New clients who are looking both in Delaware and Pennsylvania asked a great question:  what is the difference between a condo and a town house. Generally a townhouse refers to a style of residents with neighbors on either side, but it’s also come to mean home owners who own the complete unit, inside and out, including the land on which the unit is built. Condo unit owners own the inside of their units.. Every condo or townhouse development also has “common areas” of the property (recreation areas, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.). Condo owners share ownership of the common areas with other owners, while common areas in townhouse developments are usually owned by the homeowners’ association for the benefit and use of unit owners. You need to make sure you know what the HOA does and does not cover, such as deck or patio maintnenance.