Buying a Townhouse in Florida

Fee simple townhouse vs condo townhouse

Two homes that look identical from the street can be different legal products.

• Fee simple townhouse: you own the structure and the lot it sits on, usually a narrow parcel. The community is governed by a homeowners association under Chapter 720 of Florida law. The HOA usually owns and maintains common areas such as roads, pools and landscaping.
• Condo townhouse: the community is a condominium under Chapter 718. You own the unit, often described as the space within the walls, plus a share of the common elements, which may include the roof, exterior walls and the land.

The listing may just say "townhouse." Check the legal description in the deed or property appraiser record. If it reads like "Unit 12, XYZ Condominium," it's a condo. If it reads like "Lot 12, Block B" of a recorded plat, it's fee simple.

Some communities mix both forms, with fee simple townhouses on one side of the entrance and condo-form units on the other, and both marketed under one community name. Ask the listing agent for the declaration and look at its title page. A condo declaration is recorded under Chapter 718 and will say so; an HOA declaration of covenants refers to lots and the plat. I check this on every townhouse before a client writes an offer, because it changes which inspection, insurance and lender questions come next.

Who pays for the roof, exterior and insurance

This is where the legal form costs or saves you money.

In a fee simple townhouse, you usually insure the entire building with a standard homeowners policy and pay for your own roof, windows and exterior repairs. Some HOAs take over roofs or exterior paint for the whole community and fund it through dues, so read the declaration to see which applies. Shared roofs and party walls add a wrinkle: when the roof over three units is replaced, owners have to coordinate, and the declaration should say how.

In a condo townhouse, the association usually insures and maintains the building shell and roof through its master policy, and you carry an HO-6 policy for the interior and your belongings. Your monthly fee is higher, but big exterior bills come from reserves or special assessments rather than your own account.

Either way, get a homeowners or HO-6 quote during your inspection period, and ask for a wind mitigation report on the building. Roof age and opening protection still drive premiums in Florida.

HOA and condo fees: what they cover

Townhouse fees vary widely because coverage varies. Typical items, from least to most expensive communities:

• Common area landscaping, pool and amenities.
• Front lawn care and irrigation for each unit.
• Exterior paint and pressure washing on a set cycle.
• Roof replacement reserves.
• Building insurance (mainly in condo-form communities).
• Cable, internet, water or trash in some newer communities.

Compare communities by what the fee includes, not the dollar figure alone. A higher fee that covers roof and building insurance can cost less overall than a low HOA fee where you pay those yourself.

In newer master-planned areas, townhouses often also sit in a Community Development District, which adds an assessment on your property tax bill on top of the HOA fee. Ask for both numbers before you write an offer. Your lender will count the HOA fee in your debt ratio, and the CDD amount shows up inside the property tax figure in your escrow payment.

Disclosures, documents and your right to cancel

Florida law gives you a document review window either way, though the rules differ:

• HOA townhouse: the seller must give you the HOA disclosure summary. If you don't receive it before signing the contract, you can cancel within 3 days of receiving it or before closing, whichever comes first.
• Condo townhouse: on a resale, you can cancel within 7 days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) after receiving the condo documents, under the rule in effect since July 1, 2025.

Beyond the required disclosures, ask for the budget, reserve information, the last year of board minutes, any pending or approved special assessments, and the rules on pets, vehicles, fences and exterior changes. Townhouse communities often restrict exterior colors, screen enclosures and hurricane shutter styles.

Florida's milestone inspection and Structural Integrity Reserve Study rules target condo buildings of three or more stories. Many two-story condo townhouses fall outside them, but confirm with the association what applies to your building.

Financing a Florida townhouse

Lenders follow the legal form too. A fee simple townhouse in an HOA is generally underwritten like a house, without a condo project review. A condo townhouse goes through the same building review as any condo, including reserves, delinquencies, litigation and insurance, and may need to be on the FHA or VA approved list if you're using those loans.

If you plan on FHA (3.5% down with a qualifying credit score) or VA, confirm the community's status before you fall in love with a unit. A condo-form community that isn't approved can limit you to conventional or cash, and a non-warrantable one narrows options further.

For down payment math, 10% down on a townhouse priced halfway between the statewide condo and house values, about $329,700, is roughly $32,970, before closing costs, which in Florida include the $0.35 per $100 doc stamp on the note and the 0.2% intangible tax on the mortgage.

Townhouse vs condo vs house: which fits

A townhouse fits buyers who want their own front door, no neighbors above or below, often a small yard or patio, and a lower price than a detached house. You trade some privacy at the shared walls and accept HOA rules on exterior changes.

Things to inspect that are specific to townhouses:

• Sound transmission through party walls.
• Fire separation between units in the attic.
• Shared roof condition across the whole building, including the sections over your neighbors.
• Drainage between units and toward the back patio.
• End unit vs interior unit: end units get more windows and light and usually sell for more.

Homestead works the same as for any home: up to $51,411 off assessed value in 2026 if it's your permanent residence. This isn't legal or tax advice. If you tell me the area and budget, I'll put together a shortlist and note which communities are fee simple and which are condos.