Home Warranty for Condos: What Belongs to You vs. the HOA?

Short answer: a condo home warranty can make sense if you must fix things inside your unit, like appliances, a water heater or your own heating and cooling. It adds little for shared systems your condo association already takes care of.

Start with your association documents

Your condo papers usually say which parts of the building belong to the association and which belong to you. These papers include the declaration, the bylaws and the master insurance policy. Look for the words "units," "common elements" and "limited common elements." If anything is unclear, ask the association manager.

Often unit-owner responsibility

• Kitchen appliances and laundry machines inside the unit
• A water heater serving only your unit
• A furnace, heat pump, air handler or air conditioner serving only your unit
• Plumbing and electrical inside your walls, depending on your documents

Often association responsibility

• Roofs, elevators, building boilers or chillers
• Main water, sewer and electrical lines
• Hallways, lobbies and other common areas

Condo coverage checklist

• Which items in my unit am I responsible for repairing?
• Does the plan offer condo or smaller-home pricing?
• Does the plan require access through common areas, and who arranges it?
• Is shared equipment, like a building boiler, excluded?
• Does my association require approved contractors for work inside the unit?

For homeowners vs. warranty roles, see home warranty vs. homeowners insurance.

Next step

Enter your ZIP code on our quote form to see which companies serve your area, then read each sample contract for the items above before you choose.