In a condominium the association owns some of the exterior and unit owners own the rest, and the line between them decides who pays, who authorizes the work, and who gets the complaint.
An apartment community has one owner. A regional manager can decide to wash everything, and the only question is scheduling around residents. That version of the job is mostly logistics.
A condominium has as many owners as there are units, plus an association that owns the common property on their collective behalf. The exterior is legally divided, and the dividing lines are written in the declaration rather than being obvious from looking at the building. A board that authorizes work on the wrong side of a line has spent association money on private property, which is the kind of thing that ends up in a special meeting.
A standard HOA of single-family homes is a third shape again: the association owns the entrances, the sidewalks, the pool, and the clubhouse, and each homeowner owns their whole house. The covenants may require owners to keep siding clean, and then the board sends letters. We cover the homeowner end of that in the guide on violation letters.
| Category | Typically includes | Who maintains it |
|---|---|---|
| Common elements | Building exteriors, roofs, gutters, breezeways, stairwells, walkways, parking, pool deck, clubhouse, mailbox kiosks | The association, funded by regular assessments |
| Limited common elements | Balconies, patios, entry doors and door frames, and in many declarations the windows | Usually the association, but for the exclusive use of one unit. This is the category to check |
| Unit property | Interior surfaces, and sometimes the inside face of windows and the balcony floor covering | The individual owner |
The middle row is where exterior cleaning projects go wrong. A balcony is attached to one unit and used by one household, and in most North Carolina condo declarations it is a limited common element that the association maintains. That means washing balconies is usually association work, and the owner cannot refuse access unreasonably. But it is written differently building to building, and nobody should assume.
Windows are the other one worth pinning down. Plenty of declarations make the glass a limited common element, so exterior window cleaning is an association expense while the interior stays with the owner. Get this settled before the bids go out, because it can double the scope.
The single most useful thing a board can do is send out a scope written by element rather than by building. Three companies bidding on wash the buildings will return three different numbers for three different jobs.
Ideally the association attorney or the management company, confirming which elements are common, which are limited common, and who maintains each.
Siding, roofs, gutters inside, gutter faces, soffits, breezeways, stairwells, handrails, entry doors, balconies, patios, exterior glass, walkways, parking, dumpster enclosure, amenity areas.
Breezeways and glass on a tight cycle, buildings on a long one. A single annual frequency across everything is how you end up overpaying on walls and underserving the stairwells.
Who notifies owners, how far in advance, and what happens on a balcony where nobody responds.
Dated photos per element per visit, delivered as files. This is what the board minutes reference later and what a reserve study can use.
On that document, so the numbers describe the same work.
They are private space, they are the dirtiest element on most condo buildings, and they are where the complaints come from. Grills leave grease, planters leave rings, pets leave what pets leave, and the underside of the balcony above collects growth that drips onto the one below.
Two routes, and the choice changes what you should ask for.
For anything recurring: breezeways, glass, entry concrete, dumpster enclosures. Predictable, annual, and it belongs in the regular assessment rather than being treated as a project.
For the periodic full building wash and roof treatment. These are multi-year items, and a board that has them in the reserve study is not having an emergency conversation about them every few years.
Worth saying plainly to a board: roof washing belongs in the reserve conversation, not the cosmetic one. Removing algae and especially moss extends the service life of the shingles, and deferring it shortens the interval to the next roof replacement, which is the largest line in most condo reserve studies.
Breezeways and stairwells are shared circulation, they are usually shaded, and algae on a concrete tread is genuinely slick when it rains. Slip and fall claims at condo properties happen in stairwells more than anywhere else.
A scheduled program with dated photographic records is worth having before an incident rather than after, because it demonstrates the condition was being managed. That argument gets exterior cleaning funded at boards where the cosmetic argument does not.
We work with condo boards and management companies across Raleigh, Cary, Clayton, Garner, and the rest of the county, and we will bid from your element list rather than handing you a number for washing the buildings. One schedule, one contact, one invoice, dated photos per element, and a walk of the property with a board member or the manager before anything starts.
If the declaration is unclear about balconies or windows, say so when you call and we will scope it both ways so the board can see what each version costs. We are licensed, insured, will name the association as additional insured, and are NC HUB-certified as a woman-owned business. Call (919) 698-3669.
“Siding and windows on the same day and the whole house looks lighter. Careful with the beds and easy to schedule.”
“They brought the color back on our vinyl siding after another company left it chalky. Night and day.”
“Same-day service and the whole property looks better. Will use them every year.”
Everything on the outside of a building, what method each surface actually wants, how often it needs doing, and the handful nobody thinks about until something fails.
Read the guide →WindowsMost of what people call dirty glass is three different problems with three different fixes, and one of them permanently etches the pane if you leave it long enough.
Read the guide →GuttersA pressure washer empties a gutter fast, which is exactly why people try it. It also dents the trough, drives water behind the fascia, and packs the downspout tighter than it was.
Read the guide →We fly the roofline and show you the footage on the spot. You see your own gutters, joints, and downspouts on the screen instead of taking our word for it. It costs nothing and you are not committing to the cleaning.
Free for homes and businesses across the Triangle and Johnston County. No obligation to book any work afterwards.
Call (919) 698-3669 for a free quote. No obligation.
Get My Free Quote → 📞 (919) 698-3669