A common area in landlord-tenant law, a common area is shared by all owners of a condominium or cooperative housing unit or owned by the management organization, rather than being owned by an individual owner. Common areas may include recreation facilities, outdoor space, parking, landscaping, fences, elevators, laundry rooms and all other jointly used space.
The homeowners' association or cooperative board collects assessments from the owners to pay for upkeep, some insurance, maintenance and reserves for replacement of improvements in the common area. in a shopping mall, individual stores may pay a percentage of the costs for the maintenance and costs of the areas shared by the stores in the mall.
