Difference Of Housing Through Ownership

Other than the physical form of a building or a house, there is yet another way for determining the difference between an apartment from other types of housing. This is with its ownership or more commonly known in the industry as housing tenure.


How do you determine the difference of an apartment (building) and a condominium building? How can you distinguish the difference between an apartment and a house? Other than its physical form, there is yet another way for determining the difference between an apartment from other types of housing. This is with its ownership or more commonly known in the industry as housing tenure.

Difference through ownership
Apartments can be anything from a condominium unit or a townhouse unit, to typical houses. Any type of housing can be be made as an apartment by its owner. This is the reason why determining its ownership is important to distinguish a type of housing from apartments. This is where housing tenures are useful.

The term housing tenure is widely used in residential real estates which deals with the legal arrangement for the right to occupy a dwelling, which is also known as ownership. According to many philippine real estate experts, two of the most frequent type of housing tenure are owner occupancy, which is the housing tenure that governs houses, and tenancy, which usually deals with apartments. In terms of condominiums and townhouses, its ownership is also different from houses.

However, other than the difference between apartments and other types housing, condominiums, townhouses, and houses are also different from each other. Though condominiums, townhouses, and houses may offer the same type of ownership, which is a permanent residence compared to apartments, its housing tenure is different from each other. Condominiums and townhouses are governed a modified type of owner occupancy, which is known as a strata title or common hold.

These types of ownership involves the ownership of a condo unit or a townhouse unit. However, other facilities found in the building or compound such as hallways, elevators, and other recreational facilities are jointly owned by all the owners of the condominium or townhouse. This also involves the giving of a fee, either monthly based or yearly based, as a means for maintaining the condominium or townhouse as well as its security.

Other types of housing tenure
Other than those mentioned above, a number of new housing tenures have been created as modified form or combined form of owner occupancy and tenancy. These new forms include:

Cooperative housing: Ownership of the entire building or complex is held in common by a homeowners' association. Individuals have the right to occupy a particular apartment by mutual agreement but do not hold exclusive ownership to it. Public housing: Government-owned housing, whether provided for free or leased at a subsidised rate. Squatting: Occupation by non-owner without permission by the owner, if any.