Florida condominium leadership guide

Florida Condo Reserve Study Action Plan

A study becomes useful when its assumptions, funding schedule, project priorities, board decisions, and resident communication are connected in one visible operating plan.

By · Publisher: TRUSTPOINT STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS Published Updated

Decision area: Finance and reserves

Quick answer

Move from report receipt to board control in five steps.

Do not reduce the study to one annual contribution number. First establish what was inspected, what assumptions support the schedule, what changed since the inspection, and which decisions must be made now.

  1. ValidateConfirm the property, components, quantities, responsibilities, condition dates, useful-life assumptions, and exclusions.
  2. ReconcileConnect the recommended schedule to current reserve balances, adopted assessments, committed projects, debt, and cash timing.
  3. PrioritizeSeparate life-safety and deterioration exposure from routine replacements, optional enhancements, and work that needs more investigation.
  4. DecideDocument the funding method, professional questions, project sequence, authority, and owner for every next action.
  5. MonitorUpdate the plan when scope, condition, useful life, cost, timing, or funding assumptions materially change.
Study quality review

Six checks before adopting the funding path.

01

Property scope

Confirm every covered building, shared system, component, quantity, association responsibility, and excluded area against current governing and property records.

02

Condition evidence

Record inspection dates, observed condition, recent failures, active repairs, warranties, prior reports, and any inaccessible areas or assumptions.

03

Useful life

Identify components near the end of estimated life and test whether completed repairs, deterioration, exposure, or changed use affects the assumption.

04

Cost basis

Understand the estimate date, escalation, design and permitting allowances, access conditions, contingencies, and whether related enabling work is included.

05

Funding method

Reconcile regular assessments, existing reserves, approved special assessments, and any financing assumptions with the latest professional schedule.

06

Decision record

Capture what the board adopted, the alternatives considered, professional input, delegated authority, communication plan, and next review date.

Florida reference point

Keep the current statute beside the operating plan.

Florida Statutes §718.112 describes current reserve and Structural Integrity Reserve Study requirements for covered condominium associations, including study content, funding schedules, possible funding methods, updates, and reporting. Applicability depends on the building and association facts.

10 yearsGeneral recurring SIRS cycle for covered residential condominium buildings.
3+ storiesBuilding-height threshold stated for covered residential condominium buildings.
45 daysCurrent period stated for the association’s completion statement to the Division after receiving the study.

Review the current text of Florida Statutes §718.112 and current Florida DBPR condominium guidance. This summary is not legal, engineering, accounting, financing, or reserve-study advice.

First 90 days

A practical sequence from receipt to oversight.

Suggested governance sequence; adapt to statutory, budget, meeting, and property deadlines
WindowLeadership focusEvidence to produceDecision gate
Days 0–15Log receipt, confirm distribution obligations, preserve the study, and identify scope questions.Controlled study copy, component register, question log, communication owner.Is urgent inspection, repair, or professional clarification required?
Days 15–30Reconcile reserves, current budget, approved work, contracts, and cash timing.Funding bridge from current position to recommended schedule.Do current contributions and planned funding align?
Days 30–60Sequence projects, validate assumptions, obtain specialist input, and model owner impact.Priority matrix, option brief, procurement and communication plan.Which funding and project path is ready for decision?
Days 60–90Record decisions, assign owners, launch approved work, and establish reporting cadence.Board resolution, action roadmap, dashboard, owner update.What evidence will prove implementation is on track?
Funding conversation

Compare methods through timing, risk, and owner impact.

A funding method is not simply a finance choice. It changes cash timing, approvals, owner communication, project sequencing, interest exposure, and the evidence leadership must monitor.

Build a decision brief that shows current balances, required uses, forecast contributions, assessment timing, borrowing assumptions, project dependencies, and downside scenarios. Ask legal, accounting, reserve, tax, lending, and engineering professionals to address the questions within their disciplines.

Questions worth documenting

  • Which components and years drive the peak need?
  • What assumptions are most sensitive to delay or inflation?
  • Which costs are estimates versus contracted amounts?
  • What approval and disclosure steps apply?
  • How does each option affect project readiness?
  • When must the study or funding schedule be updated?
Frequently asked questions

Reserve planning questions from condominium leaders.

What should a condominium board do after receiving a reserve study?

Confirm the study scope and assumptions, reconcile its funding schedule with the current budget and cash position, identify decisions requiring professional input, assign owners and dates, communicate the adopted direction, and monitor the plan against actual projects and costs.

Is a reserve study the same as a project plan?

No. A reserve study estimates component life, cost, and funding needs. A project plan adds scope, procurement, permitting, scheduling, contract controls, resident communication, and evidence of completion.

Can a board rely on an old reserve study when conditions change?

Ask the qualified reserve professional and other appropriate specialists whether material changes in condition, useful life, cost, project timing, or funding method require an update. Keep the operating plan aligned with the current professional basis.

Does this guide provide legal or reserve-study advice?

No. It is an operational governance framework. Florida law, governing documents, accounting, engineering, reserve-study, financing, and tax questions require appropriately qualified professionals.

← Return to all property insights

Need an independent view of the reserve action plan?

Request a focused review
Working checklist

reserve study action plan working checklist

Use these evidence checks to build a property-specific action plan. The rows define controls; they are not completed inspections or verified property findings.

These rows define suggested controls, not completed property findings. Interpret each check against your actual property records, responsible role and acceptance evidence. See the review instructions and reuse terms.

12 checks shown

reserve study action plan working checklist · October 2, 2026
Review areaCheckEvidence to requestDecision question
Study Verify the version Signed study issue date and component list Is this the current applicable study?
Study Map component ownership Governing documents and study scope Which entity maintains each component?
Study Identify changed condition Inspection or repair evidence and specialist review Which assumption needs review?
Funding Reconcile reserve balances Ledger bank reconciliation and adopted schedule Which balances are restricted or committed?
Funding Map contributions Adopted budget and funding schedule Do contributions follow the approved plan?
Funding Separate operating cash Account purpose and expenditure authority Is each funding source appropriate?
Projects Link scope to component Study ID professional scope and project register Is planned work addressing the same component?
Projects Check timing assumptions Remaining life lead time and condition evidence Has urgency changed?
Projects Refresh cost evidence Current quotations and specialist advice Which amount remains an estimate?
Decisions Document funding choices Authority professional advice and approved plan Which decision needs a vote or review?
Reporting Track implementation Planned versus actual contribution and spending What requires corrective direction?
Review Record revisions Specialist update rationale and adopted version Is the history traceable?
Hypothetical worked example

A study recommendation becomes an assumed approval

A fictional capital item appears in a reserve study and is then entered as approved procurement. The study does not itself establish the property decision or permitted funding.

Original fictional example · no completed client assignment or property inspection is represented.

From available records to a bounded decision
Record to obtainReview question or calculation
Current study and assumptionsTrace the professional recommendation
Governing funding recordsSeparate planning, funding authority and execution approval
Actual approval and procurement statusRefresh assumptions when scope or timing changes

Useful working output: An action plan showing recommendation, decision and procurement as distinct states.

Adapt the record request to authorized access, governing documents and the actual property. The example does not verify any unknown input or replace a professional conclusion.

Prioritizing Competing Property Capital Projects · More finance and reserves examples

Before acting on this guide

Set the review boundary and the acceptance test.

When to use it

Study recommendations need an implementation sequence.

What the evidence does not prove

Do not replace professional findings with a convenient funding score.

What to verify before acceptance

Connect each proposed action to the study version, condition finding, timing constraint and authorized funding review.

Original proposed coordination checks · adapt to authorized access, the actual obligation and the appropriate professional review. These are not findings about your property.

Follow the related handoff workflow · Read the review definitions

Put the guidance to work

Map each study component to a funding decision

Keep the component identifier, study date, estimated cost, remaining useful life, planned timing, and responsible professional together. Record which figures are study assumptions and which are current quotations.

Reconcile the adopted funding schedule, restricted balances, planned projects, and actual reserve expenditure. Ask the specialist to review changed condition or timing rather than editing technical conclusions locally.

Prepare decisions on sequencing and funding with the applicable professional advice. A reserve study is not a contractor scope, an inspection clearance, or a guarantee of final repair cost.

Apply the next operating control

Find checklists and data definitions · Explore finance and reserves