What should a board gather before the SIRS site visit?

A SIRS reserve study rests on a visual inspection of the condominium property. What the inspector can see in a day or two, and what the board can prove about the building’s history, decides how close the study’s remaining lives and costs come to reality. Most of the difference between a vague study and a sharp one is preparation, and almost all of it is work the manager or a director can do before the visit.

Start with the documents that define the job

The declaration and bylaws decide what the association maintains. That matters most for items where Florida documents often split responsibility: windows and sliding doors, plumbing inside unit walls, and balconies. Send the provider the declaration, any amendments that reassign maintenance, and for a co-op the proprietary lease. Without them, the study may count openings or pipes the association does not own, or miss ones it does.

Send the current budget and the reserve balances by account as well. The funding plan starts from what the association already holds.

Drawings and permits

Original construction drawings, structural drawings and any as-built sets save the inspector time and guesswork, especially on structure and plumbing, where much is hidden. Add permits and drawings for later major work: re-roofing, window replacement, concrete restoration, repiping, fire alarm upgrades. If drawings are missing, say so up front; the provider may want more time on site.

Every recent inspection report

These are the reports that most change a SIRS:

• Milestone inspection, phase one and any phase two, in full. A qualifying milestone inspection from the past five years can replace the SIRS visual inspection under s. 718.112(2)(g)8, so the provider needs to judge what it covers.
• County programs such as Miami-Dade recertification or Broward’s building safety inspection, including separate electrical reports.
• Fire inspections and sprinkler, alarm and fire pump test reports, which tell the provider what works today under item c.
• Roof surveys, moisture scans or warranty inspections for item a.
• Elevator, generator and switchgear service reports, which often hint at remaining life better than a visual look can.

Repair and replacement history, item by item

Build a simple table with one row per SIRS item and columns for what was done, when and at what cost. For example: roof replaced 2016, $410,000; balcony concrete repairs 2021, 38 units, $290,000; fire alarm panel 2009. Include work after storms, and note insurance-funded replacements, because a window replaced after a hurricane should not be aged from the building’s original construction date.

The table does two jobs. It lets the provider set remaining lives from real dates, and it shows the association’s own cost history, which is a useful check on the provider’s estimates.

Plan access properly

An inspector who cannot get in cannot inspect. Before the visit:

• arrange roof access, including keys to hatches and any safety equipment the provider asks for;
• open mechanical, electrical, pump and elevator rooms, and have the maintenance lead available;
• schedule a sample of units for balcony, window and riser checks, spread across floors and exposures, with notices sent under the documents’ entry rules;
• clear storage from areas that hide walls or slabs, such as garages and storage rooms.

Ask the provider which units and how many it wants. Coastal elevations and the top floors usually tell the most.

Settle the scope questions first

A few decisions belong before the visit, not after the draft:

1. SIRS only, or a full reserve study? Adding non-SIRS components in the same visit saves a second trip; keep the SIRS items reported separately because their reserves cannot be waived.
2. Who signs? One of the four credentials in the statute. On a building with structural findings, many boards want an engineer to verify.
3. Repair bids. If the provider might bid on recommended repairs, it must disclose that in writing under (g)3.b. Ask for the answer on the proposal.
4. Item h. Agree which other components over the indexed $25,000 threshold the provider will test against the “would harm items a to g” standard: parking decks, seawalls, elevators, cooling towers.

On the day

Have one person, usually the manager or the maintenance lead, walk with the inspector and answer questions about history and known problems. Point out recurring leaks, stained ceilings, cracked stucco and rust stains; residents’ complaints are good evidence. Take notes of anything the inspector says will need further investigation, because those comments often turn into contingencies in the final numbers.

After the visit

Expect a draft. Check it against the repair table: wrong installation dates and missed replacements are the most common errors, and each one moves a line in the funding plan. Then accept the final version, and the 45-day clock for owner notices, the division statement and the director’s affidavit begins.

A short checklist for the board’s agenda:

None of this takes long, and it repays itself in a study the board can defend to owners at the budget meeting.