HOA Fees in Miami Condos: What They Cover and How to Judge Them

HOA dues are the monthly fee every condo owner pays to the association, and in Miami they are rarely small. Across the 6,295 active condo listings in the buildings we track, the median fee is $1,400 a month, or $1.28 per square foot (data as of October 13, 2026). Half of all listings fall between $1.03 and $1.62 per square foot. This guide explains what that money pays for, how it varies, and how to tell a healthy budget from a warning sign.

What the dues pay for

Monthly dues fund the association's operating budget and its reserves:

• Operations: common-area maintenance and utilities, staff (front desk, valet, security, management), and amenities such as pools and gyms.
• Insurance: the master policy on the structure. Your own unit policy, usually called HO-6, is separate and not included.
• Reserves: savings for big future repairs like roofs, waterproofing, elevators and structural work.

Some buildings also include water, cable or internet in the fee. The budget will show you which.

What Miami owners actually pay

By building age. Towers built since 2016 charge the most per square foot:

| Year built | Median fee per sq ft | Median monthly fee | |---|---|---| | 1985 or earlier | $1.12 | $1,160 | | 1986 to 2000 | $1.15 | $1,594 | | 2001 to 2015 | $1.22 | $1,480 | | 2016 or later | $1.55 | $1,611 |

By neighborhood. Median dues per square foot range from $1.00 in Aventura and $1.15 in Sunny Isles Beach to $1.50 in South Beach and $1.63 in Coconut Grove. In Brickell the median is $1.33, in Edgewater $1.20 and in Downtown $1.45. Coconut Grove also has the highest median monthly fee of these neighborhoods, at $2,809.

On a 1,000-square-foot unit, the overall median works out to about $1,280 a month. Budget for it for as long as you own the unit, and remember that dues can rise. Each building page on Own.Miami shows the median fee of its current listings.

Why dues rose: Florida's reserve law

After the Surfside collapse, Florida changed what associations must save:

• Structural integrity reserve study. Buildings of three or more habitable stories need a study at least every 10 years (section 718.112, Florida Statutes). It covers the roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows and any other item over $25,000.
• No more waived reserves for those items. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners can no longer vote to waive or reduce the reserves for the items in that study, as Rimkus also explains.
• Milestone inspections. Condo buildings of three or more habitable stories need a structural inspection by the end of the year they turn 30, or 25 if the local building official requires it, then every 10 years (section 553.899).

Buildings that had kept dues low by skipping reserves had to raise them, levy special assessments, or both. That is why a low fee in an older building is a question to ask, not a bargain.

How to judge a building's dues

Before you buy, ask for and read these documents:

1. The current budget and the reserve schedule. Check that the reserve lines are funded as the structural study requires. Florida law also requires the board to send owners the proposed budget at least 14 days before the meeting that adopts it.
2. The structural integrity reserve study and the milestone inspection summary. Associations must distribute the inspection summary to owners within 45 days of receiving it.
3. Year-end financial statements. Look at how much owners owe in unpaid dues and whether the association has borrowed.
4. Recent increases. A budget more than 15 percent above the prior year brings extra owner protections under section 718.112(2)(e). Ask what caused any big increase.

Our buildings by financial health page and each building's health panel show recorded special assessments, recertification status and how readily lenders finance there. See also how much it costs to buy and special assessments and the safety law.

The bottom line

Judge dues by what they fund and whether the reserves are real, not by whether they look high or low. A building charging $1.50 per square foot with funded reserves can be cheaper to own over ten years than one charging $1.00 that is about to levy an assessment.

This guide is general education, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change. Confirm the specifics for your building with a Florida attorney, lender or CPA.