Florida • Thinking of selling
Worried your Florida building's problems will trap you — should you sell now?
When a Florida owner senses their building is in decline — rising assessments, an insurance scramble, a lawsuit — the instinct to get out is rational. But selling a troubled condo has its own traps, and the first step is seeing the building the way a buyer's lender will.
The short answer
Special assessments, insurance trouble, litigation, or lender 'ineligible' status can make a Florida condo hard to sell — often to cash buyers and investors only. Levied and pending special assessments must appear on the estoppel certificate (§ 718.116). CondoSignal reads your building's documents to show what a buyer will see and whether selling now is the right move. Free.Florida at a glance
Resale disclosure
Buyer cancellation
7-day rescission on the resale disclosure (HB 913, 2025)
Super-lien
None
Safe-harbor cap: the lesser of 12 months' past-due regular assessments or 1% of the original mortgage debt
Insurance market
Backstop exists
Stressed but stabilizing; Citizens depopulation continued through 2025
Top climate risk
Hurricane / windstorm
Coastal flooding and sea-level rise, Insurance-market stress
What makes a condo hard to sell
Four things scare buyers and their lenders: a pending or recent special assessment, a master-insurance problem, active litigation, and a building on Fannie Mae's or Freddie Mac's 'ineligible' list. In Florida, master-policy premiums rose roughly 103% from 2022 to 2024 (about $72,570 to $147,381 per ULI); non-compliant condos can be barred from Citizens adds to the pressure. Any one of these can shrink your buyer pool to cash and investors.
What you'll have to disclose in Florida
Levied and pending special assessments must appear on the estoppel certificate (§ 718.116). Buyers here also get a cancellation window (7-day rescission on the resale disclosure (hb 913, 2025)), so a hidden problem tends to surface and unwind the deal. Trying to sell around a known assessment or lawsuit usually backfires.
How the lien and insurance picture affects your sale
Florida is not a true super-lien state (§ 718.116). The cap applies only if the association is named as a defendant in the first mortgagee's foreclosure; otherwise the association — and ultimately the remaining owners — can absorb the shortfall. Post-Surfside catastrophe and reinsurance pressure drove master-policy spikes; HO-6 premiums also rose sharply. If the building is genuinely distressed, a realtor experienced with these sales — or an investor/cash buyer — may be the faster path.
Your rights in Florida
As a Florida seller you generally must disclose assessments and known problems, typically through the association's resale documents, and buyers get a cancellation window. None of this is legal advice — confirm against the current statute and a licensed professional in your state.
What to check
- Identify any pending or recent special assessment.
- Check the master policy for non-renewal or a high deductible.
- Find out whether the building is on a lender 'ineligible' list.
- Check for active litigation involving the association.
- Get the resale documents and see what a buyer will.
- Decide whether to sell before the next assessment or renewal.
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 718.112 (2025) — budgets, reserves, SIRS, special assessments(High)
- Fla. Stat. § 718.116 (2024) — assessments; liens; safe harbor; estoppel(High)
- Fla. HB 913 (2025) — SIRS deadline, $25k threshold, 7-day rescission(High)
Educational only — not legal, financial, or engineering advice. Confirm against the current statute and, where it matters, a Florida-licensed professional.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Not sure what your documents are really telling you?
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