The Community Associations Institute released the new Reserve Study Standards last May to provide communities with an improved outline for effective reserve planning. The updated study includes an emphasis on structural inspections and maintenance. A task force was created after the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers in 2021 to address specific issues that came to light, and the three main issues addressed and incorporated into the newly released Reserve Study Standards are maintenance, building inspections (structural inspections), and inclusion of long-life components.

The purpose of the Reserve Study Standards is to inform and guide the reserve study provider, such as a Reserve Specialist® (RS), with the minimum requirements necessary for the preparation of a reserve study. A reserve study can be prepared for several reasons throughout the life cycle of a community, beginning prior to construction and initial sales through community maturity. At each stage, the reserve study recommends the funding necessary to sustain the community. Originally published in 1998, these Reserve Study Standards provide a consistent set of terminology, calculations, and expectations so reserve study providers and those they serve together can build a safe and successful future for millions of community association homeowners. It is recognized that, in addition to the reserve study, a proactive preventive maintenance plan and ongoing periodic structural inspections should be incorporated into the community’s long-term planning to properly evaluate and budget for the ongoing care of the common area components as well as the structural safety of the community. To keep the reserve study current and reflect the ongoing changes to the components and the financial needs of the community, the reserve study should be updated on a regular basis. 

The updated standards can be found online.