Ohio Reserve Studies
Fund reserves at a level your board can defend, with a study that lands before the budget meeting.
Time it to your budget
When does your fiscal year start?
Order the study by September 1. The site visit usually falls in October, the draft in November, in time for a December budget meeting before the year starts in January.
Typical lead times: two to four weeks to book the visit, four to eight more to a draft. Fall is the busy season.
What Ohio law asks each year
Ohio does not require a reserve study. It does require every annual budget to carry an adequate reserve for major capital items, under 5311.081 for condominiums and 5312.06 for planned communities, unless the owners waive it.
Fund the reserve
- The board adopts a budget with a reserve line sized to roofs, paving and siding.
- A study shows the amount is adequate.
- Higher dues now, fewer surprises later.
Owners waive it
- A majority of the owners' voting power signs off. The board cannot waive alone.
- It lasts one year.
- When the roof comes due, the money often comes from a special assessment.
What a study costs
A full study with a site visit runs about $1,500 to $20,000, driven mostly by how many buildings and components there are. Updates cost less.
Typical national ranges. A guide, not a quote.
| Community | Full study |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 60 units | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| 60 to 175 units | $2,500 to $8,500 |
| 175 to 300 units | $5,000 to $18,000 |
| Mid- or high-rise condo | $7,000 to $20,000 |
From request to proposal
Send the basics
The community ZIP and a way to reach you. Unit count and last study year help.
Hear who covers you
Within one business day we name a provider that works in your county.
Decide
Nothing is passed on until you say yes. The proposal and fee come from the provider.
Local notes: Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati
Get a quote before budget season
Three short steps: the community ZIP, who to reach, then three taps about the association.
We are a free introduction service, not a reserve study provider. We find a provider that works in your part of Ohio and tell you who it is before anything is passed on. The provider pays us a fee if you go ahead.
Thank you. Your request is with us.
Expect a short message from us inside a business day naming one provider that works in your county with associations your size. Reply yes and they will be in touch to scope the study and put a proposal in writing; reply no and your details go nowhere.