer in the contract.
The documents and your review period
Florida resale condo contracts give buyers a short period to review the association's governing documents and disclosures after receiving them, and to cancel if they don't like what they find. The disclosures now include the milestone inspection and SIRS status. Check the exact number of days in your contract, and don't let it run out while you wait for paperwork.
Insurance: the building's and yours
The association insures the building structure; you insure your unit's interior, your belongings and your liability (an HO-6 policy). Ask what the master policy covers, its deductible, and whether owners are charged for the deductible after a loss. Flood is usually separate for both the building and the unit.
Lending and resale
Some lenders won't finance units in buildings with unfinished structural repairs, low reserves, big pending lawsuits or too many units owned by one investor. Ask your lender early whether the building is eligible. A building that's hard to finance is harder to resell.
Check the unit, not just the building
Every condo unit has its own parcel number, sale history and tax bill, and can have its own liens. Make sure the unit number on your contract matches the parcel you're researching.
Condo laws change often. This is general information, not legal advice; check the current rules with a Florida real estate attorney or the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes.