Has My Miami Building Passed Its Required Milestone Inspection? What Sellers Need to Know in 2026
By Roman Ivanov, REALTOR® at REAL | 786-909-4892 | MiamiFineLiving.net
If your condo building is 30 years or older — or 25 years and within three miles of the coastline — Florida law now requires it to complete a structural milestone inspection. This is not optional, it is not a formality, and buyers in Miami FL real estate 2026 know exactly what to ask for.
Your building's milestone inspection status has quietly become one of the most consequential factors in a condo transaction. Here is what you need to understand before you list.
What the Milestone Inspection Law Requires
Florida's Senate Bill 4-D, signed into law in 2022 following the Surfside tragedy, requires condominium buildings that are three stories or taller to undergo a Milestone Structural Inspection once the building reaches the applicable age threshold, and every 10 years thereafter.
The process has two phases. Phase 1 is a visual inspection of the building's structural components by a licensed engineer or architect. If Phase 1 identifies concerns, Phase 2 is triggered — a more invasive investigation involving non-destructive or destructive testing to determine the extent of any issues. Buildings that fail to comply with inspection deadlines face municipal fines and, in serious cases, evacuation orders.
Why Buyers Are Asking About This Before They Make an Offer
In the aftermath of Surfside and the passage of the new law, buyer awareness of building safety has risen sharply. Sophisticated buyers and their agents now routinely request milestone inspection reports as part of their initial due diligence — often before submitting an offer, not just after going under contract.
For buildings in Surfside, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, and other coastal communities where older high-rise inventory is concentrated, this is especially true. A building without a completed inspection — or with an open Phase 2 — faces buyer skepticism that is very difficult to overcome with price alone.
"Milestone inspection status is the first thing I check when a new seller comes to me. If there are compliance issues, we need a plan before we go to market — not after a buyer gets cold feet and walks." — Roman Ivanov, REALTOR at REAL
What a Clean Inspection Means for Your Sale
If your building has completed Phase 1 with no structural concerns identified, that is a genuine competitive advantage. Highlight it. In your listing remarks, in conversations with buyer's agents, in your marketing materials — make it clear that your building has been professionally inspected and cleared. In a market where uncertainty around building safety is a real concern, a clean inspection report is a selling point worth emphasizing.
Roman Ivanov real estate REAL Miami FL includes building inspection status in every pre-listing analysis. With over 160 homes sold and 50 Google 5-star reviews, this level of preparation is part of how Roman's clients reach closing day without last-minute surprises.
What Open or Unresolved Findings Mean
If your building is in the middle of Phase 2, or if remediation work has been ordered but not yet completed, your sale becomes more complex — but not impossible. The path forward depends on the scope of the findings, what the association's remediation plan looks like, and how the work is being funded.
Some lenders will decline to approve financing in buildings with open structural findings. That narrows your buyer pool to cash purchasers — which in Miami's market, particularly in neighborhoods like Brickell, Edgewater, and Aventura, is not a small pool. But pricing and strategy need to reflect that reality.
Steps to Take Before You List
Request your building's most recent milestone inspection report from your association management company. Read it. Understand what was found, what was cleared, and what — if anything — remains open. Get the remediation timeline in writing if work is underway.
Then talk to an agent who understands how to position that information in the market. Transparency, presented correctly, builds buyer confidence. Silence raises red flags. The sellers who control the narrative are the ones who close at full value.
Explore current Miami FL homes for sale and see how active listings in compliant buildings are performing in today's market.