Florida non-warrantable condo financing

Florida condo declined? The building failed the review — the loan doesn't have to.

Florida has more condos on lenders' do-not-lend lists than any state. When a condo is "non-warrantable," Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won't accept the building — so no conventional lender can finance it, however strong your file. Portfolio and non-QM lenders review the building on their own terms, and most of the problems that disqualify a project are ones they finance around.

  • Milestone-inspection repairs and special assessments
  • Condotels, resort condos and vacation-rental towers
  • Insurance and deductible problems, litigation, commercial space
  • One investor owning many units; new projects still selling
  • Buildings flagged "unavailable" in Fannie Mae's system
  • Primary homes, second homes and rentals — buy, refinance or sell
Call (949) 751-1870Text KorbinEmail

Offered through West Capital Lending by Korbin Spangenthal, NMLS #2079029. Subject to credit approval, project review, appraisal and program guidelines. Not affiliated with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

Is this condo warrantable?

Tick anything that describes the building. Runs in your browser — nothing is sent.

Building traits

A general guide to the rules as of September 2026, not a project review. A lender decides after reading the association's documents.

★★★★★ 4.96/5 from 215 verified reviews
Condotels, litigation, special assessments
Primary, second home or rental
Statewide from Fort Lauderdale

The problem

You qualified. The building didn't.

Every condo loan reviews two things: you, and the project. A buyer with excellent credit can still be declined because the association is in a lawsuit, the building runs a rental desk, or a milestone inspection turned up repairs. The fix is not a better file — it is a lender with different building rules.

Conventional (agency) review

  • Any one ineligible trait fails the whole building
  • Condotels and hotel-style operations declined
  • Litigation declined unless minor
  • Single-entity and commercial-space caps
  • Buildings flagged "unavailable" are off the table

Portfolio and non-QM review

  • The lender writes its own building rules
  • Condotels financed on many programs
  • Litigation reviewed case by case
  • Investor-heavy and mixed-use buildings common
  • Flagged buildings considered — the reason matters

The honest limit: a building with unfinished repairs affecting safety or structure is hard to finance anywhere until the work is funded and underway. Down payments and pricing on non-warrantable condos also generally run above conventional, and are set lender by lender — so no numbers are printed here. See how these loans work →

The process

Building first, then you

Non-warrantable condo loans are won or lost on the building, so that is where we start.

1

Name the building

The building, the unit, and whether you are buying, refinancing or selling. If a lender already declined it, tell us why. Soft credit pull only, if and when it helps.

2

Match the building to a lender

We gather the questionnaire, budget, minutes, insurance and any litigation or assessment details, and place the file with a lender whose guidelines accept the building's specific issue.

3

Appraisal and close

The appraisal, your income documentation — or the unit's rent, on a rental — and a closing that does not depend on Fannie Mae's opinion of the building.

Who this is built for

If the condo is right and the building is complicated

Each of these has its own page.

Condotel buyers Buildings in litigation Special assessment buildings Florida milestone & SIRS buildings New construction Investors & short-term rentals Owners who need to refinance Sellers & listing agents

Florida, region by region

Every Florida coast has its own reason

Recertification in Miami-Dade, a 25-year cycle in Broward, Helene and Milton on the Gulf, condo-hotels in Orlando and on the Panhandle. See the Florida overview →

Miami-Dade Broward Palm Beach Tampa Bay Sarasota & Bradenton Naples & Fort Myers Orlando Panhandle Northeast Florida Daytona & Space Coast

A Florida loan officer who also sells real estate

Korbin works both sides of these transactions — financing for buyers and owners, and a financing plan for listing agents whose buyers keep getting declined.

Korbin Spangenthal, Vice President and Mortgage Loan Originator

Korbin Spangenthal

Vice President • Mortgage Loan Originator • Licensed Real Estate Agent

Based in Fort Lauderdale, where the older coastal towers, the post-Surfside inspection laws and the insurance market put more condos on lenders' do-not-lend lists than almost anywhere. Licensed in 30 states with West Capital Lending, Inc. Rated 4.96/5 across 215 verified reviews.

NMLS #2079029  •  DRE #2178533  •  West Capital Lending, Inc., NMLS #1566096, DRE #02022356
17911 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92614
Direct: (949) 751-1870  •  kspangenthal@westcapitallending.com
Call (949) 751-1870Text KorbinEmail
Verify my license on NMLS Consumer Access →

Straight answers

Questions condo buyers actually ask

What is a non-warrantable condo?

A unit in a building that does not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac project standards, so conventional lenders cannot sell the loan to them. The label is about the building, not the buyer.

Can I get a mortgage on a non-warrantable condo?

In most cases, yes, through a portfolio or non-QM lender that reviews the building on its own terms. The common exception is a building with unfinished repairs affecting safety or structure.

What makes a condo non-warrantable?

Most often a hotel-style rental operation, litigation, unfinished critical repairs or an assessment for them, one owner holding too many units, too much commercial space, high dues delinquency, thin reserves, inadequate insurance, or a new project that has not sold enough units.

Can I buy a condotel with a mortgage?

Yes, through lenders that finance condo-hotel units. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not.

Is my building non-warrantable because most units are rented?

Not anymore, for established buildings. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac retired that test on March 18, 2026.

How much down payment does a non-warrantable condo need?

More than a conventional condo loan in most cases, and more again for second homes and rentals. Each lender sets its own, so the answer comes from your building and your file.

Do you finance non-warrantable condos everywhere in Florida?

Yes. Korbin is based in Fort Lauderdale and licensed statewide, with regional guides from Miami-Dade to the Panhandle. He is also licensed in 29 other states.

I am selling and my buyer was declined because of the building. What now?

Your buyer needs a lender that finances the building. Send the building name — lining that lender up before the next offer is the fix.

Guides

One page per question, each dated and sourced.

Non-warrantable condo loans

What the label means and how these units get financed.

What makes a condo non-warrantable

Every reason, with the 2026 thresholds.

Is my condo warrantable?

Five documents to check before the offer.

The "unavailable" list

The so-called condo blacklist, and financing anyway.

The 2026 rule changes

What changed in March and August, and in January 2027.

Condotels

Hotel-style buildings and how they are financed.

Special assessments

When one blocks the loan, and when it does not.

HOA lawsuits

Which suits matter to a lender.

Florida milestone & SIRS

SB 4-D, SB 154 and HB 913 in plain English.

Master insurance

The top reason Florida buildings fail review.

Rentals & investors

Including loans qualified on the rent.

New construction

Presales, phases and buying early.

Refinancing

When your building changed after you bought.

Selling

For sellers and listing agents.

FHA and VA

Single-unit approval and its limits.

Florida by region

Why Florida has the most flagged buildings, coast by coast.

Send the building. Get a real answer.

You will hear back from Korbin directly — including a straight "not yet," if the building needs to finish repairs first.

Submitting does not pull your credit and is not an application. By submitting you agree to be contacted about your inquiry by phone, text or email; reply STOP to end texts.