maisonette, flat, apartment

[Im a BusyBee]

we were having a discussion last night about what the difference is between these 3 please can someone tell me definition of them all. thanx

[shaneystar2]

Maisonette
An apartment occupying two or more floors of a larger building and often having its own entrance from outside.
Flat
An apartment on one floor of a building
Apartment
A suite of rooms within a larger building set aside for a particular purpose or person.

[KARL]

The answer you have is the UK one. The US answer would be different (in the public perception an apartment there meaning exactly the same as a flat in UK) and it is my understanding that these words, in addition to being country specific, also derive from marketing influences: If you want to "nuance" your abode to make it more attractive, call it a "posher" name.

[Miss Zippy]

The term 'apartment' in the UK has only crept in over the last five years or so. Down here on the south coast where I live, it's not unusual to see studio flats termed 'studio apartments'! As Karl says, it's just a marketing ploy.

[GK Fanatic]

Yes an apartment is far more expensive that an identical flat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mad !!!!!

[Backdrifter]

I've always understood a maisonette to be essentially a flat, but one which occupies one floor of a house - usually meaning that you have a house divided into 2 flats, one upstairs and one downstairs and which would be described as ground-floor or first-floor maisonettes.

Flats are dwellings within a larger building, shared with other dwellings. So maisonettes are a subset of flats. Apartment, I think, is the US term for a flat and which we have started to use in the UK. Although I understand that in the US it specifically means a rental. When they purpose-build a block for buying, they call it a condominium (or condo for short).

[rhona_j]

I would agree with shaneystar2 on the maisonette description.

[tell-me-more]

From what I've seen, I disagree with the definition of a maisonette as an apartment over two floors. To me, the distinguishing feature of a maisonette seems to be that it has its own private entrance, whereas I would always imagine an apartment to have a communal entrance, stairs/lift, then an entrance to the apartment itself.

A flat could be in a two-storey building, whereas to me, an apartment conjures up images of a larger block.

[scirious]

In the UK much of the confusion is generated by the Estate Agents. A flat can be any dwelling that is part of a larger building with rooms on one one more levels. A maisonette is a dwelling on (usually) two floors where one floor has no "shared boundaries" (party walls). The term "apartment" can be used for bed-sits, studios, flats and maisonettes and is a US term that is frequently employed by sellers to enhance the description of what may just be a flat.
Both flats and maisonettes may have access via a communal area (hallway, staircase), or a street door.

[ianmaskell]

Having been an estate agent for over 20 years I can assure you that the definition of a maisonette is a dwelling within a larger structure that has a private access. A flat is a dwelling within a larger block that has a communal entrance. Flat is perfectly interchangeable with Flat though not with Maisonette. Studio (whether flat or apartment) simply means that it is one room (plus bathroom) sometimes confused with bedsits which usually have one room and a communal kitchen/bathroom.

As for number of storeys, that is irrelevant as maisonettes and flats/apartments can have as many or as few as they want. It's a tad tricky having more than one floor in a studio though!

[ianmaskell]

I meant flat is perfectly interchangeable with Apartment!! ^^^^^