After the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida added two structural-safety requirements for older, taller condominium buildings: a periodic milestone inspection and a Structural Integrity Reserve Study. Together they are meant to make sure a building's condition is assessed, and the work funded, rather than deferred until something fails.
The milestone inspection
Condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller must have a structural inspection performed by a licensed engineer or architect once they reach a certain age (reported as 30 years, or 25 years for buildings within a few miles of the coast), and then on a recurring cycle. If the first phase finds signs of substantial structural deterioration, a more detailed second phase is required.
The Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS)
A SIRS estimates the remaining useful life and the replacement cost of a building's major components, such as the roof, load-bearing walls, foundation, and waterproofing, and sets the reserve funding needed for them. For the components a SIRS covers, associations generally can no longer vote to skip funding the reserves.
What a buyer should check
- Has the milestone inspection been completed, and what did it find?
- Is a SIRS on file, and are reserves funded toward it?
- Were any Phase 2 (substantial deterioration) findings reported, and are repairs underway?
- Is there a special assessment tied to structural work, whether levied or pending?
These rules have been adjusted across several legislative sessions, so confirm the current thresholds and deadlines with the Division of Condominiums or counsel. But the principle for a buyer is simple: for an older high-rise, a missing inspection or an adverse structural finding is exactly the kind of risk you want to know about before you close, not after.