Condo Living

November 6, 2025 Published by Huronia Chapter - By Jon Juffs

Condominium Townhouses

From the CCI Huronia Fall 2025 Condo Buzz Newsletter

Same DNA as Apartments - But Laid Sideways

When people think “condo,” they often picture a tower with long corridors, elevators, a garbage chute, and central HVAC. Yet a large share of condominium homes are residential townhouse communities of three storeys or less above grade. They operate under the same legal framework as towers, just with different assets, risks, and spending priorities.

Townhouses are not a niche. Research from the early 2000s showed townhouses at roughly 40% of GTA condominiums, with apartments about 55%, and ~5% industrial/commercial. In other words: townhouse corporations are central to condo life, not the exception.

Same concept, different form

One way to visualise townhouses is as “apartments on their side.” The legal condominium concept - individual ownership of a unit plus shared ownership of common elements – still applies; however, the built form is different and, therefore, where efforts are directed and where money is spent changes.

Where the efforts and money goes

For townhouse corporations, maintenance, major repair, and replacement is spread across the site rather than stacked in a tower, such as:

• Roofs and cladding. Steep-slope asphalt shingles, siding, brick veneer, and joint sealants are highimpact, weather-exposed assets. Replacement cycles are shorter than owners expect and often staggered by block or phase.
• Windows and doors. Whether they are common elements or owner-maintained depends on your declaration and description. Clarifying responsibility early avoids disputes and underfunding.
• Balconies, decks, and porches. These assemblies require attention to flashings, guard safety, and wood preservation to achieve their maximum possible useful lives.
• Site works. Private roads, laneways, sidewalks, lighting, fencing, retaining walls, catch basins, and stormwater features (ponds or underground tanks) drive significant long-term costs.
• Garages, driveways, curbs, and roads. Ownership boundaries affect who repairs what and when; but, salt tracking, slab cracks, and heaving at aprons are common.

Know Your Boundaries

Townhouse declarations and descriptions set unit boundaries and common elements, even exclusive use ones, as everything outside the condo unit. The Ontario Condominium Act defines five types: freehold standard, freehold common element, freehold vacant land, freehold phased, and leasehold, with most residential townhouse communities being standard or common element.

Establishing what amounts to a map of the boundaries and translating them into a maintenance responsibility matrix: who repairs siding, replaces windows, seals driveway cracks, or maintains rear decks? Clear matrices reduce conflict, sharpen reserve fund planning, and improve disclosure to buyers.

Reserve fund planning for towns.

Without elevators, chutes, and central chillers, townhouse reserve fund studies concentrate on small-tomedium, widely distributed assets. Key implications:

• Quantity beats complexity. You may have hundreds of downspouts, light standards, and fence panels. Inventories and condition sampling are as important as unit costs.
• Staggered projects reduce disruption. Phasing roof and asphalt work by block can smooth cash flow and keep streets functional.
• Envelope first. Water management - roof drainage, wall flashings, grading - prevents damage that cascades into interiors and neighbour units.
• Reality-based unit responsibilities. If windows are an owner cost today but owners cannot or will not undertake prompt replacement, the board may need standards, schedules, or cost-sharing policies to protect the common interest.

Governance and community life

Townhouse condominiums share the legal DNA of apartments but live their lives close to ground level. When boards align their governance, maintenance, and funding to the realities of “apartments on their side,” communities stay safer, budgets stay realistic, and homes hold their value.

Jon Juffs
Engineering Link