When did flats become apartments?

Ian_Griffiths_Halifax

lonestar1 wrote: »

I have seen plenty of first floor apartments with their own stairway to their own door. Not many fifth floor ones though :rotfl:

Was it made of iron and have a sign saying 'DO NOT USE UNLESS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY'?

maytaurus

At the same time that terraced houses became town houses :rotfl:

sooz

Jorgan wrote: »

Apartments generally mean its a new build property, therefore worth at least £50k more than the old flat round the corner, you know the one, well built, owner occupiers and a reasonable management fees.

Estates are now called 'developments', they come in many guises including 'select developments', 'executive developments', 'small developments' and thanks to a number of property !!!!!! programmes the most sought after, 'gated developments'.

You've forgotten the luxury gated executive canal-side developments. (those that need gates to keep the undesirables out)

And some of the new apartments here offer contemporary 24/7 living! Handy to know you can use your apartment all the time

Ian_Griffiths_Halifax

Where do 'Pods' fit in?

Are they luxury shoeboxes, minature apartments or executive changing rooms?

lincroft1710

In the olden days - well early 1960s - houses offered for sale (nearly always by auction then) were either "dwellnghouses" or "residences", depending on their age and type. In mid/late 1970s all office developments were "prestige".

"Townhouse" now also implies 3 storeys. In 1950s/60s no respectable person chose to live in Notting Hill.

Anway I'm a lot happier relaxing on my sofa, rather than on a settee, and driving a pre-owned car instead of a used one. LOL!!!!!!!!!!

Cleaver

The 'mixed-use urban lifestyle development' in Salford Quays quite near to us has 'smartpads'. My understanding of these is that there are very small studios where the bed takes up the whole room, but you can fold it up in to the wall. I believe they are about 250 sqaure feet in total and, I think, are still up for grabs for about 100k (get them whilst they're hot). So to add to the lexion:

'Smartpad' = Very small room with folding bed.
'Mixed-Use Urban Lifestyle Development' = You live next to your office.

I live round the corner in a sh**ty, 1920s ex-council block.

'Sh**ty 1920s Ex-Council Block' = Solid walls, lots of space and two bedrooms for less than a Smartpad.

Incisor

GDB2222 wrote: »

When did flats become apartments? I'm sure that they always used to be flats, and I never noticed any change

I never noticed either. Another thing, builders sell homes and people buy houses, but I know for a fact that nobody is selling houses or buying homes at the moment.

Bogof_Babe

Everything is "property" nowadays, which really annoys me for some reason.

The word property comes from the same stem as proprietor, i.e. owner, and yet the market is full of "rental properties" which seems like an oxymoron to me.

Also everything I own, from my toothbrush to a 50p piece in my purse is my "property“ so why has the housing industry taken possession of the word?

Austin_Allegro

Well 'apartment' is the American term, so perhaps that was adopted around about the same time the property market started adopting all those other Americanisms like massive hyping of prices, loose lending, etc...:rolleyes:

ShelfStacker_3

I like the idea of "studio flats". I live in a "studio flat". Well, actually, I call it a bedsit. As anyone who doesn't need their face punched inside out does.