The Florida Condo Document Checklist

Before your buyer commits to a Florida condo, request every document below. Missing or alarming answers here are where deals quietly go wrong — and where post-Surfside reserve and inspection law now bites hardest.

Request these 10 documents

• Estoppel certificate (current)Confirms no unpaid dues, pending special assessments, or violations tied to the unit at closing.
• Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS)Required for buildings 3+ stories. Shows the reserve components and the funding plan — reserves for SIRS items can no longer be waived (Fla. law effective Jan 1, 2025).
• Milestone Inspection report (Phase 1 / Phase 2)Required at 30 years (25 if within 3 miles of the coast) under SB 4-D / F.S. 553.899. A missing or failed inspection is a major red flag.
• Reserve study & current reserve balanceHow funded are the reserves? Chronic underfunding signals special-assessment risk within 1-3 years.
• Association budget (current year)Look for line items being underfunded, deferred maintenance, or a jump in assessments.
• Board meeting minutes (last 12-24 months)Where litigation, disputes, planned projects, and assessment discussions surface first.
• Insurance declarations (property, flood, D&O)Confirm adequate coverage and check the master-policy deductible the owners share.
• Rules, declaration & bylawsRental caps, pet/occupancy limits, and approval requirements that can affect value or your plans.
• Pending litigation & special-assessment disclosuresActive litigation or a looming assessment can derail financing and resale.
• Delinquency / collections summaryA high owner-delinquency rate strains the budget and raises everyone's risk.

CondoRiskFL is operated by Sam Arora through Arora Enterprises (a sole proprietorship). This checklist is general information, not legal, engineering, or financial advice — verify specifics with the association, a licensed inspector, and a Florida attorney. Statutory references reflect Florida law as of 2026.