Short answer: in a condo or HOA the association is responsible for the common areas and you are responsible for your own unit, unless the governing declaration says otherwise. That last clause is the whole game. The statutory default is simple, but every association can rewrite it in its declaration or CC&Rs, and a roof, a balcony, or a pipe behind a wall can land on either side of the line depending on a document most owners never read until something breaks.
The default rule
Two of the largest condo states write the same rule almost identically. California's Davis-Stirling Act, Civil Code §4775(a)(1):
"Unless otherwise provided in the declaration of a common interest development, the association is responsible for repairing, replacing, and maintaining the common area."
Florida's Condominium Act, Fla. Stat. §718.113(1), draws the same line and names the exception explicitly:
"Maintenance of the common elements is the responsibility of the association, except for any maintenance responsibility for limited common elements assigned to the unit owner by the declaration."
So the skeleton is: association → common elements; owner → the unit (the "separate interest"); the declaration → the final word. Most states that adopted a version of the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act follow the same pattern.
The three zones that decide it
- Common elements, the roof, the structure, the exterior walls, the grounds, shared plumbing and shared systems. Association's job by default.
- The unit / separate interest, everything inside your walls that serves only you. Yours by default.
- Limited common elements, the in-between: a balcony, a patio, an assigned parking space, a window, a deck. These serve one unit but sit outside it, and this is exactly the zone the declaration reassigns. Florida's statute above calls it out by name.
The trap: "who maintains" is not always "who pays"
Even when the association is responsible for maintaining a common element, the cost can still come back to owners through a special assessment. If the roof fails and reserves fall short, the association repairs it, then bills every owner their share. So "the association is responsible" answers who arranges the work, not always who ultimately pays for it. Reserve funding is what stands between "covered" and "surprise five-figure assessment," which is why post-2021 laws in several states now force stronger structural reserves and inspections.
Before you assume, read the declaration
The statute is only the default. Your association's declaration (the CC&Rs, or in a condo the "declaration of condominium") can shift maintenance and repair duties in either direction, and it controls. The reliable move is to (1) find the item's zone, (2) read what the declaration says about that zone, and (3) check whether a reserve or a special assessment covers the cost. The answer to "is this me or the HOA?" lives in that document far more often than in a general rule.
By state and repair: the specific answers, with the statute
The default above is the skeleton. Here is how it resolves for the repairs people actually search, each on its own page with the exact code section quoted:
- California condo, roof: the roof is common area, so the HOA repairs and replaces it under Civil Code §4775 unless the CC&Rs say otherwise. Who pays for a condo roof in California →
- California condo, windows & sliding doors: these are "exclusive use common area" (Civ. Code §4145), the owner maintains them, the HOA repairs and replaces them by default, and CC&Rs very commonly flip replacement onto the owner. Who pays for condo windows in California →
- Florida condo, common elements & water intrusion: the association maintains the common elements under Fla. Stat. §718.113, except limited common elements the declaration assigns to you. Who pays common-element maintenance in Florida →
- Florida condo, after a water leak: the association rebuilds the insured structure, but you pay for your floor/wall/ceiling coverings, appliances and cabinets, and the whole repair if your negligence caused it (§718.111(11)). Who pays after a condo water leak in Florida →
- Renting instead of owning? In California the landlord, not the tenant, must keep plumbing, running water and heat working under Civil Code §1941.1. Landlord vs tenant plumbing repairs in California →
- Balcony or deck: the classic limited-common-element fight. Who pays for an HOA balcony or deck →
More states are being added issue by issue, see every common-element record on the common-elements hub.
This site documents repair-responsibility rules with the code cited, city by city and issue by issue. Look up your city at the city lookup, or see how the same "who pays" question plays out for public infrastructure in the sidewalk data study and for the pipes to your home in cities where you own the sewer lateral.