An HOA governs homeowners who each own their lot and the building on it. A COA governs condominium owners who own the interior of a unit and share ownership of the building itself. That single difference decides who maintains the roof, who carries the insurance, and how large the association’s budget is.
In Florida the two are governed by separate statutes: homeowners’ associations under Chapter 720, condominium associations under Chapter 718. In Texas it is Property Code Chapter 209 for property owners’ associations and Chapter 82 for condominiums.
HOA vs COA at a Glance
| HOA (homeowners’ association) | COA (condominium association) | |
|---|---|---|
| What the owner owns | The lot and the structure on it | The interior of a unit; the building is owned in common |
| Florida statute | Chapter 720 | Chapter 718 |
| Texas statute | Property Code Chapter 209 | Property Code Chapter 82 |
| Association maintains | Common areas, entries, amenities, sometimes roads | Roof, exterior walls, structure, elevators, corridors, common systems |
| Typical fee level | Lower — fewer shared building systems | Higher — the association carries the building |
| Insurance | Owner insures their own structure | Association carries the master policy on the building |
How Many of Each Are There in Florida?
Counted directly from our Florida database of 51,657 verified associations:
| Type | Associations | Median monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| HOA | 27,113 | $300 |
| COA (condominium) | 24,373 | $623 |
| PUD and POA | 171 | $322 / $265 |
The split is close to even, but the budgets are not. The median condominium association collects roughly twice the monthly assessment per unit that a homeowners’ association does, because it is responsible for the building itself rather than just the grounds.
Why the Difference Matters If You Sell to Boards
The distinction is not academic — it determines whether an association is even a buyer for what you do.
- Roofing, painting, waterproofing, concrete restoration, elevators, and structural work are almost always COA work. In an HOA the individual homeowner owns the roof, so the association is not the customer.
- Landscaping, irrigation, entry features, road and sidewalk repair, and amenity maintenance skew toward HOAs, which own the grounds between the homes.
- Pool service, pest control, janitorial, security, and HVAC for shared buildings appear in both, but at very different scale.
- Reserve-funded capital projects concentrate in COAs, where structural obligations and Florida’s milestone inspection requirements force long-horizon budgeting.
Pitching roof replacement to a homeowners’ association board is the most common wasted outreach in this market. Filtering by association type before you build a list avoids it.
Cooperatives: The Third Category
Florida also recognises cooperatives under Chapter 719. In a co-op the corporation owns the real property and residents hold shares with a right to occupy a unit. Co-ops are far less common than HOAs or COAs, but they behave much like condominium associations from a vendor’s perspective: the association maintains the building and carries the master policy.
Frequently Asked
Is a condo association an HOA? Colloquially people call both “the HOA,” but legally they are distinct entities under different statutes, with different maintenance and insurance obligations.
Can one community have both? Yes. Master-planned communities often have an umbrella association with condominium sub-associations underneath it, each with its own board.
Which has higher fees? Condominium associations, by a wide margin — a median of $623 per month against $300 for homeowners’ associations in our Florida data.
More questions about association data, coverage, and verification are answered on our frequently asked questions page. To search verified board contacts by association type, county, city, or ZIP, start with the Florida HOA database or the Texas HOA database.