# What's the difference between "apartment" and "condo"?



## Sen (Nov 13, 2004)

I never knew the difference, is apartment only for rent and condo implies ownership, or is it just that condo has more facilities? (gym, swimming pools etc, but many apartments also have them).

condo is usually more upsacle but where do you draw the line?

In England, they used the word "flat", is it closer to the north american term apartment or condo?


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Apartments are for renting, Condos are owned.

It depends on the property. Most condos in cities look and feel just like apartments, but you own it. In many new condos around here (I dont know how it is in Toronto), they are considered more "upscale" than apartments, but I really don't see much of a difference. Some apartments have many facilities while some condos have almost none.

It's kind of ambiguous, for me at least.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Condos have also their own security guard and installation, some even offer a cleaning service etc. Are not very common in Europe. I know them especially from Brazil.


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

Condone of the dwelling units in a condominium

Apartment:a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house


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## salvius (Aug 4, 2004)

Kuesel said:


> Condos have also their own security guard and installation, some even offer a cleaning service etc. Are not very common in Europe. I know them especially from Brazil.


This all may be true of apartments...

In North American speak, there's a very clear difference. Apartments are built for the PURPOSE of renting and are owned by a developer/person. The renters are just tenants and have no ownership of their dwelling or the building itself.

Condominiums are a very specific legal arrangement where an owner owns their condo AND a proportion of the building as a whole. Condos, too, of course can be rented, but you are renting from that individual condo OWNER--the building itself is not owned by him or her except in a small part.


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## ggaaxx (Nov 10, 2006)

salvius said:


> This all may be true of apartments...
> 
> In North American speak, there's a very clear difference. Apartments are built for the PURPOSE of renting and are owned by a developer/person. The renters are just tenants and have no ownership of their dwelling or the building itself.
> 
> Condominiums are a very specific legal arrangement where an owner owns their condo AND a proportion of the building as a whole. Condos, too, of course can be rented, but you are renting from that individual condo OWNER--the building itself is not owned by him or her except in a small part.


This is very true. Some condos have rent to own option too.


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## Bartolo (Sep 20, 2004)

condos also can be homes, as in townhouses and the like


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## Huhu (Jun 5, 2004)

Condo's all have strata councils that decide what to do with the building in general. Even rented units count as one vote on the council, where the owner will vote for his/her unit, not the tenant.

Are apartments required to have strata councils? I've always been confused about condo/apartment/flat differences too.


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

thanks!
then what's the difference of a "town house"and "villa"?


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## TYW (Sep 11, 2002)

i think the term varies from country to country.

here in Malaysia, apartments are not specially built for rent. those built for rent are called service apartments.

so, 

flats = high rises with corridors in front of every unit (something like commieblocks)
apartments = high rises without corridors like the flats. it usually have larger units and better facilities than flats
service apartments = those for rent
condominiums = a classy apartment, more facilities like swimming pool, gym etc.
super condominium = high end condominiums. they have units larger than bungalows. usually one floor (or more) for the whole unit


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## KGB (Sep 12, 2002)

"Condominium" describes a type of ownership....Apartment describes a type of dwelling.

So, a condominium is often also an apartment.

People tend to use the "condo" term when describing it, because it generally implies a newer or more luxurious building, as condominiums are a newer idea...apartment dwelling has been around forever. It's generally being a bit pretentious. Technically, it is a "condominium apartment".





KGB


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

some apartments are just like condos - in that they have all the luxuries a condo or "owned" apartment would have- some of the newer apartments to rent in vancouver are quite pricey and have all kinds of services that older building don't have - but you pay a price for it

how does co-op fit into it? you buy a co-op right? but its different to a condo?

I remember seeing some show where this really wealthy man who had recently divorced in a high profile case and got a new wife... were denied into some co-op in new york - even though they have 100's of millions of dollars

same with celebs - they are often turned down from being in a co-op

if you are buying the co-op how can a board just say no?


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## tony1986 (Feb 10, 2007)

In Mexico a condominium is an owned appartment OR house in a private street with common areas (horizontal condo).
Appartment is used either for rented/owned, budget/luxury housing in a vertical building.


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## Captain Obvious (Sep 13, 2002)

Regarding condos - basically, what people have said is correct. Apartments = rent. Condos = a type of apartment where individuals own the units, and share ownership of common elements. 

If you really want to make your eyes cross, read Florida Statute 718. It's only good law for the state of Florida (obviously), but it's a good general standard for all American condo law. It's nearly 100 pages long. Good luck 
http://www.ccfj.net/condo718statutes.html

Regarding co-ops - they are a convoluted system (imo) that predates the condo system. The rules can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but co-ops are essentially private clubs. So you don't actually own a unit. You own a share in a corporation. The corporation owns all the property. This is why the co-op board can reject anyone they damn well please, because they aren't technically restricting the sale of real property. If that doesn't make sense to you - don't worry - it's kind of a legal fiction, since everyone knows that people are really buying property and not a share. But for technical purposes it's still just a share, which allows the board greater freedom to do whatever they want.


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## scando (Jun 19, 2004)

oliver999 said:


> thanks!
> then what's the difference of a "town house"and "villa"?


1/2 Million dollars. It's similar to the difference between a house and a residence. Real estate agent marketing language.


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## scando (Jun 19, 2004)

Condos seem to be evolving toward an ownership arrangement. They used to be apartments in multiple dwellings but now anything can be condo'ed. I know people who have single, detached suburban houses with lawns and garages and they are condominiums. The good side is that everything is taken care of for you (no mowing for those suburbanites), the bad side is that it costs a lot and there is a committee that tells you everything you can do except your style of socks.


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## Sen (Nov 13, 2004)

oliver999 said:


> thanks!
> then what's the difference of a "town house"and "villa"?


villa: 别墅，这里很少用，如果有用的话指得是有钱人的大房子，几百万那种的，度假屋。

townhouse:一排一排的房子，每家都是独立出入，有后院，有车位，与独立屋唯一的区别就是结构上连起来了，另外有物业公司打理(例如草坪).如果是独立屋是没有物业公司的,也不用交物业费,但什么都要自己弄. townhouse不是叫板楼么?与中国的应该没有什么区别.


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## Sen (Nov 13, 2004)

Captain Obvious said:


> Regarding condos - basically, what people have said is correct. Apartments = rent. Condos = a type of apartment where individuals own the units, and share ownership of common elements.
> 
> If you really want to make your eyes cross, read Florida Statute 718. It's only good law for the state of Florida (obviously), but it's a good general standard for all American condo law. It's nearly 100 pages long. Good luck
> http://www.ccfj.net/condo718statutes.html
> ...



what kind of people live in co-op anyways?


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## PanaManiac (Mar 26, 2005)

Sen said:


> what kind of people live in co-op anyways?


*In short, homosapiens.*


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

thanks for the co-op info

so if someone pays 2 million to get into a co-op do they get that 2 million back when they move out?

and so co-ops aren't really going to get more valuable? or do they? like say the value of the co-op as a whole goes up each person shares that increase?

like if you bought a condo for 2 million you could i fthe market is good sell it for a profit where as a coop isn't necessarily going to guarantee you a profit?


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Like in some cities, there are houses that are being rented out.

In HK we call apartments, flats. Some flats are rented while some are owned. Some are private or are owned by the government.


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## Austraarabian (Jan 16, 2007)

In Sydney we just say "flat" and "unit"

There is no difference. You live in a unit or a flat, it means the exact same thing. Im assuming same shit with the americans... i have neva heard the word "condo" before in my whole life though... i hav heard "apartment" something sydneysiders r starting to say, very american word that one "apartment" when i was a kid, it was purely "flat" and nothing else. Now its a "unit" and with sydney's americanizing culture its even "apartment" now too.


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## Huhu (Jun 5, 2004)

Austraarabian said:


> In Sydney we just say "flat" and "unit"
> 
> There is no difference. You live in a unit or a flat, it means the exact same thing. Im assuming same shit with the americans... i have neva heard the word "condo" before in my whole life though... i hav heard "apartment" something sydneysiders r starting to say, very american word that one "apartment" when i was a kid, it was purely "flat" and nothing else. Now its a "unit" and with sydney's americanizing culture its even "apartment" now too.


Soon you will begin to say "Condo" as well and your conquest by American culture will be complete, Bwahahaha!!!


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## Captain Obvious (Sep 13, 2002)

Condo has little to do with culture, though. It's a specific legal term, for a specific (and yes, generally American) legal structure. 

I actually have no earthly idea how Europeans do it, although I'm pretty sure that Canadians and South Americans also have a similar legal category - so it would probably be appropriate for them to say "condo" too. 

Also, if it makes you feel any better, the word "condominium" is just latin (literally: "joint ownership"), so feel free to use the word without feeling conquered by American culture. God forbid.


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## KGB (Sep 12, 2002)

> very american word that one "apartment" when i was a kid, it was purely "flat"



Actually, (appartement) is a french term Americans borrowed. Flat is a British term, so naturally followed by many Commonwealth countries such as Australia.






> what kind of people live in co-op anyways?



People who like lots of control over where they live. This is why they are popular in upper-class New York. When you buy a co-op, you are buying a share of a corporation that owns the building, and you have exclusive rights to use a part of it (your unit)....but you do not have title to that unit. In a condo, you are actually purchasing the unit you live in and share ownership in the common elements. 

Co-ops are also much more difficult to finance, and generally require much larger downpayments, which ensure people with more financial means.






> so if someone pays 2 million to get into a co-op do they get that 2 million back when they move out?
> 
> and so co-ops aren't really going to get more valuable? or do they? like say the value of the co-op as a whole goes up each person shares that increase?
> 
> like if you bought a condo for 2 million you could i fthe market is good sell it for a profit where as a coop isn't necessarily going to guarantee you a profit?



Uh...technically, you are selling a share in a company that owns a building...in real life you are selling an apartment. You can sell it for whatever you price want. Like any real estate, whether it gains or loses value is determined by the market and that particular unit or building. When you decide to sell it, you treat it like any other real estate...only the legalities surrounding the ownership is a little different...end result is the same. The big difference is that the co-op board has to approve the buyer, whereas in a condo, no-one else in your condo building has a say...all you have to do is buy it.





KGB


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

Another group that tends to live in Co-ops instead of Condos is Swedes  I don't think condos even exist here, it's all either rental appartments or co-ops (what we call "bostadsrätter").


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## MarioMauler (Jan 13, 2014)

Küsel said:


> Condos have also their own security guard and installation, some even offer a cleaning service etc. Are not very common in Europe. I know them especially from Brazil.


 Well I think it actually vary depending on your country.


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## MarioMauler (Jan 13, 2014)

Captain Obvious said:


> Condo has little to do with culture, though. It's a specific legal term, for a specific (and yes, generally American) legal structure. I actually have no earthly idea how Europeans do it, although I'm pretty sure that Canadians and South Americans also have a similar legal category - so it would probably be appropriate for them to say "condo" too. Also, if it makes you feel any better, the word "condominium" is just latin (literally: "joint ownership"), so feel free to use the word without feeling conquered by American culture. God forbid.


 OMG. Very well said.


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## beberamos (May 27, 2016)

Interesting to know where the words came from, especially 'apartment' because some condo owners rent out their units. So that would make those units technically both.


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## sewaapt (Oct 27, 2010)

almost same


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