Apartment, Flat, Room, etc etc. What's the diff? (apartment complex, tenants, renters)

[nickjbor]

In my local newspaper they have ad's for Apartments, Basement Apartments, Flats, Rooms, Houses, Condos, etc etc. What is the difference between all of these? My assumption is that a "Room" is one room in a house, a bedroom, and everyone else is shared. An Apartment is found in an apartment building, or in a small apartment building, and that you have your own washroom and kitchen. A condo is like an apartment but nicer (and ore expensive) and a house is, well, a hosue. What the heck is a "Flat" though? I once asked someone, as a joke "Can a flat have stairs in it" and he said yes, so I'm at a total loss on this one.

[Radek]

Apartments:
Are typically in a complex. Usually have a management office attached and some showing of amenities.

Basement Apartment:
Basement version of above. Might also be referring to a Duplex/multiplex.

Condo:
Tend to be nicer than apartments, larger and have a mix of owner-occupied (condo owners) and tenants (renters). Also come in complexes, and are sometimes used interchangably with the term townhouse.

House:
Free standing structure, usually with yard. Big advantage is that you don't share a wall with anyone.

Duplex/Multiplex:
House, but divided into multiple units. Typically owner owned rather than management companies like Apartments. They also typically inhabit one of the units.

Flat:
I assume this is the same as a 'loft' apartment. Hence the stairs. Similar to a duplex/Multiplex, you're renting a portion of the building, but it tends to be just one or two rooms, with a big open floor plan.

[sonarrat]

A flat is really supposed to be an entire floor of a house. This is distinct from a townhouse which is one of several multi-level residences in a row.

Condos are individually owned. Apartments are all owned by the same person. Other than that they might be identical.

[Radek]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

A flat is really supposed to be an entire floor of a house. This is distinct from a townhouse which is one of several multi-level residences in a row.

Condos are individually owned. Apartments are all owned by the same person. Other than that they might be identical.

For renting purposes, condos and apartments are fairly similar, however... if there is an exterior problem (roof leaks), then you need to talk to the Homeowner's assocation and not just your landlord. If its an internal issue (broken pipe), you need to talk to your landlord.

Apartments, you talk to the landlord/management company.

[wannabeaTexan]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

A flat is really supposed to be an entire floor of a house. This is distinct from a townhouse which is one of several multi-level residences in a row.

Condos are individually owned. Apartments are all owned by the same person. Other than that they might be identical.

I thought a flat was just an apartment...without stairs.

[wannabeaTexan]

Originally Posted by Radek

Apartments:
Condo:
Tend to be nicer than apartments, larger and have a mix of owner-occupied (condo owners) and tenants (renters). Also come in complexes, and are sometimes used interchangably with the term townhouse.

Also, I lived in an apartment complex, which they advertised as having 2 and 3 bedroom flats (apartment, no stairs), and townhomes as well. I lived in a townhouse there and I usually just call it an apartment unless I'm describing what it looked like.

[Radek]

thanks for the info.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by wannabeaTexan

I thought a flat was just an apartment...without stairs.

That is... an apartment. If you divide a San Francisco rowhouse into three units - one on each floor - then you have three flats.

[PeterRabbit]

An apartment is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. Apartments may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by tenants).

The term "apartment" is favored in North America, whereas the term "flat" is sometimes, but not exclusively used in the United Kingdom and most other English-speaking areas and Commonwealth nations.

Apartment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia