What Is a Florida Condo Milestone Inspection?
A milestone inspection is a mandatory structural evaluation required by Florida law for condominium buildings that are 30 years old or older. The inspection examines the building's structural integrity, roof condition, foundation, and other critical systems. Once completed, the association must provide a detailed report to all unit owners and prospective buyers before any sale closes.
- Triggered automatically when a condo building reaches 30 years of age; required again every 10 years thereafter.
- Covers structural components, roof, foundation, exterior walls, and common area systems that affect unit values and safety.
- Results must be disclosed to buyers in writing as part of the resale package—you have the right to review before committing.
Structural Reserve Study and Funding Levels
Paired with the milestone inspection is a structural integrity reserve study, which estimates the cost of future repairs and how much the association should set aside annually. This reserve funding level is critical: underfunded reserves mean special assessments are likely, while well-funded reserves protect your ownership costs. Florida law requires associations to disclose their reserve funding percentage to buyers.
- Reserve studies project repair costs over 30 years and recommend a funding target (often 70–100% of full funding).
- A reserve funding level below 50% signals higher risk of special assessments to cover major repairs or replacements.
- Disclosure must include the reserve funding percentage, the total reserve balance, and the annual contribution per unit—review these numbers carefully.
Your Rights and Timeline as a Buyer
Florida law gives buyers a specific window to review milestone inspection reports and reserve studies before closing. This is not optional—the association must provide these documents, and you should use this time to evaluate structural risk and long-term costs. Skipping this step is a common mistake that leads to surprise assessments after purchase.
- Sellers must provide the milestone inspection report and reserve study disclosure at least 5 days before closing (or as agreed in your contract).
- You have the right to hire an independent engineer or reserve specialist to review the documents and advise you on structural condition.
- If the inspection reveals significant defects or reserves are critically underfunded, you can negotiate repairs, credits, or walk away before closing.
Red Flags and What to Look For
Not all milestone inspections and reserve studies are equal. Some reveal manageable maintenance; others signal serious structural problems or financial strain. Knowing what to watch for helps you avoid buildings with hidden costs or safety concerns that will affect your investment.
- Deferred maintenance noted in the inspection (roof leaks, foundation cracks, corroded rebar, water intrusion) often requires costly repairs within 5–10 years.
- Reserve funding below 30% combined with a large special assessment already approved or pending is a warning sign of financial stress.
- Inspection reports that lack detail, are outdated (more than 2 years old), or were not prepared by a licensed engineer should prompt further investigation.
How StreetScout Helps You Review Inspection and Reserve Disclosures
Milestone inspection reports and reserve studies are dense, technical documents that are easy to misread or overlook. When you're reviewing a Florida condo resale package, ScoutReport extracts and highlights the key findings—inspection defects, reserve funding levels, and assessment language—so you can see the structural and financial risk before closing without needing to hire a consultant.
- Upload your condo resale packet (inspection report, reserve study, and disclosure forms) to ScoutReport and let it extract milestone inspection findings, reserve funding percentages, and flagged structural concerns with page references.
- ScoutReport summarizes reserve adequacy, pending assessments, and repair timelines in plain language, so you understand the building's financial health and your likely ownership costs.
- You review the extracted findings, verify them against the original documents, and use the summary to negotiate with the seller or make an informed closing decision—the hard work of reading and cross-referencing is done for you.