Florida community association education. Reviewed November 4, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Identify the study obligation
Section 718.112 separates condominium reserve budgeting from structural integrity reserve study requirements. A SIRS is not a generic recommendation that every Florida HOA hire a consultant. Applicability depends on condominium buildings, their characteristics, maintenance responsibilities and statutory exceptions. For Northwest Florida boards, the declaration and building inventory should be part of the consultant's starting materials.
The statute generally required qualifying owner-controlled associations existing on or before July 1, 2022 to complete a SIRS by December 31, 2025. A qualifying association required to complete a milestone inspection on or before December 31, 2026 may coordinate the study with that inspection, subject to the statute's December 31, 2026 limit. That is not a universal extension for every association.
Use the correct threshold and component list
DBPR lists the 2026 inflation-adjusted reserve threshold as $25,675. Its 2027 amount had not been posted as of this review. Do not assume that the threshold eliminates every reserve obligation for cheaper components. The statute expressly identifies reserve categories, and some are required regardless of replacement cost.
The study should connect remaining useful life, anticipated costs and the association's maintenance obligations to a funding schedule. Components outside the association's responsibility require careful treatment. A report covering the wrong components can create a misleading budget even when its arithmetic is accurate.
Required SIRS reserves cannot simply be waived through the ordinary reserve-waiver approach. The law contains particular funding methods and exceptions, including provisions involving assessments, credit and loans. Those options require review of approvals, documentation and the funding plan; they are not permission to defer every contribution indefinitely.
A completed report still creates work
The association must address owner distribution or availability notice and provide the required completion statement to DBPR within 45 days after receiving the study. An officer or director also must acknowledge receipt by affidavit. These steps are separate from commissioning the report and should be assigned before delivery.
If the board's selected funding arrangement does not align with the current study's funding plan, an updated study may be required before adopting the budget. Coordinate the reserve specialist, accountant and attorney so that the budget, loan assumptions and study describe the same financial plan.
Board checklist
Confirm applicability and the exact deadline in writing. Verify the consultant's qualifications and scope. Check the current DBPR threshold without substituting it for the statutory component list. Calendar receipt, owner notices and the completion statement. Reconcile available balances and approved funding to the study. Keep milestone inspections, repairs and SIRS tasks separately tracked. Obtain advice on any claimed delay or funding exception before communicating it as settled law to owners.