If you are new to the condominium lifestyle, you might get confused with the concept of condo’s common areas (ส่วนกลาง คอน โด, which is the term in Thai). Moreover, paying extra maintenance fees to keep the common space in check might make you want to know their importance.

However, the common areas are the selling point of any condominium project. You can consider the condo’s common areas a primary facility like a park, gym, swimming pool, basically anything that you need to share with another resident of your condo community. When you buy a Condo, you should enquire about the common spaces of the condominium. Also, how much you need to pay to maintain these shared spaces.

Therefore, here is a brief about the common spaces you use to enlighten yourself more about the condo lifestyle.

What exactly defines a Common Place?

Since buying a condominium is different from buying a house. In the condo, you do not become the owner of the land. Therefore, the responsibility and ownership right varies from what the homeowner enjoys.  When you buy a condominium, you get the ownership of just the condominium unit. Another thing you automatically own is the interest in the condo’s common areas.

Every association uses two ways to declare the common areas to resident or buyers:

• First Way: Provide you the governing document containing a detail about the common areas of the condominium.
• Second Way: Provide you the development map to help you figure out the common areas

What are the different types of common condominium areas?

Generally, there two types of Common areas found in Condo development projects. As an owner, the kind of condo’s common areas can impact your lifestyle. Therefore, make sure you know about the type of common area before buying the apartment.

Limited Common Areas

As the name suggests, the limited common areas do not allow all the condo owners to access the area. For example, the shared patio or the staircase can be considered the restricted common areas shared by only one or two fellow condo owners living on the same floor.

General Common Areas

General Common areas are the areas that are open to all. Every condominium owner is free to use these areas. Sometimes, the General Common Areas acts as a main selling point in the Condo Development Project.

Here is some example of the General Common Areas of the Condo:

• Common Pool
• Community Park
• Common Clubhouse