House versus Apartment in Hanoi – Understand the differences before making your first move

When you are looking for new places to move in, one of the common questions is; should I get a house or an apartment?’ It may be difficult decide whether a house or an apartment is the best choice if you do not understand the variations clearly. Understanding the differences on house versus apartment is, therefore, important in making your first move. However, there are also some factors that will determine your choice e.g. how much rent you want to pay, how many roommates you want to have and if you need a yard.

House versus Apartment

Generally, a house is considered a detached single dwelling unit that could be owned or occupied by one person or people of a single household. On the other hand, an apartment could be described as an attached property with multiple dwelling units. Usually considered to be for rent and can accommodate different people in its many units. Let’s compare a house and apartment under the following factors;

1. Space

In most cases a house offers you more space than you would get in an apartment. A house may have its own compound with a yard as opposed to an apartment where the many dwelling units are built side by side to save space. As opposed to a house where you will have your space for any personal activities, an apartment will have limited space which is usually shared among the tenants. A house will have many spacious bedrooms as opposed to an apartment whose rooms are always limited in number and space.

2. Privacy

As earlier stated, a house is a detached product that provides some personal space. In most cases a house will be on its own and you will not be sharing walls or footpaths with anyone. If you are a very social person who enjoys indoor parties or other events, a house will give you the privacy to have your entertainment without worries of angry neighbors.

Apartments, on the other hand, will not offer you as much privacy since you are sharing walls with neighbors. You cannot for instance host a party in the apartment without affecting the neighbors. Since an apartment has shared units, some amenities like footpaths and elevators are usually shared among all the tenants. On the same note, you can on a pet comfortably in a house due to its privacy as opposed to an apartment.

3. Ownership

There is a common saying that you rent an apartment before moving into your own house’. This has been used to illustrate the notion that an occupant of a house owns it privately as opposed to an apartment occupant who rents it the entire period they stay there. Generally, many people rent apartments as they prepare to buy their own houses. However, there are houses that can also be rented by a tenant. Usually, it’s one tenant who rents a house as opposed to many tenants in an apartment. It is, therefore, wise to note that renting a whole house could be more expensive that renting an apartment.

4. Utilities

Staying in a house means you have to take responsibility for all the utility payments as an individual. Whether you have rented the house or bought it as your own, you will be expected to pay all the cumulative utility bills. This may be quite different with an apartment. In some cases tenants in an apartment share utility billing gadgets such as electricity meters. This means the tenants will share costs of the bills. In some instances, the apartment landlord may share utility bills with the tenants. E.g. a landlord may pay water or the internet and let their tenants pay for electricity. This could make it cheaper living in an apartment compared to a house.

5. Modification

If you are looking for living space that you can modify to your taste, then you need to understand that a house can be easily modified than an apartment. Since an apartment has shared units directly managed by the landlord, you must seek his permission before doing any modifications. You will have to consider your neighbors as well.

Conclusion

Essentially, the difference between a house and an apartment lies in the level of privacy and the costs involved in staying in each of them. In as much as both a house and an apartment are dwelling units, it is hoped that the differences explained here will help people decide wisely on what suits their lifestyle and financial situation.