Whether a pipe bursts, a fence leans on your property, or the clubhouse roof begins to leak, one question consistently springs to mind for property owners: who’s paying to fix it? Determining what maintenance tasks fall inside your responsibilities and which ones are shared by everyone is one of the most talked-about topics in community living.
HOA repairs become a grey area for homeowners and community associations alike when an unexpected repair comes up. Maybe the owner thinks the association will fix their cracked exterior wall, but the board is unaware and thinks the homeowner should take care of it. Understanding how HOA maintenance responsibilities are split keeps your residence protected, prevents unexpected costs, and maintains good relationships with your neighbors.
Who Maintains What?
HOA Responsibilities: Community Common Elements, shared amenities, HOA clubhouses, private neighborhood roads, and shared-conventional condo building exteriors.
Homeowner Responsibilities: Property walls, personal plumbing and fixtures, appliances, windows, and homeowner-only yards (single-family homes).
Every association has HOA governing documents that legally dictate how property maintenance is handled within any community. This will be your best resource for understanding where HOA maintenance responsibilities begin and end. Your property manager should make these documents easy to understand for you and every homeowner.
Property owners and board members have to first review the association’s declaration of CC&Rs and maintenance matrix. This matrix breaks down common elements, limited common elements, and units.
Reading over these documents will save you from unintentionally paying for maintenance that should have been picked up by the association.
What HOA Repair Responsibilities Belong to the Association?
Maintaining and increasing shared property value and safety are the main responsibilities of any community association board. Your HOA maintenance responsibilities outline will focus on any elements that benefit all residents or were designed to look the same throughout neighborhoods.
What Is Included in HOA Common Area Maintenance?
Elements included in HOA maintenance are any areas that are accessible by all homeowners within the community. Another word for these types of shared assets is “common elements.”
- Entryways into the neighborhood, shared community signage, neighborhood fencing.
- Private Streets, sidewalks, storm drains, community parking lots.
- Common area landscaping, parks, walking paths.
All these types of repairs are paid for by the association using collected HOA dues or through their reserve fund.
How Do Associations Maintain Clubhouses and Amenities?
Clubhouses, fitness centers, community pools, and tennis courts are also included in community association maintenance.
| Asset | Prevention Maintenance | Typical Major Repairs |
| Swimming Pools | Balancing water chemistry, daily skim | Pump replacement, pool re-plastering, deck resurfacing |
| Clubhouse | Janitorial Maintenance, HVAC service calls | Roof repairs, structural repair, furniture replacement |
| Sports Courts | Sweep surface, adjust nets | Surface Replacements, fence repairs, light replacements |
The community association will schedule and pay for a contractor to come fix any clubhouse leaky roofs or pool pump problems.
Are Exterior Components Part of HOA Maintenance?
For townhome associations and condos, the building exterior will be part of the common elements. The association is typically responsible for roof shingles, exterior painting, gutter cleaning, and foundational repairs.
If you own a single-family residence, you’ll likely be responsible for your roof maintenance, exterior walls, and gutters. Always review your HOA’s CC&Rs to see how your board divides exterior maintenance responsibilities.
What HOA Responsibilities Are Not the Association’s Duty?
If your association does not maintain it, you can guarantee that it falls under your HOA homeowner responsibilities. Every interior element that falls within your fence is included in your HOA maintenance responsibilities.
What Parts of Your Home Should a Homeowner Maintain?
Inside your home is your domain to keep how you want. Your HOA maintenance responsibilities do not cover inside your condo walls or single-family residence rental.
| HOA Maintenance Scope | Homeowner Maintenance Scope |
| Community clubhouse roofs | Interior walls and paint |
| Community swimming pools | Appliances like fridge, dishwasher |
| Common green spaces | Plumbing fixtures like toilets |
| Community private roads | HVAC equipment |
| Community entry gates | Window panes, screen doors |
Individual unit owners hold the responsibility to maintain their interiors in good condition. If another unit starts showing water damage from your side of the wall, you can be required to pay for that maintenance too.
Who Fixes Personal Plumbing Issues and Water Leaks?
All personal fixtures that sit inside your property line and do not venture into neighbor properties are your responsibility.
Example: If you have a leak under your kitchen sink, you are responsible for cutting off the water source, fixing the pipes, and drying/cleaning up your kitchen floor.
How Do Individual Owners Maintain Appliances?
As long as the appliance does not connect to central utilities that provide HVAC or hot water to your home, you are responsible for fixing your dishwasher, washer/dryer, oven, etc.
Landlords take out insurance policies that will protect their personal property in the case of unplanned water damage or structural accidents.
Do Condo Owners Have Different HOA Maintenance Responsibilities?
Yes. Since condos rely on the HOA to maintain the structure of the building, maintenance responsibilities are divided very specifically. Because of how condo maintenance responsibilities are defined, condo associations also control limited common elements.
A limited common element would be a condo unit’s balcony or an assigned parking spot. The association typically handles structural repairs for balconies while the condo owner handles daily balcony cleaning.
Your HOA Wants to Resolve Maintenance Disputes Too
When disagreements happen, it’s usually because the language in your HOA’s governing documents is not specific enough. Don’t let a disagreement about who fixes what escalate. Here are some steps you can take.
- Look over your association’s maintenance matrix.
- Check your property plat map to verify boundaries.
- Call or email your HOA and ask for a written response.
- If there is still no clarity. Consider asking your association attorney for clarification.
Almost all repair and maintenance questions can be solved by reviewing your HOAs governing docs.
Without Clear HOA Responsibilities, Who Knows Who Does What?
Unclear expectations create deferred maintenance, deteriorating property values, and annoyed neighbors. When proper channels of communication are established between homeowners and associations, residents can easily report common area problems. They’ll also receive timely updates from their managers when those problems are fixed.
Having a simple maintenance matrix published on your community website can help homeowners better understand their individual responsibilities. Ensure everyone’s doing their part to keep community assets in great condition.
Call On Goodwin & Company. Your Partner in Professional Association Management
Diving into who maintains what can be tricky when you also have vendor contracts, repair estimates, and busy homeowners to manage. At Goodwin & Company, we help associations and residents take care of property maintenance without losing sleep. Our goal is to protect your community’s long-term value by helping you manage upkeep responsibly.
Goodwin’s Texas community managers understand local weather and market conditions and provide financial transparency to your community. We offer boards of directors cash-based accounting, dependable delinquency collection, and easy vendor communications. Discover how we help associations work smarter, not harder. Give us a call today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What repairs are HOAs responsible for?
HOAs maintain common areas, shared amenities, neighborhood entrances, community clubhouses, landscaping, community pools, and private streets. Condo associations also take care of the building’s exterior, roof, foundation, and shared plumbing that runs vertically inside walls.
Q. What repairs are homeowners responsible for?
Homeowners maintain anything inside their property lines/fence. This includes all interior walls, appliances like kitchen ovens, flooring, light fixtures, laundry machines, water heaters, and HVAC units. Owners of single-family homes are also responsible for their yards, exterior roof, siding, and driveway maintenance.
Q. Who pays for HOA repairs?
Community associations pay for the maintenance of common areas with collected HOA dues. Reserve funds are used to take care of large structural replacements and upgrades. Associations can levy a special assessment to cover any costs if they run out of reserve funding.
Q. Does HOA cover roof repairs?
Depending on where you own a home, it could be covered by your HOA. Condos and townhomes share the expense of repairs with their HOA because the roof is a shared element. If you own a single-family home, you are responsible for fixing your own roof.
Q. Who maintains common areas?
The HOA maintenance company you hire takes care of beautification and building maintenance. They’ll schedule regular landscape visits, pool service professionals, and sometimes hire in-house janitors to keep your clubhouse tidy.
