Answers for Miami Boards
Straight answers to what Miami-Dade board members and managers ask us most about reserve studies and the SIRS. Where the law leaves room for argument, we say so.
Before you hire anyone
- What exactly is a reserve study?
- A long-range budget for the things an association owns and will one day replace. A provider lists the components, estimates how long each has left and what it will cost, then sets out how much to put aside each year. CAI's national standards describe it in two halves: a physical analysis and a financial analysis (CAI).
- How long does a Miami SIRS take?
- For a single tower, plan on a few weeks from the site visit to a draft, longer for several buildings or when drawings and repair records are hard to find. Book well ahead of any budget meeting the study has to feed.
- What documents should the manager pull together?
- The declaration and any amendments, the last reserve study or SIRS, milestone and recertification reports, building drawings if they exist, roof and concrete restoration contracts, the current budget and the reserve account balances.
Money
- Our SIRS says reserves must jump. Can the board phase it in?
- Usually not by vote: the SIRS schedule binds the budget. As we read the 2025 changes (House staff analysis), there is limited room, for example borrowing on a line of credit, pooling some reserves, or briefly pausing contributions while milestone repairs are paid for. Each comes with conditions, so confirm with the association's attorney before the budget meeting.
- Why did our special assessment come before the SIRS?
- Because the milestone or recertification inspection found repairs that cannot wait. Those are paid now; the SIRS then plans the reserves for the next cycle. Boards that see the inspection report first can at least present owners with one plan instead of two surprises.
- Is the cheapest proposal usually fine?
- Only if it covers the same scope. Check that it includes every building, a site visit, the signer the statute requires, and a revision round. A low fee for a SIRS that leaves out the full component list can cost more later.
Rules and edge cases
- Our building has two residential stories over a garage. Is that three?
- The SIRS threshold counts habitable stories (Fla. Stat. 718.112(2)(g)), and the milestone law counts stories in height (Fla. Stat. 553.899). A building can fall on different sides of the two lines. Ask the association's attorney and an engineer to read the definitions against your plans.
- Do HOAs in Miami-Dade need a SIRS?
- No. The SIRS is a condominium and cooperative rule. Homeowners associations run under chapter 720, which has reserve rules of its own and no SIRS. A Kendall or Doral HOA still budgets more honestly with a reserve study behind the numbers.
- Does a developer-controlled building need a SIRS before turnover?
- Before turnover the developer carries reserve and SIRS obligations of its own, and some owner protections only start once owners take control. The dates matter, so ask the association's attorney before turnover rather than after.
Where these figures and rules come from
More on the rules: SIRS and recertification in Miami-Dade. On fees: prices.
Get a quote
A building ZIP code, a callback number or email, and a handful of taps about the association. That is the whole form.
We introduce associations to reserve study providers; we do not prepare studies ourselves. Once we have a Miami-Dade provider in mind we name them to you, and nothing goes to them without your yes. The provider pays our fee, not the association.
Thanks. Your building is in the queue.
We look for a provider who prepares reserve studies and SIRS reports in Miami-Dade and has room in their calendar. Within a working day we come back to you with the firm's name. Nothing is passed along until you agree, and the provider prices the job for the board directly.
Useful to have ready: the last reserve study or SIRS, the milestone inspection report if there is one, and the current budget.