By Brenda Masse
Special Contributor
Condo life has its benefits as well as its drawbacks, and one of the biggest realities is that there is no one type of condo.
You have brand new units that have all their own individual systems like HVAC, water heater, roof, or even foundations; units that share some or all of those systems; or units that were once apartments that have been converted. Some condos have certain aspects that are maintained by an HOA or overall property owner. The first thing to know if you plan to purchase a condo is the specific ownership rights of your particular property and its systems.
We’ve collected some “condo specific” home inspection issues for this week’s Upon Closer Inspection.
Shared Water Heater
In older condo units and smaller communities, you will often find shared utilities, and this is just something you need to ask about so you know upfront how utilities are paid and maintained.
Ask a neighbor how the hot water supply is. Other communities will have shared units with individual water meters as shown, so each owner is paying their own bill. High-rise condos almost always have centralized boilers and are maintained by the HOA.
When someone busts the water main outside your condo and ruins everyone’s day …
Charming + Historic = OLD
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there are a LOT of charming old apartment complexes that have been converted into condos. These are wonderful but can present some ownership challenges. This beautifully updated 1961 condo is lovely, but the boiler/chiller unit … is from 1961. The inspector said he sometimes has to let people know, “Listen, it’s working now, but when you have to replace it, you may have to rent a crane to get it out of there.”
Fire Barrier
If condo units share a roof/attic space they are required to have a fire barrier between units. This is to slow the spread of fire between units.
When I asked our inspectors about some things they typically find in older condominiums, several of them said fire barriers missing or done incorrectly. Here is a fire barrier with large pieces cut out. Not only is this a fire hazard, but it also gives access to someone else’s attic crawl space which is certainly a privacy concern.
All this being said, condos can have some wonderful ownership benefits, like fewer maintenance worries and investment/rental opportunities. Our advice is to make sure you read all the fine print and have a thorough inspection before signing on the dotted line.
