Ultimately, the choice is yours. The condo inspection will exclude the roof and exterior of the unit, meaning it is an interior-only inspection and is really only intended for condo buildings in which the units “stack” on top of each other.  While townhome community associations maintain the “common areas,” such as the roof and exterior, this comes with limitations. One, the association will only repair what they know to be an issue.  If there are missing shingles, for example, the association won’t know to repair those unless someone alerts them to the problem. Also, townhome associations and their ability to make repairs are only as good as the board and whoever is running it.  Many townhome associations are run by community members who are not well-versed in these matters.  This can mean that there is not enough money in the reserves to cover big-ticket items such as roof replacements.  Leaving you stuck with a special assessment of thousands of dollars to cover these repairs if you don’t negotiate to have the seller cover these costs beforehand. For these reasons, we are always going to recommend a full home inspection for a townhome, regardless of whether the common areas are an association’s responsibility or not.