Blog > Florida Condo Law: a Guide for Condo Buyers and Owners

Florida Condo Law: a Guide for Condo Buyers and Owners

by Julia Ray

✓ Reviewed by Julia Ray, Broker and Owner, Raydiant Realty · Florida broker license BK3433857 · Reviewed October 21, 2026 · Our research process

Key takeaway: Florida condo law, as amended through HB 913 (2025), makes owners pay for the repairs their buildings put off. Condo buildings three habitable stories or taller need a milestone inspection at 30 years (25 in Broward) and a structural integrity reserve study every 10 years, and budgets adopted from December 31, 2024 can't skip reserves for the structural items. In an older Hallandale Beach tower that cost arrives as higher dues, a special assessment or a loan, so read the milestone summary, the SIRS and a year of board minutes before you settle on a price.

Who this guide is for: You own, or are about to buy or sell, a unit in an older Hallandale Beach condo tower and want to know which Florida condo rules apply, which documents show what they will cost you, and where each rule is explained in full.

At a glance
Main statute	Florida Statutes chapter 718 (2026 text)
Latest major change	HB 913, ch. 2025-175, effective July 1, 2025
Milestone inspection	3+ habitable stories; age 30, 25 in Broward; then every 10 years
SIRS	Every 10 years; existing owner-run associations by Dec 31, 2025; none later than Dec 31, 2026
Reserve waivers	Not allowed for SIRS items on budgets adopted on or after Dec 31, 2024
Resale right to cancel	7 days after receiving the documents, excluding weekends and holidays
Estoppel certificate	Within 10 business days; fee capped at $250 when nothing is owed
Association website	Required for 25+ units from Jan 1, 2026 (was 150)

What Florida Condo Law Means for Older Hallandale Beach Towers

Every Florida condo law change since 2022 moves the bill for deferred repairs onto today's owners and writes it into documents a buyer receives before closing. In Hallandale Beach that lands hardest on the oceanfront towers: listing records date most of the South Ocean Drive buildings to 1970 through 1979, so they're past every inspection trigger and are now paying for what the inspections and reserve studies found. Confirm any building's year on its certificate of occupancy or its Broward County Property Appraiser record.

Before 2022, owners could vote to waive reserves, so a budget could look cheap while the roof, concrete and windows waited for a later owner. For the structural items that vote is gone. Two units with the same view and the same asking price can now carry very different costs, and the difference sits in four documents: the milestone summary, the SIRS funding schedule, the annual budget and the board minutes. Treat them as part of the price.

If you're still choosing a building, our guide to Hallandale Beach condos for sale compares them by age and side of A1A, and the South Ocean Drive building guide takes them tower by tower.

Florida Condo Law Rules Owners and Buyers Deal With

These are the rules in chapter 718 and section 553.899 that change what a unit costs to own or buy. Each has its own page; this is the short version.

Milestone inspections for condo buildings

Buildings three habitable stories or taller need a structural inspection by a licensed engineer or architect by December 31 of the year they turn 30, then every 10 years. Broward County starts at 25 years and adds electrical. Owners get the inspector's summary within 45 days, and since HB 913 every city must require repairs to begin within 365 days of a phase two report. The full process is in our milestone inspection rules for Broward and Florida.

Structural integrity reserve study (SIRS)

The SIRS is a visual inspection plus a funding schedule for eight building systems, from the roof and structure to windows and exterior doors. It's due every 10 years; owner-run associations that existed on July 1, 2022 had until December 31, 2025, and no study may be finished after December 31, 2026. How to read one is in our structural integrity reserve study guide.

Condo reserves that can no longer be waived

The budget must carry reserves for capital spending and deferred maintenance on any item over $25,000, adjusted for inflation. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners can't vote to fund the SIRS items below what the latest study requires. Reserves for other items can still be waived or reduced by a majority of the total voting interests.

Special assessments, loans and lines of credit

Reserves for SIRS items can be funded by regular assessments, special assessments, a line of credit or a loan, and the last three need a majority of the total voting interests. A meeting that will consider a nonemergency special assessment needs 14 days' written notice stating the purpose and estimated cost, and the money can be spent only on that purpose. See how condo special assessments work in Florida.

Resale disclosure and the right to cancel

On a resale the seller pays for you to receive the declaration, bylaws, rules, the annual budget and financial statement, the milestone summary, the latest SIRS and a governance form. You can cancel in writing within 7 days of receiving them, weekends and legal holidays excluded, and the right ends at closing. The order of steps is in our step-by-step guide to buying a condo in Florida.

Estoppel certificates and unpaid assessments

A buyer is jointly liable with the seller for assessments that came due before the sale. The estoppel certificate, issued within 10 business days of a request, lists every assessment and special assessment owed and those scheduled during its 30-day life. Its fee and the other line items are in our Florida closing costs breakdown.

Condo association insurance and the HO-6

Every association must carry adequate property insurance on the building, with replacement cost set by an appraisal at least every 3 years. Flooring, cabinets, countertops, appliances and other finishes that serve only your unit are excluded, so they fall to your own policy, which in Florida must include at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage. The split is explained in our guide to Florida condo insurance.

Official records and the condo association website

From January 1, 2026, associations running a condominium of 25 or more units must post their key records online or in an app within 30 days, down from 150 units. HB 913 added the approved board minutes for the past 12 months and recordings of video meetings to that list, which makes a building's repair history easier to read before you buy.

Condo board meetings, director education and conflicts

Boards of associations with more than 10 units must meet at least quarterly and take owner questions. New directors must complete a 4-hour approved course that covers milestone inspections and SIRS, plus an hour of continuing education each year. Directors and officers must disclose possible conflicts of interest to the board, and a contract with an undisclosed conflict can be voided.

How Florida Condo Law Changed with SB 4-D, SB 154 and HB 1021

The rules above arrived in four bills. When you read a building's documents, the year matters: a budget adopted in 2023 played by different rules than one adopted in 2025.

SB 4-D (2022): milestone inspections and SIRS

Passed in a 2022 special session, SB 4-D created milestone inspections and the structural integrity reserve study, set how reserve amounts are worked out and barred owners from waiving SIRS reserves from December 31, 2024. It also required a turnover inspection report before a developer hands a building to the owners.

SB 154 (2023): narrowing the inspection rules

SB 154 limited milestone inspections to buildings that include a residential condo or co-op, replaced the automatic 25-year rule near the coast with a local option, and allowed deadline extensions.

HB 1021 (2024): board education, records and penalties

Effective July 1, 2024, with some parts later, HB 1021 added director education, criminal penalties for destroying records, kickbacks and fraudulent voting, a ban on retaliating against owners who complain, and the 25-unit website rule starting January 1, 2026. From October 1, 2024 the buyer's documents also include the annual budget and financial statement.

HB 913 (2025): funding tools and a later SIRS deadline

HB 913, chapter 2025-175, was approved on June 23, 2025 and took effect July 1, 2025 after passing the House 112 to 0. It pushed the SIRS deadline to December 31, 2025 and gave boards new ways to pay for the work, covered below.

This page reads the 2026 Florida Statutes as published. Check the statute itself for any amendment made after October 2026.

What HB 913 Changed in Florida Condo Law in 2025

HB 913 baseline funding plan for reserves

A SIRS must now include at least a baseline funding schedule that keeps the reserve cash balance above zero every budget year. The association has to update the study once it picks a funding method, and it needs an updated study before adopting any budget that doesn't follow the study's plan.

HB 913 reserve pause for milestone repairs

For budgets adopted through December 31, 2028, if a milestone inspection was done in the previous 2 calendar years, a majority of the total voting interests can pause or cut reserve contributions for up to two budgets to pay for the repairs. Dues drop now and rise later, and a new SIRS is required before contributions restart.

HB 913 substitute budget above 115 percent

If a proposed budget raises assessments above 115% of the prior year's, the board must also propose a substitute budget without discretionary spending. Required SIRS reserves and insurance premiums don't count toward the 115%.

HB 913 video conference meetings

Board and owner meetings can be held by video conference if the notice gives a link, a phone number and a physical location. Those meetings are recorded and kept as official records, so you can watch the vote that set your assessment.

HB 913 hurricane protection costs

Unless the declaration says otherwise, you don't pay to remove and reinstall your hurricane protection, including windows and doors, when the association needs them out of the way for its own repairs.

How Florida Condo Law Affects Your Monthly Dues: an Example

The numbers below are hypothetical. Replace them with your building's budget and SIRS.

Line (hypothetical)	Amount
Units in the tower	200
SIRS baseline plan: reserves needed this year	$1,200,000
Reserves in the current budget	$400,000
Gap the law no longer lets owners waive	$800,000
Gap per unit, equal shares	$4,000 a year, about $333 a month

If the board closes that gap through the budget, the next owner pays about $333 more each month. If it uses a special assessment or a loan instead, owners vote and the bill arrives as a lump sum or a repayment line in the dues. Your declaration sets your actual share, which may be a percentage rather than an equal split.

The gap also reaches your financing. Fannie Mae won't buy loans in a project with a special assessment for a critical repair that isn't finished, so read how non-warrantable condo loans work and check whether the building appears on the list of FHA-approved condos in Hallandale Beach. Higher dues sit on top of the tax bill in our Broward County property tax guide, and they feed into prices, which is the subject of our Florida condo market analysis.

Florida Condo Law Checklist for Buyers and Sellers

Ask for the milestone summary and the latest SIRS. Check the SIRS date and whether the board signed the affidavit acknowledging it. DBPR's SIRS Reporting Database shows whether the association reported one.
Compare the budget's reserve line with the SIRS schedule. A gap means higher dues, an assessment or a loan.
Read 12 months of board minutes. Repair bids, loan terms and assessment votes appear there before they reach the budget.
Order the estoppel early. It lists every assessment owed and scheduled, and you inherit unpaid ones.
Ask the lender to review the building. Critical repairs, litigation or hotel operations can block a conventional loan.

Selling in an older tower? A pending assessment changes your net, and our guide to selling a condo in Hallandale Beach shows how to price around it. Owners abroad should also read selling a Florida condo as a foreign owner. If you'd like a second reader, I can go through a building's SIRS and minutes with you before you write an offer.

Reader check: This page explains Florida condo law as published on October 21, 2026, and isn't legal advice. Confirm how a rule applies to your unit with a Florida attorney and the association's manager.

Florida Condo Law 2025 FAQs

What is the new Florida condo law for 2025?

It's HB 913, chapter 2025-175, effective July 1, 2025. It pushed the SIRS deadline to December 31, 2025, required a baseline reserve funding plan, let owners fund reserves with special assessments, loans or lines of credit by majority vote, allowed a reserve pause for milestone repairs through 2028, and permitted video conference meetings.

Can a Florida condo association waive reserves?

Not for the structural items in the structural integrity reserve study. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners can't vote to fund those items below what the latest study requires. Reserves for other items can still be waived or reduced by a majority of the total voting interests.

What are limited common elements in Florida condominium law?

Under section 718.103, limited common elements are common elements reserved for the use of one or more units to the exclusion of all other units. Common elements are the parts of the condominium property not included in the units. The declaration lists which areas are limited common elements and who pays to maintain them.

How often are condominium associations required to hold board meetings?

In Florida, the board of a residential association with more than 10 units must meet at least once each quarter, and at least four times a year the agenda must let owners ask questions. Notice is posted on the property at least 48 continuous hours before a board meeting, except in an emergency.

Are condo prices going down in Florida?

In Hallandale Beach, Zillow's typical home value, which mixes condos and houses, was $279,430 in September 2026. That was 2.9% lower than a year earlier and below the March 2024 peak of $336,081. Prices for a single building depend on its repair and reserve position, so compare documents as well as prices.

Who pays unpaid condo assessments when a Florida unit sells?

Under section 718.116 the buyer is jointly and severally liable with the seller for assessments that came due before the sale, and can recover them from the seller. The estoppel certificate lists every amount owed, so make sure your contract has the seller pay those figures at closing.

What documents does a Florida condo seller have to give the buyer?

On a resale the seller pays for the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual budget and financial statement, the milestone summary if any, the latest SIRS or a statement that none exists, a turnover inspection report if any, the FAQ sheet and the governance form. The buyer has 7 days after receiving them to cancel.

Reviewed by Julia Ray, Broker and Owner, Raydiant Realty, October 21, 2026. This guide explains how the rules work; it is not legal, tax or insurance advice.