Ultimately, the choice is yours. A condo inspection excludes the roof and exterior, making it an interior-only inspection that’s really intended for condo buildings where units “stack” on top of each other.

Townhome communities often have associations that maintain common areas like the roof and exterior, but there are limitations. The association will only repair issues they know about — so something like missing shingles may go unnoticed unless reported. In addition, the association’s ability to make repairs depends heavily on the board. Many are run by community members without construction experience, and reserves may not be enough to cover big-ticket items like roof replacements. In those cases, owners can face special assessments costing thousands of dollars if the seller doesn’t agree to cover those repairs ahead of time.

For these reasons, we always recommend a full home inspection for a townhome, even if the common areas are technically the association’s responsibility.