Key takeaways
Choose a Florida SIRS provider by first confirming the legal minimums, which are a qualified licensed or credentialed preparer, a visual inspection of the property, and written disclosure of any interest in recommended repair work. Then compare scope, cost sources, funding scenarios and post-delivery support before comparing price, because the lowest fee often leaves out the work that makes a study defensible.
- Ask who performs the inspection, who signs the report, and how many similar Florida buildings the provider has completed.
- Proposals can differ by two to three times for work that looks identical, usually because of inspection sampling, narrative depth, scenario modeling and update options.
- A bidder on repair work may not have an undisclosed direct or indirect interest in the firm that prepared the study, and contracts made without disclosure are voidable; build that attestation into the RFP.
- Ask each reference whether the number held up when it was presented to owners.
Written for: HOA & condo board members, Community association managers
When a board collects three SIRS proposals, the first thing everyone compares is the fee. It is the easiest number to compare. It is also the one least likely to tell you whether the study will hold up.
A SIRS will be read by your owners, your lender, your insurer, your attorney, buyers’ attorneys, and the state. It will drive a funding schedule that shapes your budget for a decade. It is worth choosing carefully, and worth knowing what to ask.
Start with the legal minimums
Before comparing anything, confirm each candidate clears the threshold the statute sets.
- Credentials. The study must be prepared by, or verified by, a licensed engineer, a licensed architect, a Reserve Specialist (CAI), or a Professional Reserve Analyst (APRA). Ask for license or credential numbers and check them.
- Site visit. The study is based on a visual inspection of the property. A proposal built on documents and photographs alone does not fit that requirement.
- Independence disclosure. A design professional or contractor who bids to prepare the study must disclose in writing any intent to bid on repair or replacement work it recommends. Anyone who bids on that work may not have a direct or indirect interest in the firm that wrote the study, or be a relative of someone who does, unless disclosed in writing. A contract made without the disclosure is voidable.
If a proposal is vague on any of these, treat it as a red flag, not a detail to resolve later.
Eight questions worth asking
1. Who performs the inspection, and who signs the report?
A principal’s name on the cover and a junior’s visit on the roof is a common arrangement. Ask who will be on site, what their qualifications are, and who takes professional responsibility for the conclusions.
2. How many Florida condominium buildings similar to ours have you completed?
Mid-rise concrete in a coastal environment behaves differently from a three-story garden building inland. Experience with your building type, age and climate matters more than total volume.
3. What will the inspection actually cover?
Ask for the scope in writing: which areas of the building, how many units or exposures sampled, whether the roof is walked or viewed from a drone, whether any destructive testing is included or excluded. The difference between proposals often hides in what they leave out.
4. What will we receive, and in what format?
The Division of Condominiums has adopted the SIRS form by rule: DBPR Form 6000-10, under Rule 61B-22.005, effective October 4, 2026. Ask every provider to confirm in writing that the study will be delivered on that form. A provider who has already built it into their process has thought about the full life of the deliverable. The study must also identify each inspected item, its remaining useful life and replacement cost, and a baseline funding plan that keeps the reserve cash balance above zero. Ask also whether you receive the underlying data or only a PDF.
5. How are costs estimated and updated?
A cost estimate is only as good as its source. Ask what pricing data the provider uses, how often it is refreshed, and how it accounts for construction inflation. A figure from a regional database last updated three years ago is a risk.
6. How do you handle funding scenarios?
A study that offers a single funding path leaves the board with a take-it-or-leave-it number. A good provider models component and cash flow methods, shows the effect on monthly assessments by unit type, and helps you see what each choice means in year ten.
7. What happens after delivery?
Will someone present to the board and to owners? Answer follow-up questions? Update the study when a project is completed? Providers differ widely here. If a proposal ends at "report delivered," you are buying a document, not a plan.
8. How do you keep the study current?
A SIRS is statutorily required at least every ten years. Conditions and costs move far faster than that. Ask whether the provider offers annual updates, what they cost, and how the study integrates with your budget process.
How to read a price
Proposals can differ by a factor of two or three for what looks like the same work. Common reasons:
| What drives a lower price | What it may cost you later |
|---|---|
| Limited site sampling | Findings that do not reflect the building |
| Template-driven narrative | Recommendations an owner or lender can challenge |
| No scenario modeling | A funding plan the board cannot defend |
| No post-delivery support | Re-engagement fees when questions arise |
| No update path | A second full study when conditions change |
None of this means the most expensive proposal is best. It means that price should be compared after scope, credentials, deliverables and follow-up are normalized. Build a simple matrix with those rows, and let the fee be the last row, not the first.
Check the independence rule in practice
Boards often discover the independence requirement only when bids arrive. A better sequence:
- Require the provider to state in the proposal whether they or an affiliate will bid on recommended work.
- Carry that statement into your RFP package for repairs.
- Require every bidder to attest that they have no direct or indirect interest in the preparer, and no relative with one, unless disclosed in writing.
- Keep the documents in the board’s records.
It takes an hour to set up and prevents a conflict you would otherwise discover during a contested vote.
References and track record
Ask for three Florida references from the last two years: a board member, a manager, and, if possible, an attorney who relied on the study. Ask them one question: "Did the number hold up when you took it to owners?"
Red flags
- A fee quoted before anyone has seen the building
- No named inspector
- A promise that the study will "keep your assessments low" (the study reports conditions; it does not pick an outcome)
- No clear statement about independence
- Reluctance to share a sample report
- Pressure to sign before the next board meeting
The decision that matters
The best SIRS provider is not the cheapest, the fastest or the one with the most impressive brochure. It is the one whose work you can place in front of an owner, a lender and a courtroom without hesitating. Ask the eight questions, normalize the proposals, and choose the study you would be comfortable defending.
SmartProperty prepares Florida SIRS reports and keeps them current through the Living Reserve Study®. Request a sample report and proposal and compare us against the questions above.
