Home & Money / Condos
For a Florida condo building with three habitable stories or more, ask for three separate answers: the milestone status, the latest structural integrity reserve study, and the current plan for funding the work.
The inspection addresses structural condition, while the reserve study addresses future repair money. The budget, assessments, loans, and board records then show how the association plans to pay. A clean-looking unit or one monthly dues figure cannot answer all three.
First pass
A date example. A building whose certificate of occupancy dates to 1997 reaches 30 years in 2027, so the statewide baseline points to December 31, 2027 for its first milestone inspection. The local office may have used the earlier 25-year path, which is why the address-level notice still matters.
Building
These statewide rules usually begin with a condo or co-op building that has three habitable stories or more. Count the whole building, not the floor where one unit sits. Smaller buildings and some one- to four-family dwellings are outside these rules.
Florida Statutes 718.112Milestone
Under the statewide baseline, the first milestone inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30, then every 10 years. A local agency may use age 25 when local conditions justify an earlier check. After the association receives its notice, it has 14 days to notify unit owners, and phase one is generally due within 180 days.
Florida Statutes 553.899SIRS
A Structural Integrity Reserve Study, usually called a SIRS, estimates the cost of major repairs and recommends a funding schedule. Most associations controlled by unit owners that existed by July 1, 2022, had to finish the study by December 31, 2025. When a milestone inspection is due by December 31, 2026, the association may complete both together, but that exception does not move the SIRS past December 31, 2026.
DBPR SIRS reportingBuyer file
For a nondeveloper resale, the seller pays to provide the buyer with the current declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, annual financial statement and budget, and Frequently Asked Questions and Answers document. The buyer is also entitled to the condominium governance form. When they apply, the file includes the milestone summary, the latest SIRS or a statement that none has been completed, and a turnover inspection report for an inspection performed on or after July 1, 2023. The core papers and building reports can start separate 7-day written cancellation clocks after the contract is signed, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. The rights end at closing.
Florida Statutes 718.503Easy trap
One is an inspection path tied to building safety. The other is a reserve study tied to money for future building work.
Easy trap
A condo can have monthly fees, reserve contributions, special assessments, and association borrowing. Read the SIRS beside the current budget and board decisions to see how the recommended work is actually being funded.
Easy trap
DBPR and state law give the broad frame. The local building department is often where milestone notices show up. That office also handles building-specific timing.
Building file
Before you focus on paint, view, or furniture, look at the building itself. Start with its age and habitable-story count, then gather the milestone summary and latest SIRS. Read that funding schedule beside the current budget, meeting minutes, insurance record, and pending special assessments. When the file shows a running contract clock, a major repair, or a large unfunded amount, bring in the right Florida lawyer, engineer, insurance professional, or financial adviser while there is still time to act.
Condo records FAQ
No. A milestone inspection checks the building's structural condition through the local enforcement agency. A SIRS estimates future repair and replacement costs and recommends how the association should fund them. The reports may inform each other, but they answer different questions.
The statute uses three habitable stories or more, as set by the Florida Building Code. Check the whole building, not the unit's floor number. The cited rules also exclude smaller buildings and some one- to four-family dwellings.
A building whose certificate of occupancy dates to 1997 reaches 30 years in 2027, so the statewide baseline points to December 31, 2027. The local enforcement agency may use a 25-year trigger because of local conditions, accept a qualifying earlier inspection, or approve an initial extension for good cause, so confirm the address-level record.
No. The study describes needs and a recommended funding schedule. The association may still need higher regular assessments, a special assessment, a loan, or a line of credit. Read the current study, any update, the adopted budget, and the board decision that selected the funding method.
For a nondeveloper resale, section 718.503 says the seller pays to provide the buyer with the current declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, annual financial statement and budget, and Frequently Asked Questions and Answers document. The buyer is also entitled to the condominium governance form. When they apply, the file includes the milestone summary, the latest SIRS or a statement that none has been completed, and a turnover inspection report for an inspection performed on or after July 1, 2023. The core papers and building reports can start separate 7-day written cancellation clocks, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. The rights end at closing.
Related home checks
A condo question often leads to one of these nearby records.
Separate association charges, district assessments, and closing balances.
Open the fee guidePut the condo file beside title, inspection, insurance, and closing checks.
Open the buying guideBuild one review list for ownership, permits, insurance, taxes, and association papers.
Open the checklistCompare policy form, deductibles, roof details, and mitigation records.
Open the insurance guideOfficial checks
Florida law and DBPR provide the statewide inspection, reserve-study, funding, and resale-document lanes. The association records and local enforcement agency settle the current answer for one building.
Last reviewed: July 22, 2026
Use this carefully: Milestone status, repair orders, budgets, assessments, loans, insurance, and contract dates can change. Match the exact building and current document date before relying on a conclusion.
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