Florida document review

Florida condo & HOA document review

Florida is the most heavily regulated condominium market in the country, and its documents carry more material risk than buyers in almost any other state realize. The June 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside triggered a cascade of structural-safety and financial-accountability laws — SB 4-D (2022), SB 154 (2023), and HB 1021 (2024) — that together mandate milestone structural inspections, a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS), and full, largely non-waivable funding of reserves for structural components.

Why Florida is different

Florida governs condominiums under its own statute, the Florida Condominium Act (Fla. Stat. Ch. 718), rather than a uniform act, so the law frequently overrides what a community's own declaration says: SIRS reserves cannot be waived, estoppel fees are capped, and milestone inspections are mandatory regardless of building age. At the same time, Florida is living through a historic property-insurance crisis — average condo association master-policy premiums roughly doubled between 2022 and 2024, Citizens Property Insurance (the state-backed insurer of last resort) swelled past 1.4 million policies before depopulating, and new 2025 rules bar non-compliant buildings from Citizens coverage entirely. The result is a once-in-a-generation collision of structural liability, mandatory reserve catch-up, insurance shock, and special-assessment exposure that is actively depressing condo values. For a buyer, this means a Florida condo review is not a paperwork formality; it is the single most important hour of due diligence between offer and closing. The three killer questions — has the building completed its milestone inspection, is its SIRS on file and funded, and what does the master policy's wind deductible expose owners to — determine whether you are inheriting a sound asset or a pending six-figure assessment. CondoSignal reads the milestone report, the SIRS, the budget and reserve schedule, the master-policy declarations, and the meeting minutes together, against the Chapter 718 baseline, so structural, reserve, insurance, and assessment risk are visible before your seven-day cancellation window closes.

Free personalized check

See which condo risks deserve your attention

Answer a few questions based on your state and situation. No documents required.

Private by default. Save only when you choose.

Based on CondoSignal's review of Florida condo-document risk patterns. This page reflects our analysis of Florida's disclosure requirements and the issues we most often flag in Florida document packages — not generic HOA advice.

Milestone inspections and the Surfside structural regime

Under the post-Surfside law (Fla. Stat. § 553.899; SB 4-D 2022, refined by SB 154 2023), condominium and cooperative buildings three or more habitable stories tall must complete a milestone structural inspection — at 30 years of age, or 25 years for buildings within three miles of the coast — and every 10 years thereafter. A licensed engineer or architect performs a Phase 1 visual review; if substantial structural deterioration is found, an invasive Phase 2 follows. A building past its trigger with no completed milestone inspection, an open Phase 2, or identified-but-unfunded repairs is the single largest driver of special assessments in Florida. Confirm the inspection date, the findings, and the repair funding plan.

SIRS and mandatory, non-waivable structural reserves

Florida now requires a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) for those same 3+ story buildings, covering roof, load-bearing walls, foundation, floor, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows, and exterior doors. The decisive change under Fla. Stat. § 718.112: for budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, associations must fully fund reserves for SIRS structural components and may no longer waive or reduce that funding by owner vote — a sharp break from the old Florida rule that allowed annual reserve waivers. A 3+ story condo with no SIRS, a SIRS showing a large funding gap, or a recent history of reserve waivers signals imminent dues spikes or catch-up assessments. Read the SIRS and the funded balance together, not just whether a study exists.

Property-insurance crisis — premiums, Citizens, and wind deductibles

Florida has the most stressed property-insurance market in the country. The average condo association master policy roughly doubled from 2022 to 2024, and master-policy hurricane and wind deductibles commonly run 2–5% of insured value — often hundreds of thousands of dollars per event that associations pass through to owners as loss assessments. Citizens Property Insurance ballooned past 1.4 million policies before aggressive depopulation, and under 2025 law Citizens may not cover associations that are out of compliance with milestone or SIRS requirements, tying insurability directly to structural compliance. Read the carrier, the wind deductible, the named-storm carve-outs, and whether the building's coverage is at risk — and size your own HO-6 loss-assessment limits accordingly.

Flood gap and coastal climate exposure

Flood is not covered by the condominium master property policy and is not required by Florida statute — a critical gap given that the entire state is hurricane-exposed and much of its high-rise stock sits in storm-surge and Special Flood Hazard Areas. Recent storms (Ian 2022, Helene and Milton 2024) drove catastrophic losses and premium spikes, and older coastal towers commonly suffer concrete spalling and rebar corrosion accelerated by salt air — the exact failure mode implicated at Surfside. In a coastal or flood-zone building, confirm separate flood coverage (NFIP or private), the building's surge exposure and elevation, and the waterproofing and structural repair history alongside the milestone report.

Board-levied special assessments and reserve catch-up

Under Fla. Stat. § 718.112, a Florida condo board may levy a special assessment without a full-membership vote unless the declaration specifically requires owner approval. Post-Surfside, boards have unilaterally imposed very large assessments — commonly $20,000 or more per unit, sometimes far higher — to fund milestone repairs and the newly mandatory reserve funding. Non-emergency special assessments require at least 14 days' written notice stating the specific purpose, and levied or pending assessments must appear on the estoppel certificate. Read the budget, the reserve schedule, and the minutes for any assessment that is levied, pending, or foreseeable — and clarify in the contract whether the seller or buyer pays an assessment already on the books.

What we flag in Florida documents

  • A special assessment that appears in a notice with no prior discussion in the minutes
  • A reserve catch-up assessment to meet the new mandatory SIRS funding
  • A sharp dues increase driven by insurance or reserves
  • High or rising owner delinquency, especially after a large assessment
  • An outstanding association loan adding debt service to the budget
The CondoSignal framework8 categories · every report

Scored together into one risk report — every finding cites the document, page, and quoted text.

Ask CondoSignal

Have a condo or HOA question?

Get a plain-English answer from our research across all 50 states — free, in seconds.

Risk Intelligence

Review the documents before your contingency ends

Most buyers get 7–14 days to review condo documents. Upload the packet — we read the reserve study, budget, minutes, and insurance summary and flag the risks, every finding linked to the exact page. Free.

Expert Matching

Need a real estate lawyer or mortgage specialist?

We can connect you with vetted real estate lawyers, mortgage brokers, and insurance brokers familiar with the specifics of condo and HOA transactions.

  • Insurance broker
  • Realtor
  • Reserve fund engineer
  • HOA lawyer

Florida topic guides

Florida-specific guidance

Condo document review

A condo document review is the structured analysis of every disclosure document your seller or association has provided — declaration, bylaws, rules, reserve study, budgets, financials, meeting minutes, insurance summary, estoppel or resale certificate, and any pending special assessment notices. Done well, it tells you exactly what you are buying. Done in a hurry — or as a chat session against a single PDF — it misses the cross-references where real risk lives. This guide covers condominium document sets specifically, where shared building finances, the master insurance policy, and reserves drive the risk; if your property is a detached home in a planned community, the document set and the risks differ — see HOA document review.

Florida guide →

HOA document review

An HOA document review reads the full association document set — declaration or deed restrictions, CC&Rs, bylaws, resale or disclosure certificate, current budget, audited financials, meeting minutes, and any enforcement history — and surfaces the items that actually affect your ownership cost, your usage rights, and your exposure to surprise assessments. HOA reviews have a different shape than condominium reviews, and treating them as the same process produces incomplete findings. This guide focuses on HOA and planned-community document sets — deed restrictions, use rights, and architectural control; for attached condominium ownership, where master insurance and shared building reserves dominate the risk, see Condo document review.

Florida guide →

Reserve studies

A reserve study tells you what the association expects to spend on long-term capital repairs and replacements, and whether it is funding those obligations adequately. Reading the study without also reading the actual reserve balance, the current budget's contribution line, and recent meeting minutes is the single most common mistake in condo due diligence — and the one most likely to produce an expensive surprise after closing.

Florida guide →

Special assessments

Special assessments are the single largest source of financial surprise in condo and HOA ownership. They can arrive formally, as a voted board action with a disclosed amount. They can arrive indirectly, as a dues increase that follows a reserve shortfall or insurance spike. Or they can arrive silently, implied by the gap between what an association has saved and what it needs — visible in documents years before any official announcement. A thorough document review identifies all three types.

Florida guide →

Insurance risk

The association's master insurance policy determines what your personal HO-6 policy needs to cover — and what it does not. Deductibles, named-storm provisions, water and flood exclusions, policy form (bare-walls versus all-in), carrier quality, and loss assessment exposure all change the real cost of ownership in ways that never appear in the listing price. Reading the insurance summary alone is not enough; reading the master policy declarations page against the declaration's loss assessment provisions is where the real exposure lives. This page takes the risk-and-exposure view — how a building's insurance position could cost you, and what its insurability signals about the association; for the practical checklist of what coverage you and your lender actually need in place before closing, see Condo insurance requirements.

Florida guide →

Governance risk

An association's governance health is a leading indicator of every other risk. Boards make decisions about reserve funding, repair scope, insurance coverage, and vendor relationships. Functional boards make those decisions transparently and on time. Dysfunctional boards defer them, obscure them, or make them for the wrong reasons — and the deferred decisions show up later as assessments, deteriorated infrastructure, and insurance problems. A governance review reads meeting minutes, election and recall records, financial controls, and dispute history across multiple years to surface the patterns that precede financial problems. This page takes the analytical view — governance as a multi-year leading indicator of financial risk; for the buyer's quick spotting guide to the specific warning signs in the documents, see Condo board red flags.

Florida guide →

Buying in Florida? See the complete Florida condo due-diligence checklist → — every document to request, the local red flags, and the statute behind each.

Florida reading

Plain-English guides for Florida buyers and owners.

Browse all articles →

What Is a Condo Estoppel Certificate? A Buyer's Guide

The estoppel certificate is the one document an association is legally required to provide before closing. Understand what it says, what it omits, and how to read each line before you sign.

Read →

Florida Condo Safety Laws 2025: What Each Law Now Requires of Boards

From SB 4-D in 2022 through HB 913 in 2025, Florida rewrote structural safety and reserve funding obligations for condo associations. Identify what each law requires boards to fund, inspect, and disclose.

Read →

The Post-Surfside Florida Condo Law Guide (2026)

From the 2021 Champlain Towers collapse through four years of legislative reform, this is the complete guide to Florida condo law as it operates in 2026 — for buyers, owners, and boards.

Read →

Hurricane Deductibles and Loss Assessments: Evaluate Your HO-6 Exposure

Master-policy hurricane deductibles can pass through to you as loss assessments. Understand how percentage deductibles work, how to calculate your real exposure, and what your HO-6 needs to actually cover.

Read →

Milestone Inspection Buyer Guide: Reading the Report Before You Close

Understand what a Florida Milestone Inspection report discloses, what follow-up questions to ask the engineer, and how to evaluate the special assessment risk the findings imply.

Read →

Florida SIRS Explained: What Boards Must Fund and Disclose

The Structural Integrity Reserve Study is now mandatory for most Florida condo buildings. Understand what a SIRS must include, how it affects reserve funding requirements, and what boards must disclose to owners.

Read →

Already own in Florida?

Owner guides for the notice you just got

Already dealing with a specific Florida situation? Start here instead of the buyer flow:

Florida in context

How Florida's condo rules compare

How Florida compares — CondoSignal's reviewed benchmark of condo/HOA rules across 51 states. Each cell traces to that state's primary statutory sources.
StateReserve fundingStructural inspectionSuper-lienResale cancellation
FloridaThis pageFunding mandatedRequiredNo7-day rescission on the resale disclosure (HB 913, 2025)
AlabamaVoluntaryNot requiredYesVoidable until the resale certificate is delivered and for 5 days after (condos, § 35-8A-409); 7 days on developer sales
AlaskaVoluntaryNot requiredYesVoidable until the resale certificate is delivered and for 5 days after (AS 34.08.590)
ArizonaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNo statutory rescission — cancellation rights come from the purchase contract
ArkansasVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory rescission
CaliforniaStudy onlyRequiredNoBuyer cancellation remedy if § 4525 documents aren't delivered within 10 days (§ 4530)
ColoradoVoluntaryNot requiredYesNo statutory rescission
ConnecticutFunding mandatedNot requiredYes5 business days after the resale certificate (7 if mailed); cancel for any reason (§ 47-270)
DelawareFunding mandatedRequiredYes5 days after the resale certificate, if not delivered before signing (§ 81-409)
District of ColumbiaVoluntaryNot requiredYes3 business days after the condo documents/certificate (15 days for new-construction/declarant sales)
GeorgiaVoluntaryNot requiredYes7-day rescission on developer/initial condo sales only (§ 44-3-111); none for resale between owners
HawaiiFunding mandatedNot requiredYesLimited — a 5-day right tied to a developer public report; resale relies on the purchase contract
IdahoVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory rescission
IllinoisFunding mandatedNot requiredYesNo statutory rescission period
IndianaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNo general cooling-off period. Two-business-day rescission only when a late/amended sales-disclosure form reveals a defect (IC 32-21-5-11).
IowaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone tied to association documents — only the Ch. 558A property-condition disclosure (3 days personal / 5 mailed)
KansasVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory rescission
KentuckyVoluntaryNot requiredNoCondos: voidable until the resale certificate is provided and for 5 days thereafter, or until conveyance (KRS 381.9203). HOAs: none.
LouisianaVoluntaryNot requiredNo15-day cancellation right tied to the condo developer's Public Offering Statement (R.S. 9:1124) — INITIAL DEVELOPER SALES ONLY. No statutory resale cancellation right between owners; no post-sale right of redemption.
MaineVoluntaryNot requiredNoVoidable until the resale certificate is delivered and for 5 days after (§ 1604-108)
MarylandFunding mandatedNot requiredYesCondos: 7 days after the resale package (§ 11-135). HOAs: 5 days if info wasn't delivered 5+ days pre-signing, plus a 3-day right if mandatory fees rise over 10% (§ 11B-106)
MassachusettsFunding mandatedNot requiredYesNone
MichiganFunding mandatedNot requiredNoNone — Michigan has no statutory resale rescission (new construction gets a 9-day right)
MinnesotaVoluntaryNot requiredYes10 days after the § 515B.4-107 resale disclosure certificate (unless delivered 10+ days before signing)
MississippiVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory resale certificate, estoppel regime, or buyer rescission period
MissouriVoluntaryNot requiredYesVoidable until the resale certificate is delivered and for 5 days after (§ 448.4-109)
MontanaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory rescission or cooling-off period
NebraskaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — resale buyers get documents but no statutory rescission right (§ 76-884)
NevadaFunding mandatedNot requiredYes5-day rescission after delivery of the resale package (NRS 116.4109)
New HampshireVoluntaryNot requiredYesNo resale rescission. The only statutory cancellation right is 5 days on developer sales after delivery of the public offering statement (RSA 356-B:52).
New JerseyFunding mandatedRequiredYesDeveloper/initial sales carry a PREDFDA rescission window; resale between owners has none (a 3-day attorney-review clause applies)
New MexicoVoluntaryNot requiredNo7 days after the condo resale certificate (§ 47-7D-9) or the HOA disclosure certificate (§ 47-16-11)
New YorkFunding mandatedRequiredYesNone — buyer protection comes from purchase-contract contingencies
North CarolinaVoluntaryNot requiredNo7 days on new condo purchases (after the public offering statement); none for resale between owners
North DakotaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory rescission or cooling-off right
OhioFunding mandatedNot requiredNo3 business days after the state Residential Property Disclosure Form, or 30 days after signing (§ 5302.30)
OklahomaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory resale certificate, status letter, or rescission window
OregonFunding mandatedNot requiredYes5 business days after the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (ORS 105.464); developer sales may carry a longer right
PennsylvaniaVoluntaryNot requiredYes5 days after receiving the resale certificate (§ 3407)
Rhode IslandVoluntaryNot requiredYesVoidable until the resale certificate is delivered and for 5 days after (§ 34-36.1-4.09)
South CarolinaVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — South Carolina has no broad condo resale rescission or mandatory disclosure packet
South DakotaVoluntaryNot requiredNoResale: none. Developer/original sales only: a contract is not binding until the buyer receives the Real Estate Commission public report, voidable until ~10 days after receipt (S.D.C.L. 43-15A-10).
TennesseeStudy onlyNot requiredYesNarrow — generally none, except a 10-business-day right when a declarant-controlled association is late delivering § 66-27-503 information
TexasVoluntaryNot requiredNo6 days after receiving the resale certificate, if it wasn't delivered before signing (§ 82.156)
UtahFunding mandatedNot requiredNoNo HOA-specific statutory rescission — buyer protection runs through the purchase-contract due-diligence period
VermontVoluntaryNot requiredYes5 days after the resale certificate (15 days for new construction) (§ 4-109)
VirginiaStudy onlyNot requiredNo3 days from receiving the resale certificate (often extended to 7 by the standard contract); cancel anytime before closing if it's never delivered (§ 55.1-2312)
WashingtonStudy onlyNot requiredYes5 business days after receiving the resale certificate (condos, RCW 64.34.425)
West VirginiaVoluntaryNot requiredYes5 days after the resale certificate (15 days for new construction) (§ 36B-4-109)
WisconsinVoluntaryNot requiredNo5 business days after receiving § 703.33 disclosure materials (or any material modification) — condo buyers only. No automatic statutory rescission for HOA buyers (negotiate contractually).
WyomingVoluntaryNot requiredNoNone — no statutory rescission

How CondoSignal reviews this

We read the reserve study, operating budget, and 24 months of meeting minutes togetherthe risk that matters usually lives in the contradiction between documents, not in any single one of them. Every finding cites the source document, the page number, and the quoted text behind it.

See our 8-category framework →

Reviewed by Kirk Hasley, Founder. Every claim here is checked against current Florida statute and primary sources, using the same documented review framework we run on every file. Last reviewed June 13, 2026.

FAQ

Florida FAQ

Built for trust

Premium due-diligence software — not a chatbot.

Source citations on every finding

Every risk indicator links back to the exact document, page number, and quoted line. You can verify our work in seconds.

Free with transparent consent — or paid and private

Our free option is supported by limited, opt-in referrals you control. Or pay once for a fully private review with no data sharing.

Consistent, documented analysis

Consistent scoring — same documents always produce the same results. No guesswork, no chat-style answers.

Informational, never legal advice

We surface what your documents actually say so you can ask better questions of your attorney, lender, and inspector.

Documents encrypted on upload (AES-256)Documents deleted after 30 daysYou control which professionals can contact youOpt out of referrals anytime

Risk Intelligence

Review the documents before your contingency ends

Most buyers get 7–14 days to review condo documents. Upload the packet — we read the reserve study, budget, minutes, and insurance summary and flag the risks, every finding linked to the exact page. Free.

Expert Matching

Need a real estate lawyer or mortgage specialist?

We can connect you with vetted real estate lawyers, mortgage brokers, and insurance brokers familiar with the specifics of condo and HOA transactions.

  • Insurance broker
  • Realtor
  • Reserve fund engineer
  • HOA lawyer