Here is everything you need to know about townhouses
What is a townhouse?
A townhouse (sometimes called townhome) is a single-family home that shares walls with other homes in the complex. Usually these are row houses but sometimes the neighbouring homes can be above, below and/or behind your unit.
Freehold or condo?
There are two main types of townhomes in Kitchener-Waterloo: freeholds and condominium townhouses. (There are also some freehold townhouses with fees for some common expenses but these are rare. For the record the fees for these hybrids are usually about $100/month).
Freehold townhouse
Legally and financially, a freehold townhome is the same as a single family house. The homeowner owns both the house and the land it is built on and is responsible for all the maintenance, including roof, windows, electrical, plumbing…
Condominium townhouse
With a condo, common elements are shared with the other unit owners. Owners of condo townhouses pay monthly maintenance fees that cover garbage removal, outside maintenance and the cost of other shared amenities. Part of those fees go towards building a reserve fund, which is used for future maintenance and renovation projects of the complex. Condo townhouse owners are only responsible for maintaining the inside of the home.
Stacked townhouse
More and more in Kitchener-Waterloo we are seeing stacked townhouses where two or more individual units are stacked on top of each other. Each unit is individually owned and is part of the condo corporation.
Further research
Video link
Townhouse blog posts
Kitchener-Waterloo real estate news