29-Apr-08 Flats, Terraced, Detached, Semi-detached

I've rented a flat (apartment/condo) here. Right now is busy season to rent, people will sometimes rent them for the summer (3 months) and stay here for a spell, as this is more of a summer resort area (it is seaside, but not to be confused with the Caribbean).

Flats are more what I would call a condominium (which, when I use that term here, everyone looks at me funny). A flat can be anything from studio up to multiple bedrooms. Sometimes people will share flats (advertised as flat-share), as there is typically a common room, and you can have a separate bedroom/bathroom area for your own space, although flat sharing is key in expensive London (much like NYC).

The majority of the buildings in this area (except for near the seafront) are Victorian style, which means NO closets, FEW electrical outlets, and LARGE single-pane windows. The single windows date back to ages ago when people were taxes based on the number of windows they had on their house. So if you had a big window instead of several, you got taxed less (or so I'm told). If it's not a single pane, then it's referred to as "double glazing" (double paned).

Instead of closets, they typically use wardrobes or armoires here for clothes instead of closets, and a walk-in closet is a true luxury. There are coat closets and broom closets, but very small. And most rooms are smaller than the US, unless you compare it to NYC.

You also get into houses.....where "Terraced/Attached" is basically a townhouse with townhouses up against both sides, "Semi-detached" is a townhouse where it's only against another townhouse on one side, and "Detached" is where the house is stand-alone, not up against another building. There are also maisonettes, which I don't yet understand how they are different, but similar to a basic flat.

I am in a newly constructed building (2 years old) and it has practically NO closets, but it does have lots of electrical outlets throughout the flat. I will talk more about the amenities in the flat in a later blog.