The Milestone Inspection Condo Buyer Guide

If you're buying a Florida condo unit in a building three stories or higher, the Milestone Inspection report is one of the few documents that can definitively change the math on your purchase. Here's how to read it.

What a Milestone Inspection is

A Milestone Inspection is a structural inspection required for Florida condominium buildings three stories or higher, at 30 years of age (25 years within three miles of the coast) and every 10 years thereafter.

It comes in two phases:

• Phase I is a visual inspection by a licensed engineer or architect. If no substantial structural deterioration is identified, the building's obligation is satisfied until the next milestone.
• Phase II is required when Phase I identifies substantial structural deterioration. It involves invasive testing — opening walls, sampling concrete, evaluating reinforcement — and produces a more detailed repair scope.

What to read for

When CondoSignal reviews a Milestone Inspection package, we look for:

1. Completion date of Phase I. Was it on schedule, late, or pending?
2. Phase I conclusion — did the engineer find substantial structural deterioration?
3. Phase II status — if required, has it started? Has a repair scope been published?
4. Repair cost estimate, if disclosed.
5. Funding plan — has the association approved a special assessment, drawn down reserves, or proposed a financing structure?

How the assessment math usually works

A Phase II repair scope produces a cost estimate. That cost minus available reserves equals the gap. The gap is closed via some combination of:

• A special assessment (most common; often paid over 1–5 years).
• An association loan (financing the gap and recovering through dues).
• Drawing down reserves (only viable if reserves are large enough and statutorily allowed).

The size of the assessment-per-unit depends on the building's unit count and the ownership-percentage allocation in the declaration. We surface the per-unit estimate when the documents allow.

Pitfalls to watch for

• Phase II in progress but no cost estimate yet. This is uncertainty, not safety — the assessment is coming, you just don't know how big.
• Repair scope identified but no funding plan approved. The board is still deliberating, which usually means a vote within months.
• Phase I deferred or contested. Less common, but a yellow flag worth raising with your attorney.

Questions to ask

• "Has Phase I been completed? May we see the report?"
• "If Phase II is required, what is the current status and timeline?"
• "Has the board approved any structural repair special assessments? When?"
• "What is the current reserve balance specifically allocated to structural items?"

Why this isn't legal advice

CondoSignal surfaces what the documents disclose. A real estate attorney with Florida condo experience is the right person to advise on the legal implications, the contractual options, and any contingencies in your purchase agreement.