I don’t know about you but I have always wondered what the difference between a Condo, an Apartment and a Flat is. Well I am fibbing a little. Along the way I kinda figured out that the Apartment vs Flat debate was an American vs British English story but this Condo vs Apartment thing???? Someone please clear the air.
Now, I recently visited the land of the free – you know the one with the red stripes and white stars, that one! Fantastic trip. It was on this trip that I got an education on this topic. One fine Summer evening as we were sipping on Margaritas a friend of mine mentioned that he was finally closing on a condo in Florida and two minutes later he was on the phone telling his sister to bring him a gadget he had left in his apartment?? Just like that he had mentioned condo and apartment in less than a minute….voila!! this was my moment….an enlightening moment it was so please bear with me because I really feel the need to share this knowledge with you. Here goes….
THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO ME:
| British English | American English | Kenyan English
(yeah you know we are special) |
|
| Condo
|
Does not feature at all in their vocabulary (or should I say I do not know any Brit who has ever used this word in a conversation with me J | Refers to an individual unit in a high rise residential complex that you buy to live in.
In short, you should never see a “To Let” sign outside a condo complex. If the owner rents it out, they generally will do so a little more discreetly. (dunno about you but I did see a “To Let” sign outside a condo complex on Route 9 in Framingham, Massachusetts though (confusing huh!). |
A term used by a few odd “summer bunnies” when they visit you in your apartment in Kilimani and they remark .. “wow, I love your condo!” Seriously?? Condo?? How else will you know they are “diasporans!!” sigh |
| Apartment
|
Not common with the real Brits but those that have travelled use the term to refer to their flats (see below) when speaking to their non-Brit friends. | Refers to an individual unit in a high rise residential complex that you buy to live in. | Refers to an individual unit in a high rise residential complex that you can either own or rent.
The use of this term also depicts one’s age so if you were born after independence ie after 1963 you would generally use the term apartment. |
| Flat
|
Refers to an individual unit in a high rise residential complex that you can either own or rent. | Huh? What is that? Why do the British like to complicate things?? | See comments above. So, if you were born before independence…yeah that’s right…you would refer to it as a FLAT. |
That’s it. Education 101. Goodnight peeps.
NB: Image courtesy of Purple Haze Apartment Complex . The most advertised apartment complex in 2015. Watch this space for a review on it as soon as the show house is ready.
A ‘Flat’ is an apartment all on one level (floor). Some condos and expensive apartments spread up over two, or three storeys. 🙂