This episode is the first of a two-part condominium building structural safety series. In the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse in Florida, this series is meant to give the Single Lady Estate community information to consider when purchasing a condo along the East, West, or Gulf Coasts.

Josh Thompson is CEO and Founder of Thompson Exterior Services which is a full-service exterior building service company servicing the Northeast.

Josh joins us to talk about how potential and current coastal condominium homeowners can take a proactive approach towards understanding their building’s structural maintenance plans.

The importance of condo building maintenance and structural integrity was brought into sharp focus after the collapse of the Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida on June 24, 2021.

Bobbie and Josh discuss how the Surfside condominium collapse has already changed building recertification laws. He also touches on the differences between building recertification in New York City (every 5 years) and Florida (every 40 years at the time of the collapse).

NOTE: May 2022, Florida passed the Condominium and Structural Safety Law: “Recertification will be required after 30 years, or 25 years if the building is within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the coast, and every 10 years thereafter. The Champlain Towers South was 40 years old and was going through the 40-year-recertification process required by Miami-Dade County when it collapsed last June”. – U.S. News

Here are a few tips Josh recommends when considering a beachside condominium purchase:

1. Find out what the HOA and building management is doing about preventative maintenance.
   
2. Know what systems are in place to monitor, forecast, and execute building maintenance.
   
3. Know the most recent inspection and the frequency of required building recertification in your local area.
   
4. Be aware of the financial oversight to ensure residents are not surprised by an unexpected but critical building maintenance expense.
   
5. Find out if the building has an emergency alert system (text/app) in place to alert residents.
   

To connect with Josh Thompson or learn more about Thompson Exterior Services visit his website.

Bobbie Wasserman is the founder of Single Lady Estates^® and host of the Single Lady Estates podcast. The mission of Single Lady Estates is to empower women in building financial stability for them and their families through homeownership. We do this by providing educational resources, advocacy efforts and connecting women with resources and networks that can help enhance the homeownership journey - buying, selling and life in between.

To learn more about Single Lady Estates, we invite you to subscribe to the podcast and become a member of the Single Lady Estates community.