Miami New-Construction Condo Deposit Schedules Explained

Start with the current contract for the specific project and unit. Separate a reservation from the purchase contract, and separate every contract installment from final cash to close. Do not describe a sales-gallery schedule as typical for Miami or assume that a milestone label explains when payment is due, how funds are held, or what happens if the project or buyer does not proceed.

The decision is not simply whether the percentages look manageable. It is whether the buyer can document each trigger, protect liquidity, satisfy the deadline through verified channels, and accept the contract's treatment of escrow, permitted construction use, delay, default, termination, assignment, and closing.

Create one row for every expected transfer. Record the document and version that creates the obligation; payment label; dollar amount and percentage; trigger event; exact due-date rule; notice sender and delivery method; account and escrow agent named in the contract; whether construction use is permitted; refund, dispute, and default language; buyer approval owner; proof required before release; verified wire callback contact; transfer status; and receipt confirmation.

Keep assumptions out of the control fields. If the contract uses an estimated construction event, calendar range, notice period, certificate, amendment, or closing condition, preserve that language for counsel instead of converting it into an invented date. Reconcile the sheet after every amendment or schedule notice.

For a reservation, confirm the governing form, the developer's filing status, the escrow holder, refund procedure, conversion mechanics, and whether signing the purchase contract changes the status of the money. DBPR states that its specific pre-filing reservation program requires an ownership, leasehold, or contractual interest in the land, a filed reservation program, an executed escrow agreement and reservation form, escrowed deposits, and refundability on request.

For a purchase contract, map the statutory reference points and the actual contract together. Section 718.202 requires the initial payments up to 10 percent of the sale price to be placed in escrow before substantial completion, subject to the statute's alternatives and release rules. It separately addresses amounts above that tier and permits construction use in defined circumstances when the contract provides for it. Final closing funds belong in a separate cash-to-close and verified-wire workflow.

Section 718.503's developer-contract legend ties the initial written cancellation window to both buyer execution and receipt of all required items. It also describes a separate window after receipt of an amendment that materially and adversely changes the offering. Do not calculate either deadline from a sales conversation, portal timestamp, incomplete package, or another transaction. Record the complete delivery set and obtain Florida counsel's written deadline analysis.

Use the DBPR document-receipt form as orientation, then compare the actual prospectus or disclosure statement, declaration, articles, bylaws, estimated budget, form contract, rules, restrictions, plans, specifications, escrow agreement, and applicable amendments. DBPR filing is a disclosure-compliance process; it does not mean the state endorses the economics or suitability of the offering.

Model each payment against the buyer's liquid funds, currency-transfer timing, lender conditions, entity or trust setup, tax and legal work, and a separate reserve for closing and ownership costs. Do not count an expected asset sale, loan approval, currency rate, or transfer date as available cash until the responsible institution confirms the actual path.

Set stop conditions before release: missing or changed documents, unverified wire instructions, unexplained account-name differences, incomplete source-of-funds approval, an amendment not reviewed by counsel, an uncertain milestone trigger, a schedule that exceeds approved liquidity, or a claim that conflicts with the written contract. A deadline does not justify bypassing fraud controls or professional review.

This guide converts current public Florida Legislature and DBPR materials into a buyer control framework. The three figures above describe statutory or agency reference points as accessed on July 18, 2026. They are not a market-average deposit schedule, a statement that every reservation uses the pre-filing program, or a conclusion about a selected contract's escrow, construction-use, refund, default, extension, assignment, delay, or termination terms.

Project schedules, forms, offering status, construction milestones, prices, incentives, availability, fees, financing, and delivery estimates can change and must be verified from current primary documents. This page is real-estate decision guidance, not legal, tax, lending, banking, currency, accounting, escrow, title, insurance, engineering, securities, or investment advice. Florida condominium counsel and the buyer's other qualified professionals must review the actual transaction before funds are committed or transferred.