What does SIRS do?
A Structural Integrity Reserve Study uses visual inspection to identify covered components, estimate their remaining useful lives and repair or replacement costs, and recommend a reserve funding plan.
The required categories include roofing; structure; fire protection; plumbing; electrical systems; waterproofing and exterior painting; windows and exterior doors; and qualifying additional items above the applicable cost threshold whose failure affects the listed components.
Use the report to understand both the work ahead and when money needs to be available. Ask the preparer to explain assumptions and urgent findings in plain language.
Understand the building. Plan the funding. Protect the future.
Which Century Village buildings require it?
The recurring requirement generally covers residential condominium buildings with three or more habitable stories, at least every ten years. Applicability is building-specific; statutory exclusions also matter.
Ask a qualified professional and counsel to document applicability rather than rely on an informal description of the building. Do not assume that every association in Century Village has the same requirement.
Deadlines: check the actual circumstances
The initial statutory deadline for qualifying older owner-controlled associations was December 31, 2025. A qualifying association required to complete a milestone inspection by December 31, 2026 may coordinate its initial SIRS with that inspection, no later than that date.
A separate milestone-related delay provision also exists. Have counsel confirm which provision applies before relying on a postponement. December 31, 2026 is not an automatic extension for everyone.
If required work is overdue, obtain a written compliance plan promptly. Ask the manager to maintain a calendar of the study, notices, reporting, and budget actions.
How is SIRS related to milestone inspections?
They are related, but serve different purposes. A milestone inspection evaluates structural condition and identifies deterioration that may require further investigation or repair. A SIRS estimates covered future costs and recommends how to fund them.
They are often discussed together because structural findings can change repair timing and reserve needs. The inspection helps identify the work; the reserve study helps plan the money.
| Tool | Main question | Board use |
|---|---|---|
| SIRS | What covered work will need funding, and when? | Reserve planning and budget decisions. |
| Milestone inspection | What does the structural inspection reveal about the building? | Structural findings, required follow-up, and repairs. |
| Broader reserve study | What other long-term property expenses should we plan for? | A more complete capital plan, including items beyond SIRS scope. |
Example: A milestone inspection identifies deteriorated structural concrete. The board must address the required investigation and repairs; the SIRS preparer should consider the resulting scope, costs, and timing in the funding plan. Completing a funding study does not complete the repairs.
Ask the providers how the reports should inform one another. Coordinating assignments may reduce duplicated work. A qualifying milestone or similar inspection performed within the preceding five years may satisfy the visual-inspection portion of SIRS under §718.112(2)(g)8. It does not automatically replace the component estimates and funding plan required for the completed study.
A SIRS is not a guarantee that a building is safe, a substitute for investigating a hazard, or permission to defer urgent repairs.
Turn the report into a workable budget
Required SIRS reserves generally cannot be waived or diverted like ordinary discretionary reserve decisions. Current law provides specific funding and relief options with conditions; obtain advice before using one.
The study must be updated before adopting a budget whose funding does not align with its latest plan. Within 45 days of receipt, provide owners the study or the prescribed availability notice, and report completion and owner availability to DBPR. An officer or director must acknowledge receipt by affidavit.
Ask the preparer and accountant to reconcile the plan with actual reserve balances, approved assessments, project timing, and any financing. A promise to borrow later is not the same as committed, available funding.
Questions to ask when hiring a preparer
- Do your credentials meet the current statutory requirements?
- What buildings and association-maintained components are included?
- What documents and access arrangements do you need?
- How will urgent conditions be communicated?
- How are costs, useful lives, inflation, and existing reserves evaluated?
- What updates or explanations are included in your fee?
- Will you disclose any interest in bidding on recommended work?
Compare scope and qualifications before comparing price. Ask counsel to review credentials, required disclosures, and contract terms.
When to Update a Reserve Study
A study can become out of step with actual conditions before its next scheduled review. As a recommended planning practice, compare its assumptions with current information during budget preparation and when significant changes occur. Ask the qualified preparer whether an updated calculation, site visit, revised report, or broader new study is appropriate.
A practical review trigger is not a universal legal deadline. Keep statutory SIRS requirements, ordinary reserve planning, and lender criteria on separate tracks. A board spreadsheet adjustment does not by itself constitute a professionally updated SIRS or a study acceptable to a lender.
Review checklist: what changed?
| Trigger | Information to gather | Question for the preparer and advisers |
|---|---|---|
| Completed projects | Actual scope, cost, completion dates, condition reports, warranties, payments, and remaining commitments | Which components were fully replaced versus repaired? How should balances, useful lives, future cycles, and cash flow change? |
| Changed costs | Current proposals, labor/material estimates, access costs, permits, design fees, and revised scope | Do current estimates and escalation assumptions still fit the work? What does the change do to funding needs? |
| Revised useful lives | Inspection findings, maintenance history, observed condition, warranty information, and technical advice | Should timing change based on evidence? Do not extend a useful life merely to make the contribution smaller. |
| Funding changes | Reconciled balances, actual contributions, investment assumptions, planned expenditures, loans, assessments, and any proposed funding-method change | Does the funding plan remain aligned with the budget and applicable restrictions? What professional update and approvals are needed before adopting a change? |
| Unexpected deterioration | Engineering findings, leaks, corrosion, failures, photographs, urgent repair needs, and safety instructions | What work needs immediate action, and how should scope, timing, and funding be revised? A reserve update is not a safety assessment. |
Also flag omitted or newly added components, a major change in project scope, and new information from milestone or other inspections. Where safety may be affected, contact the appropriate qualified professional promptly; do not wait for a funding report to investigate a hazard.
Three review tracks—not interchangeable labels
| Track | Purpose and review questions | Who confirms? |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary or broader reserve study | Long-term planning for the association’s relevant components, which may extend beyond SIRS scope. Check the agreement, governing documents, applicable law, and professional recommendations for review needs. | Qualified reserve preparer, accountant, manager, and counsel as appropriate |
| Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) | A specific Florida statutory framework. Confirm applicability, covered items, preparer qualifications, required timing, funding alignment, and any update, notice, or reporting obligations. A broader study’s title does not establish that it meets SIRS requirements. | Qualified SIRS preparer and Florida counsel, with management tracking implementation |
| Lender / project-eligibility review | Financing criteria may have their own study scope, recency, qualifications, documentation, and effective-date conditions. Confirm the actual program; check Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac separately. | The transaction’s lender or authorized reviewer confirms eligibility; study professionals address technical revisions |
A report may support more than one purpose if it actually meets each applicable requirement. Do not assume that meeting a lender’s study-age criterion satisfies statutory timing, or that completing SIRS automatically establishes project eligibility. An update also does not complete repairs identified by an inspection.
Prepare an update request
- Identify the baseline: current study date, provider, covered property, component list, and adopted funding plan.
- Describe changes: attach the relevant checklist items, dated evidence, reconciled balances, contracts, and inspection reports.
- Ask for defined deliverables: scope of review, whether a site visit is needed, revised assumptions, projections, recommendations, and limitations.
- Confirm the legal and financial steps: ask counsel and the accountant about budget alignment, approval, reserve-use restrictions, and applicable notices or reporting.
- Document implementation: keep versions, board decisions, follow-up assignments, and the next review date. Preserve the original report and explain what changed.
Simple review register
| Study / component | Change and evidence | Referral / advice reference | Approved next step / owner / date |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Report and item] | [Completed work, cost, life, funding, or condition change] | [Professional, referral date, response] | [Action and follow-up] |
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Print or copy into a secure working document. This webpart does not collect or save association information.
Confirm before changing the plan. This checklist does not determine SIRS applicability, set a statutory update interval, authorize reduced contributions or reserve transfers, certify building safety, or establish mortgage eligibility. Have the relevant professionals confirm the proposed action and current requirements for the actual association.
Statutory starting point: 2026 Florida Statutes §718.112(2)(f)–(g). Reviewed October 19, 2026. The checklist is recommended planning practice, not an official UCO or WPRF procedure.
Update the facts. Review the assumptions. Keep funding realistic.
Recommended board action checklist
- Confirm applicability. Record the building-specific basis and relevant deadlines.
- Gather the history. Provide plans, inspection reports, repairs, warranties, financial balances, and prior studies.
- Commission the right scope. Arrange access and verify provider qualifications.
- Review the findings. Separate urgent work from future funding; ask questions before accepting assumptions.
- Complete notices and reporting. Keep delivery evidence, the acknowledgment, and submission confirmation.
- Align the budget. Explain the funding plan to owners and complete required approvals.
- Track changes. Update estimates and seek revised study guidance after major work or funding changes.
A study becomes useful when the board acts on it.
Common misunderstandings
- “We have a small association, so it cannot apply.” Check the building criteria and exclusions rather than unit count alone.
- “The roof is new, so no study is needed.” Other components and reporting duties may still matter.
- “Owners can vote away every reserve requirement.” SIRS restrictions and any permitted relief require careful review.
- “No SIRS means no reserves.” Smaller buildings still need a responsible maintenance and funding plan.
Official sources & related reading
- Florida Statutes §718.112(2)(f)–(g): Reserves and SIRS
- Florida Statutes §553.899: Milestone inspections
- DBPR condominium FAQs
- DBPR SIRS reporting information
Reviewed October 17, 2026. Educational overview. Confirm current applicability, deadlines, exceptions, provider qualifications, and funding decisions with association counsel and the study professional.
Keep a SIRS follow-up log
Assign a responsible person and completion evidence for each action: report receipt, officer acknowledgment, owner delivery or availability notice, DBPR reporting, budget alignment, professional questions, and any required follow-up work. Record the actual receipt date so applicable deadlines can be calculated.
- Keep the signed report, supporting explanations, delivery evidence, and submission confirmation together.
- Separate urgent repair findings from long-term funding recommendations.
- Track which version supports the adopted budget and identify proposed changes for professional review.
- Include unfinished actions in the next board’s handoff.
See DBPR account and information guidance, association website requirements, and records maintenance. Posting a study does not itself complete every owner-notice or DBPR obligation.
Connected financial and community resources
Authority matters: Florida law establishes statutory duties; governing documents define association authority subject to law; contractual duties come from applicable agreements. UCO procedures address separate UCO functions. The added registers and workflows are Board Synergy recommended practices, not prescribed statutory forms. Historical articles provide background rather than current legal instructions.