I too live in a townhouse complex. We have owners who appear to be happy to have a pile of leaves at their front door and a weed or two. They just step over them going in or out of their unit. I have also witnessed residents stepping over pieces of paper that have blown down the driveway from loose junk mail. It is disappointing when a resident does not want to take enough pride in where they are living to bend over and pick something/sweep something up.
The only way to ensure there were not leaves or pieces of paper would be to have someone standing by! Is once a week enough? Not if you live in an area with a lot of trees when the southerlies blow. Twice a week? Probably would do it. But I personally would not like the loss of privacy of having someone regularly at my front door sweeping up a few leaves. So I do this myself.
Most owners here would not lift a finger around this complex, they just expect someone else to do it. Not necessarily someone paid to do it, just as long as they don’t have to do it. However this does not apply to those residents who rent here. I have seen them pick up papers in the driveway and their front doors are swept and kept.