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Townhouse: what it means

A townhouse is a home joined to the homes next to it by walls. The Census Bureau counts it as a single-family home when a ground-to-roof wall separates it from each neighboring unit and it does not share heating, air-conditioning or utilities with them.

In Spanish it is

Casa adosada (townhouse)

Also written as: townhome · row house

Verified on October 17, 2026

3 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

FHA's 203(k) program accepts townhomes. In Texas, townhouse insurance can cover the interior and exterior or only the interior, depending on whether the homeowners association (HOA) has a master policy that covers the exterior.

An example

Pedro buys a townhouse in a row of five homes. He shares a wall with each neighbor, but he has his own entrance, his own heating and his own electric and water meters.

You will see it in…

Listings (townhouse, townhome or row house)
The homeowners association's rules and master policy
Your homeowners insurance policy

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. U.S. Census Bureau · Building Permits Survey: definitions (single-family house) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. HUD · Buying a house that needs rehabilitation or renovating your home? (203(k) consumer fact sheet) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
3. Texas Department of Insurance · Home insurance guide (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026