I think when people hear “condo” they think of a multistory building with upstairs and downstairs neighbors but they aren’t all built that way. My MIL has a great condo that is quite spacious and more like a townhome, but it’s a condo. I’m not really sure what if any the legal difference is. Hers is an end unit so she just has one shared wall. No upstairs neighbors or downstairs neighbors as they aren’t built that way. She has 3 floors in her condo including the basement. She’s lived there for 30 years and not had many problems. It’s a desirable area. We are trying to nudge her toward the idea of selling and moving into a CCRC because she’s broken her hip once and is 87.
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My son rents a private condo in Atlanta where only 20% are allowed to be rented. He is learning that condos have issues he has no control over even if he owned the unit. He too has bug issues and has hired pest control but suggested the Condo Association have regular pest control for the building and just add to the annual fee. Apparently owners don’t want anyone entering their unit, unlike you don’t have a choice in an apartment rental. So, bugs continue, from all around you, you can only control your little space.
Some condo HOA - at least in our state - have strict rules about allowing maintenance to be performed inside units. If the owners refuse routine maintenance like pest control, the HOA assesses a fine which is then billed to the owners, like via the portal where HOA dues are collected. If that is not paid, then the fine doubles etc. and becomes a lien.
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Is that not considered a townhome?
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Deleted - I deleted my post because I thought better of posting since I was making assumptions without confirming.
It’s called a condo. I dunno.
Ok, looked it up and found this:
Q: What’s the difference between a condo and a townhouse?
A: Condo unit owners own the inside of their units. Townhouse owners own the complete unit, including exterior surfaces and the land on which the unit is built.
Every condo or townhouse development also has “common areas” of the property such as recreation areas, sidewalks and parking lots. Condo owners share ownership of the common areas with other owners, while common areas in townhouse developments are usually owned by the homeowners’ association for the benefit and use of unit owners. Either way, owners typically pay dues to a homeowners’ association to cover the costs of maintaining the common areas, as well as other common expenses.
Q: Are there any other legal differences between condos and townhouses?
A: Yes. The creation, sale and management of condos are governed by specific statutes (the “Unit Ownership Act” for condos created before October 1, 1986 and the “North Carolina Condominium Act” for condos created on or after October 1, 1986). There are no specific statutes governing most townhouses. However, townhouse projects of more than 20 units and created on or after January 1, 1999 are covered by the Planned Community Act, as are certain developments which volunteer to be subject to all or a portion of the Act. Townhouses that fall outside the Planned Community Act are governed by the same general laws that govern single-family houses.
This is NC law, so may be different for other states.
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I have a doctor’s note saying the landlord of my rental cannot apply pesticides inside my apartment due to my health issues.
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My parents CCRC is supposedly the top in the state. We still felt there were a lot of gaps in care, even in the skilled nursing. It was still good my folks had that as a base to live at.
We were all happy there was ample parking and the food was pretty good. They had staffing but the aides you could hire to be companion & potential light housekeeping weren’t that nurturing or attentive and would sometimes cancel with little or no notice.
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Since he rents, he can understand that in the south in buildings like his (perhaps), even with strong pest control - it is extremely difficult to get rid of the bugs once they are in-between the walls. We learned this in Houston and our first (and only) apartment as husband and wife. DH would go on midnight ‘roach patrol’ in our galley kitchen. I had maintenance plaster around the opening for the bathroom sink drainpipe because they would come up there. Easier to control bugs in standalone home in the south.
My DD’s apartments in Birmingham away from trees had no bug problems, but they had regular pest control come in extra for same complex’s townhouses - I think some of the area landscaping might have been a source of the bugs.
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Also in our state there are ‘zero lot line’ places - but the terminology is different in some states. A friend in MN lives in a standalone home but her ownership is to about a foot away from her house, and the homeowner’s association takes care of the grass and the snow removal (and the ‘ownership’ of that land). IDK specifics about her driveway (as far as maintenance) - the association takes care of that snow removal too.
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When we were looking at properties, some required the person who owned the unit to maintain specified grassy portions of the areas near their unit. It was one more thing we weighed in deciding whether we wanted the property. I could see being responsible for areas fenced in near your unit but the front area by the sidewalk was much more ambiguous and could have been common area taken care of by association.
Different property managers have varying degrees of skill/interest in maintaining the premises. We saw wood rot that the management company were supposed to handle, and we saw they painted over gravel and left it in gutter rather than remove it and debris before painting. There was a light post that had fallen over and was overgrown with vegetation and never replaced. All of these factors definitely made us reluctant to buy into the development.
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The lady in CO is not going to find ‘more affordable’ condo now versus the 2023 purchase time. I suspect the rise in the HOA fee was to cushion against another incident like what happened with the roof in another building - and their HOA in a condo association needs the retained funds for maintenance.
Yes, many new communities/new home, will have HOA because they will have the community amenities.
If/when we do move to DD1’s city, we will be looking at established homes/no HOA, with older construction (we see the deterioration with home building - what is ‘behind the walls’), and also want a property that is not cookie cutter. We look to spend more, both with purchase and with fixing it up. DD2’s rental home was built perhaps 2017/2018, and is in a community with a lot of these mass builders – affordable housing for reasonable income. Her home layout is good and it works for them while they are making sure her DH has his career job in that city; also, to save up more for the house they want to have long-term. I suspect they will rent for a few more years, but will also be looking at the houses that become available in desired areas for them.
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Our new condo has monthly fees of just under $1k/month and it doesn’t include anything but maintenance. Because it’s assigned by square footage and we bought smallest 2 bedroom, it’s less than others. Because it’s newer, it will only go up.
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https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/a-growing-number-of-american-homes-are-in-hoas-020326.html
Nearly a Quarter of Homeowners Paid Condo or HOA Fees in 2024
We have a $40 “HOA” which really just maintains a fence between neighborhood and main road. (And insurance - we’ve had a few cars it the fence.). It was $35 for the first 30 years here. I think officially there is an HOA (no dues) n we are supposed to consult to keep with covenants for paint color changes etc… no experience with that.
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The original developer had covenants which expired, and we elected NOT to renew them as an association. But we do own common land (a beautiful beach front on a beautiful lake). So, we do have an HOA because we are subject to the common ownership acts in our state. Our HOA is an annual dues of about $350 a year…for insurance, lawn care, maintenance of our dock and floats, some landscaping, etc.
Since we elected not to renew the covenants, there are no restrictions on homes…but then…there also aren’t any vacant lots where people can build…and most of the covenants related to home sizes, etc.
I will add, we have a fabulous neighborhood!
Our annual HOA costs are included on our retirement spreadsheet.
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Any restrictions regarding lot coverage/open space ? If not, this can present problems if a neighbor decides to build an additional structure(s) (such as a workshop / garage) on a lot within this subdivision. Arises often in communities with lot sizes of one acre or less. My suggestion to keep adequate open space and to protect views is to review setback requirements .
We have a neighborhood association but no power.
Only suggestions which are voluntary.
The first group of people who built the houses in our community were good about respecting the loosely defined rules
For instance not parking your RV in the driveway or your snowmobile trailer. Keeping the lawn up. No fences. No outbuildings.
Housing prices plummeted and a new generation of residents bought. They have different ideas that rules are suggestions that they aren’t going to abide by.
I’m fine with things. But I personally think that if the rules are a suggestion why should we have a board and an annual meeting.
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Do any of your neighbors have dogs ? If yes, then it seems that a no fences policy would be a problem for all.