By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
What's the point of having a home inspection when you buy a condominium? Typically, everything from the drywall out is common property, owned collectively by all members of the homeowners' association. If I am buying into a 100-unit complex, I am buying 1/100th of all drywall, studs, slabs, roofs and grounds (grass, plants, pools, etc). I am buying 100 percent of the airspace in my own condo, but I have an interest in the condition of the remainder of the complex, yet these aren't even included in the inspection. Therefore, what good is an inspection of 1/100th of what I am buying? --Diane
Dear Diane,
When you buy a condominium, you hire a home inspector to find conditions that directly affect the function and safety of your immediate living area. You also have a financial interest in the maintenance of common areas, but these are far less impacting on you directly. The projected costs of common property maintenance, include upkeep of the grounds, painting of the exterior, eventual roof replacement, etc., are paid by your monthly membership fees. If a professional reserve study of these costs has been conducted, then the maintenance monies set aside for needed repairs should be adequate and neither you nor your home inspector should be concerned in that regard. With that clarified, we can set aside common area concerns and focus on the primary purpose and benefit of a condominium home inspection.
Within the confines of your privately owned condo space are numerous fixtures and components whose operation and safety can significantly affect your life and finances. These include the electrical wiring and the operational condition of outlets, lights and switches. They include the safe operation of interior heating, hot water fixtures and the combustible fuel systems that may be associated with such equipment. Other concerns considered by your condo inspector include the plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, cabinets, fireplace air conditioning, kitchen range, dishwasher, sinks, toilets, tubs, showers and so on.
Additionally, a qualified inspector of your condo will consider exterior conditions immediately appurtenant to your unit, even though these are common areas of the property, managed by the owners' association. These would include the exterior walls and trim, patios and decks, porches and entry stairs, roofing conditions, exterior electrical and plumbing conditions, parking structures, etc.
As with any home inspection, whether the dwelling is a separate living unit or a condominium, the purpose of the inspection process is to protect the interests of buyers. Even with a condo, the more you know about your prospective purchase, the better your interests will be protected.
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