Info about Apartments
Apartments – the notion varies per country
Usually when people hear of an apartment they take it for a social housing whereas actually it is an ordinary housing unit in a block of flats. A person can either own an apartment or rent it. The word “apartment” is typical for the U.S. English the British say “flat”. Still in different parts of the world this notion has slightly different meaning. In the United States saying “apartment” you will most likely mean a rental unit. And for example “flat” will mean a low income housing unit in Malaysia whereas better quality housing will be called “apartment”. In other countries, say Australia or New Zealand, the notions are interchangeable with just a slight expectation that inhabitants of the flat are usually students or that it is a residential unit on rent. By the way, in these countries a most common word denoting a residential place would be “unit” which would include an apartment, a flat, or a semi-detached house.
The design of the block of flats varies per country but usually they provide for comfortable apartments. However apartments can be found also in once private houses. Apartments vary in number of rooms; usually there is a living room and one, two or three bedrooms along with the kitchen, and bathroom. However extremely tiny designs are also found (in Russia it was once a special official strategy to build such minimalist residential units) where a living room is at the same a bedroom making a small one room apartment. In U.S. it can be: efficiency, studio, bachelor-style, or a bedsit. These apartments also have the living room, the dining room, and the bedroom as one room where a kitchen is also integrated as part of the design – only the bathroom is a small separate room. The one bedroom apartment will be the same design but have a separate bedroom, and so on. If apartment is large it may have two entrances. Sometimes staircases are shared between the neighbors if apartments are located in the separate house or blocks. The staircase flights are a commonly shared area and tenants may be cleaning it in turns – if there is no special person assigned to do so. If not in each separate apartment, the laundry facilities normally are provided in a specially designed area and are shared among the tenants.
Apartments are vacant and offered for rent when no one lives there. Usually apartments are owned by landlords and are rented by tenants. There are special agencies – namely “renting agencies”, that are mediators in the market between the landlords and people willing to find a proper place for rent. Normally these agents charge a fee from one or both sides to the deal. When renting an apartment the occupant normally will have all keys and behave “like at home” with guaranteed privacy in the place. Apartments are offered for rent either fully (or partially) furnished, or unfurnished. The tenant has a right to relocate his furniture into the empty apartment. Sometimes an agreement specifying the rent rate and any other conditions and terms are signed between the landlord and the tenant.
The history of apartments is longstanding. Once the human species left caves tens of thousands of years ago it began constructing a decent dwelling place for himself and his family. Ever since residential units have been in constant modifications and each age brings about new styles and designer solutions.