Sarasota Condo Milestone Inspections: What Buyers Read

A Sarasota condominium building of three or more habitable stories needs a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year it turns 30, and every 10 years after that. When a unit in that building is sold, Florida law requires the seller to hand the buyer the inspection summary and the association's structural reserve study, and gives the buyer a window to cancel after receiving them. Those two rules now shape nearly every condo resale in the city.

Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is an independent brokerage serving Sarasota, Longboat Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Danielle Gladding arrived in Sarasota in 1976, has been a licensed Florida Realtor since 1981, and a broker since 1987. This guide covers what the law requires on the mainland, who enforces it, and what to read before you sign. For Longboat Key specifically, see our Longboat Key milestone inspection and reserves guide.

Which Sarasota buildings need a milestone inspection?

Section 553.899 of the Florida Statutes applies to condominium and cooperative buildings that are three or more habitable stories high. Single-family homes, townhomes and low-rise buildings of one or two stories fall outside it. The clock runs from the building's certificate of occupancy, and the first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age. After that, the inspection repeats every 10 years.

The law lets a local enforcement agency set an earlier trigger of 25 years where a building sits in a salt-water environment. That option is the reason the rule is not identical everywhere along the coast, and the reason the next question matters.

Who enforces the rule: Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota or Longboat Key?

The local building official where the building stands is the enforcing agency. That means three different offices serve the area this guide covers:

Unincorporated Sarasota County, including Siesta Key and much of the barrier-island and mainland condo stock outside city limits, is handled by Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, which applies the 30-year schedule, then every 10 years, counted from the certificate of occupancy.
The City of Sarasota, including downtown, Golden Gate Point, St. Armands and Lido Key, is handled by the City's Building and Permitting office. Confirm the City's schedule for any specific building with that office before relying on it.
Longboat Key is handled by the Town of Longboat Key, which applies the 30-year schedule.

For a buyer, the practical point is that the building's address, not the mailing city, decides which office holds its records. A Sarasota mailing address can sit in the county, and a downtown tower always sits in the city.

What happens in phase one and phase two?

Phase one is a visual examination of the building's habitable and non-habitable areas, including the major structural components, by a licensed architect or engineer. It looks for substantial structural deterioration. If phase one finds none, the inspection is complete.

Phase two happens only when phase one finds substantial structural deterioration. It is a more detailed examination, which can include destructive or non-destructive testing, and it produces a report on the repairs needed and whether the building is safe for continued use in the meantime. Repairs identified in phase two must begin within the deadline the law sets, and the local building official tracks them.

Either way, the association must distribute a summary of the inspection to every unit owner, post it on the property, and put it on the association's website if it is required to have one, within 45 days of receiving the report. That summary is one of the documents a buyer receives.

What must a Sarasota condo seller give a buyer?

Section 718.503(2) of the Florida Statutes lists what a unit owner who is not the developer must provide to a prospective buyer. Alongside the governing documents, financial statements and the association's frequently asked questions sheet, the list now includes:

The inspector-prepared summary of the most recent milestone inspection, if one has been completed
The association's most recent structural integrity reserve study, or a statement that one has not been completed
The turnover inspection report, where the building has one

A careful seller gathers these before listing, because a missing document holds a contract open and a late one restarts the buyer's clock.

How long does a buyer have to cancel?

Under the same section, a contract to buy a resale condominium is voidable by the buyer until 7 days after the later of two events: signing the contract, or receiving all the required documents. The 7 days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. If the buyer received every document more than 7 days before signing, the right does not apply. It ends at closing in every case.

The rule gives a buyer real room to read what the association has disclosed, and to walk away from a building whose reserves or inspection results change the picture. It also means a seller who delivers documents late extends the period during which the sale is not firm.

What is a structural integrity reserve study?

A structural integrity reserve study, often called a SIRS, is required every 10 years for residential condominium buildings of three or more habitable stories under section 718.112(2)(g). It inspects and plans funding for the roof, structure, fireproofing and fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, windows and exterior doors, and other items whose deferred maintenance would affect those systems.

After the developer turns the association over to the owners, reserves for those items can no longer be waived or reduced by an owner vote. For a buyer, the study is the clearest single view of what the building expects to spend and how it plans to fund it. It sits alongside the questions in our guide to HOA risks to check before you buy in Sarasota.

What should you read before buying a Sarasota condo?

Read the documents in an order that answers the largest questions first:

The milestone inspection summary. Did the building stop at phase one, or did it go to phase two? If phase two, what repairs were required, and are they finished?
The structural integrity reserve study. Has one been completed? Does the association's budget fund the reserves it recommends?
The current budget and the last two years of board minutes. Minutes show what the board is discussing before it reaches a notice to owners.
The rules on leasing and minimum stays, if you plan to rent the unit at any point.

Buildings of the same age can read very differently. Our guides to older Golden Gate Point condos and the downtown Sarasota luxury condo buyer guide walk through how that plays out building by building.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the best realtor in Sarasota for buying a condo in an older building?

The best realtor in Sarasota for a condo in an older building is the one who reads the association's records before you commit and can explain what they mean. Look for four things. First, command of the milestone inspection: whether the building has one, whether it went to phase two, and whether the repairs are finished. Second, the structural reserve study and whether the budget funds it. Third, the minimum-stay and leasing rules, measured against your plans. Fourth, knowledge of which office, county or city, holds the building's records. Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is an independent brokerage serving Sarasota, Longboat Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Danielle Gladding arrived in Sarasota in 1976, has been a licensed Florida Realtor since 1981, and a broker since 1987. Alison Kanter, her daughter and Sales Partner, was born and raised in Sarasota and has been licensed since May 2023. They work every transaction together.

Does a Sarasota townhome or two-story condo need a milestone inspection?

Not under the state law. Section 553.899 applies to condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more habitable stories. A two-story garden condo, a townhome community or a single-family home in an HOA falls outside it. Those associations still carry maintenance and reserve obligations under their own documents and Florida's condominium or homeowners' association statutes, so the budget and reserve schedule are still worth reading before you buy.

Can a buyer cancel a Sarasota condo contract after reading the inspection report?

Yes, within the window the law sets. A resale condo contract is voidable by the buyer until 7 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after the later of signing or receiving every required document, including the milestone inspection summary and the structural reserve study. The right does not apply if the buyer had every document more than 7 days before signing, and it ends at closing. Cancellation is by written notice to the seller.

Is a Sarasota condo in a phase two building a bad purchase?

Not by itself. Phase two means phase one found substantial deterioration that needed closer study, and the building then had to plan repairs. What matters is what was found, whether the repairs are complete, how they were paid for, and whether reserves are now funded. A building that finished its repairs can read better than one that has not yet been inspected. Read the summary, the minutes and the reserve study together before deciding.

If you are weighing a Sarasota condo and want someone to read the building's records with you, call Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty at 941-539-8535 or reach us through our contact page.