What is an apartment and is it different from an apartment? Which is better: apartment or apartment

Recently, in the residential real estate market you can find quite a large number of proposals regarding the sale of apartments. The question arises: how does this object differ from an ordinary apartment? And what is more profitable to buy in this or that case.

Apartment or apartment: the choice is yours

There are quite a lot of differences between apartments and apartments. Even by superficially comparing these two objects with each other, one can understand that these are completely different things. Realtors believe that for people who are rarely at home, apartments are an excellent alternative to an apartment. But initially you should weigh all the pros and cons, evaluate the benefits and risks, so as not to make a mistake. Often you can save a lot of money on a purchase, but you should understand what this entails.

What is an apartment: basic provisions

This is a separate residential property that can be used both for your own residence there and for renting out. Such housing has a separate entrance, as well as everything necessary for comfortable stay communications. Moreover, apartments may differ from each other in area, location, number of floors, and so on according to the list. Finding a suitable property is not difficult; there are many of them in both the primary and secondary markets. Such real estate can be sold with finished renovation, rough or fine finishing, with or without furniture.

The cost of apartments in new buildings today: one-room apartment - from 6.5 million, two-room apartment - from 9.7 million, three-room apartment - from 18 million, 4+ - from 37 million rubles. Accordingly, a square meter costs about 159, 150, 184, 289 thousand rubles. This is the average market price; you can always find a cheaper option when developers offer discounts, and a more expensive option in luxury new buildings.

On the secondary market, a one-room apartment costs from 7.8 million, a two-room apartment – ​​from 13.2 million, a three-room apartment – ​​from 27.4 million, a four-room apartment – ​​from 93.2 million rubles. These are 206, 244, 329 and 632 thousand rubles per square meter, respectively. The price depends on the layout, condition, location.

What are apartments: the obvious difference

This is an object in which you can live freely, but at the legal level the premises are not considered residential real estate. The apartments are located in former office or industrial buildings that were converted specifically for housing, buildings that could not be built as residential buildings, while they are legally non-residential. Apartments are also converted into apartments in cases where the developer was unable to obtain permission to build a residential building.

“Often, premises located in hotel complexes are also offered. At the same time, the objects are equipped with communications, and the inside is partially or fully furnished. As for repairs, most often it will be designer. The apartments are classified as luxury real estate; it is believed that wealthy people who come to Moscow on business occasionally live there. In other words, this is a well-equipped hotel room where you can always stay. Most often there are one- and two-room apartments, as well as “studios”, where the room is combined with a kitchen,” says Alexey Shmonov, general director of the real estate portal Move.su.

When investing in such real estate, you should always take into account the cost, taxes and utilities. The price for an apartment can be 15-20 percent lower than for an apartment. But, of course, you should take into account the square footage, location, etc. nuances.

Many buyers believe that apartments have more disadvantages than advantages. After all, you cannot register there; as a result, you lack many of the rights that registration gives you. Secondly, an office may be installed nearby if it is a business center, or unknown individuals may live nearby when it comes to a hotel. You will not be able to call the police or simply make a verbal remark, since you will not have any right to do so.

Another disadvantage that developers “forget” to talk about is the lack of mandatory standards for the construction of such objects. For example, problems may arise with wiring, lack of light due to small windows, noise due to thin walls, etc.

What is the difference between an apartment and an apartment?

In addition to location (in residential and non-residential buildings) and legal status, there are other differences between the two objects. Thus, the area of ​​the apartment should not be less than forty square meters. The presence of a bathroom and a kitchen is mandatory in both cases. But the area of ​​the apartment can be much smaller than the 40-square-meter apartment.

As mentioned above, the cost of apartments is lower, but public utilities much more expensive, since they are calculated not for an individual, but for a legal entity or commercial real estate. For example, in the first case you will have to pay 25% more for heating, and 15% more for water. At the same time, apartment owners will not be able to take advantage of subsidies and benefits.

“We should also not forget about the property tax, which increases from 0.1% of the cadastral value (for apartments up to 10 million rubles) to 0.5%. And this is in best case scenario. There is a category of apartments, the tax rate of which reaches up to 2%, regardless of the cost of the property,” shares Alexey Shmonov, CEO of the real estate portal Move.su.

What is more profitable: apartment or apartment

So, let's imagine that we have 10 million rubles that we are ready to spend on purchasing real estate. Considering that the apartments will be 20% cheaper, then, accordingly, the apartment will cost 10 million, and the apartments – 8. In the second case, we put the remaining amount from the purchase on a deposit at 10% for 20 years. We make a profit during this time of about 10 million rubles. Over the course of twenty years, we spend, respectively, 1.4 and 1.8 million rubles on utilities, and 200 thousand and one million on taxes. After 20 years, we do not receive any assets for the apartment; for the apartments – 7.9 million rubles.

As a result, in the long term, apartments are more profitable. But we are talking about objects whose cost is at least 8% lower than an apartment. Otherwise, saving on buying real estate is not worth it.

Disadvantages of apartments: what you should think about before buying

As already mentioned, you cannot register in the apartment, you can only obtain temporary registration, which is given for up to five years. You will be able to receive the required monthly child benefit, send your children to school (but places will be provided only after admission to those officially registered), and be assigned to a clinic. And you won’t be able to count on social benefits or benefits. You will also not be able to join the labor exchange or queue for housing.

If it is necessary to purchase this or that real estate, either for a legal entity or an individual, whether for residential purposes or for other purposes, the buyer is faced with all sorts of nuances and terminology in the real estate market, including the question “what is the difference between an apartment and an apartment?” " In this article we will try to understand this issue, as well as study all the pros and cons of apartments and apartments.

What is it and what is the difference?

Today there is an opinion that apartments are something luxurious, expensive, “elite”, rather than ordinary apartment. There is some truth in this, but if you look at it, these are completely different concepts. The word "apartment" is borrowed from French and Italian languages(appartment, apartamento). It is translated as “apartment”, but in Russian it has a slightly different meaning.

From a legal point of view, there is no clear definition of these concepts in regulatory documents; there is only a conditional division in the real estate market. There is a mention of the word “apartment” in the classification of types of hotel rooms given by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. However, the legal status of apartments and apartments differs significantly. The legislation provides for a division into residential and non-residential premises.

Apartments are considered to be premises belonging to the non-residential fund, which can be used for living without the right to permanent registration. For example, apartments can be equipped with luxury hotels. An apartment means a residential premises with the right of permanent residence and rental.

Let's take a point-by-point look at the main differences between apartments and apartments on the real estate market:

ConditionsApartmentsApartment
1 SquareMust be at least 40 sq.m. The number of rooms should not be less than twoThere are no minimum restrictions or number of rooms
2 RedevelopmentIt is easier to redevelop, since it is a non-residential property and generally has an open planTo change the layout you need to go through many legal procedures. In most cases, redevelopment is an undesirable procedure
3 Registration of residentsOnly temporary registration is allowed if the apartment has hotel status, with subsequent extension of the registration periodThe owner of the apartment and all its residents can register on a permanent basis
4 Building regulationsHigh requirements for fire safety. This type of facility can only be built on an area not intended for residential buildings. But recently, changes have been introduced to building codes, which must provide for the presence of social facilities in the vicinity of the apartmentsDuring construction, the housing developer must improve the surrounding area of ​​the apartments with playgrounds, parking lots, etc. Also, according to regulatory requirements, kindergartens, schools, and clinics must be located near residential buildings
5 ControlApartment owners do not have the right to re-elect the management companyIf you want a change management company Residents of houses can change management company
6 SubsidiesThe owner of the apartment cannot count on any government benefits, since this is not provided for in the Housing Code of the Russian FederationDisabled people, pensioners, low-income people and other citizens living in apartments provided for in the Housing Code have certain benefits when paying utility bills
7 PriceApartment price as non-residential premises, usually cheaper compared to apartments. For example, in Moscow the difference is about 10%The cost of apartments is higher compared to apartments, since the developer has certain social obligations to apartment owners
8 Communal paymentsPayment per room services in this type of buildings are higher on average by 10% than in residential premises. This difference is due to the fact that cleaning and maintenance of apartments are carried out by special companies, and payments for utilities are often made through intermediary companies.Cleaning of apartments and some types of maintenance, breaking taps, for example, is mainly done by the apartment resident himself. Accordingly, the rent is lower.
9 TaxationThe tax rate for apartments is higher. Thus, the cadastral value is about 0.5%. If the apartments are part of an office building, the tax rate can reach up to 2%.For apartments, the property tax according to the cadastre is about 0.1%.

Advantages and disadvantages

By carefully studying the table, the buyer, if he is faced with a dilemma about what to buy as a property, an apartment or apartments, can identify the risks and advantages of a particular type of real estate and weigh the pros and cons. So, if we consider the advantages of apartments over apartments, they are as follows:


The disadvantages of owning this type of premises are:

  • Lack of opportunity to register on a permanent basis. But many who buy apartments are not bothered by this fact, since they already have a place where they are registered and the apartments are bought for completely different purposes;
  • There may be problems with common property, since the owner can only use the square meters allocated to him. He does not have the right to use attics and basements than apartment owners by agreement with the HOA and neighbors;
  • High utility bills, which tend to increase every year. The same applies to tax rates. But there are some peculiarities here. It was mentioned above that the tax for apartments can be up to 2% of the cadastral value. But, if the non-residential property operates as a hotel (and not an office, store, etc.), which is legally formalized, and also if its cadastral value does not exceed 300 thousand rubles, then the tax for this type of real estate may be 0.5 %;
  • The developer is not obliged to provide this kind of premises not far from social facilities, since this is not prescribed by law.

It should be noted that the transfer of non-residential objects to residential premises is extremely difficult. Registration of apartments as an apartment can only be done in court with the consent of the owners of the entire building.

The buyer decides which property is worth buying, referring to his goals and capabilities. If you need housing for a large family with the right to register, or you want to open a hotel, thereby establishing a business, the choice is obvious.

Recently, completely new concepts have appeared in real estate, such as apartments and studio apartments. Let's talk about what they mean and what, in fact, is the difference between apartments and an apartment or studio. When wanting to purchase real estate, people ask a lot of questions about this. Let's look at the nuances.

What are apartments, the difference from apartments

For some reason, apartments are associated with luxury housing; today there are a lot of them on sale. These are mainly new buildings. However, when wanting to purchase such real estate, buyers ask many legitimate questions.

And the very first of them: “What are apartments?” The difference from apartments already begins with the fact that these are non-residential premises. Yes Yes. Precisely non-residential ones.

And the point is not even in the size and layout of such real estate, but in the fact that such premises are built for administrative purposes. Even the certificate of ownership of such an object will indicate that the premises are non-residential. Sometimes apartments are sold in Moscow, in the documents for which a “hotel type” entry is made.

So, apartments are first of all commercial real estate. It is for this reason that they are placed in large centers along with shops, fitness centers, and offices. Nevertheless, the real purpose of such premises is still living.

The problem is that Russian legislation does not officially define the very concept of apartments, and therefore developers, using existing laws, designate them as housing with an area of ​​more than forty square meters, having more than one room, a kitchen and a toilet with a bathroom.

Non-residential premises

If we talk about the difference between an apartment and an apartment, then first of all, because it is a non-residential premises. From a legal point of view, they are usually commercial funds in which temporary residence is possible. This, as they say, is both an advantage and a disadvantage of apartments compared to ordinary apartments.

What are the advantages of the apartments?

We figured out the question of what apartments are. The difference from apartments starts with the price. Since they are considered luxury housing, they are correspondingly more expensive. When conducting a comparative analysis, realtors say that apartments sometimes cost 20-25% more than ordinary real estate of the same area in the same area.

Free, unconstrained layout

We have already mentioned that the legal difference between apartments and apartments is that they are commercial assets. This means that since this is a non-residential premises, its refurbishment is not consistent with housing legislation. Usually there is a completely free layout, you can embody any fantasies of the owners, you just can’t touch the load-bearing walls.

Elite infrastructure is another difference between apartments and apartments. Let's start with the fact that they are designed for wealthy buyers who are very demanding about their surroundings. As a rule, on the ground floors of such complexes there are fitness centers, spa clubs, restaurants, bars, expensive shops, and banks. By purchasing such housing, people receive a high level of service without leaving such a complex.

Convenient location is the main difference between an apartment and an apartment in Moscow. As you know, the distances in the capital are enormous, and therefore, for convenience, housing is purchased five minutes from work. This is due to saving valuable travel time and traffic jams. Such urban complexes are located in very populated areas or on the upper floors of large business centers.

As for suburban buildings, they have their advantages. For example, residents can become members of an elite yacht club.

Living in the same territory by people of approximately the same level

City high-rise buildings are inhabited by people belonging to completely different strata. The level of wealth of people here is very different. Rich people who want to move only within their own circle get this opportunity by purchasing apartments.

The difference from apartments is also that such housing can be resold or rented out at a profit. Developers claim that real estate of this level has not become cheaper even during the crisis.

Do the apartments have any disadvantages?

Yes, there are indeed a number of disadvantages.

When talking about the difference between an apartment and an apartment, it is necessary to list these negative points:


We have looked at the main differences between an apartment and an apartment.

Overall, the latter are a very profitable investment. Money. For most of their owners, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

The Moscow government plans to regulate the apartment market. They want to equate luxury housing with apartments, and this will lead to higher prices.

What is an apartment?

We talked in detail about what apartments are; the difference from apartments is quite significant. These differences can be perceived as both advantages and disadvantages. How is the concept of an apartment defined by law? This is real estate that is completely ready for people to live in. It must meet certain comfort requirements. There are mandatory conditions that it must meet:

  1. Availability of electricity and heating.
  2. Presence of water supply and sewerage.
  3. Own entrance to the room and mandatory division of the entire area into separate rooms.

The class of an apartment is determined by its area, number of rooms, number of floors in the building, and interior renovations. The price is also affected by location and distance from infrastructure.

What is a studio apartment?

When considering the topic of real estate, you definitely need to mention such a type of housing as a studio apartment. They have also become popular recently. What is it? What is the difference between an apartment and a studio apartment?

This type of housing has a unique layout. Essentially, this is the same one-room apartment, but it does not have a division into a kitchen, bedroom and guest room. Absolutely the entire area is a single space, only the bathroom is isolated. In such an apartment there are no corridors at all.

Studios are good for young families who do not yet have children. The disadvantage of such real estate is that it is impossible to have privacy if you want to be alone. Although you can always do redevelopment and change something. But there is one big plus. This is, of course, the price. It is thirty percent lower than the cost of a full-fledged apartment.

The studios are built with an open plan. It has become fashionable to turn an ordinary home into a studio by making interior remodeling.

The main difference between this type of real estate is that, unlike apartments, this is a living space with all the ensuing consequences.

What are the different studio layouts?

The stereotype that a studio is a cramped space for two is not at all true. The dimensions of the area can be completely different. These can be spacious rooms, or even two-level ones. The layout is provided - square, rectangular, round, trapezoidal.

The history of the studios

The first studio apartments appeared in the United States more than a hundred years ago. This was a new word in architecture. Due to the fact that there were no internal load-bearing walls, it became possible to deviate from the standard layout. The first to accept this housing option were representatives of bohemians and people of art. Given their lifestyle, this option was optimal. However, time passed, and in America the studio became cheap housing for students.

Disadvantages of studio apartments

In our country, for some reason, a studio is considered something elite. In fact, this is a deep misconception. Let's start with the fact that such housing is convenient for only one or two people.

The advantages include good lighting with a minimum area. I'm glad to see the possibility of redevelopment. The area increases due to the absence of corridors. In the West, studios are popular because they are cheap. In our country, the refurbishment of premises is carried out according to an individual project, which is why it becomes very expensive. It's just not worth it. But the end result, at great expense, is housing that is not entirely convenient for the average family.

The studio option is used in large country houses for the design of the first floor, where the living room, kitchen and hall are made into a single space with zoning elements. The remaining floors have a regular layout, with separate rooms, corridors, etc. This option is certainly acceptable. However, not everyone can afford it.

Instead of an afterword

Currently, there are many types of housing on the real estate market. But, having decided to purchase something, you need to clearly understand what you want to get, and also take into account the legal nuances. We looked in detail at the difference between an apartment and an apartment, and what a studio is. When offering you housing options, realtors do not always tell you the whole truth. Therefore, you need to understand the nuances of the proposed housing yourself. Remember that when you decide to purchase an apartment, you will end up with non-residential premises. And do not believe that they will promise you a possible transfer to housing stock. There are very few such cases in practice. And developers don’t need such extra trouble. If you are not interested in the nuances of registration, then this is your type of housing. Well, the simplest option would be to purchase either a studio or an apartment. It's up to you to decide.

Having your own comfortable home is the natural desire of every person. Buying an apartment these days If you have your own or credit funds, it’s quite simple, the choice of new and secondary housing is wide. But more and more often on the Internet you can find advertisements for the sale of apartments, and the price per square meter in this case turns out to be 15 - 20% lower than the price per meter in an ordinary city apartment. Let's try to figure out how these two types of real estate differ and when it makes sense, thereby saving money.

The main difference between an apartment and an apartment is that an apartment is a residential property, and an apartment is a commercial property. The turnover of residential real estate and the rules for its use are regulated by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, which a priori interprets all controversial situations in favor of home owners (in theory). The status of apartments is regulated by the more general Civil Code. The owner of the apartments has eternal rights to them, but cannot, for example, permanently register there or register third parties for permanent residence. Only temporary registration is possible in the apartments - these are hotel-type accommodations.

Apartments from the developer's point of view

Since apartments do not have the status of residential premises, the process of accepting a building is simpler than in the case of apartment building. Industrial, warehouse, and administrative buildings that cannot be reconstructed for housing are often converted into apartments. Naturally, when arranging apartments, the builder, developer or future owner is obliged to provide a sufficient level of comfort. Not because building codes require it, but simply because temporary housing without sufficient amenities simply will not find demand. you will find in the catalogue.

Taxation issues

An important issue is the taxation of apartments and apartments. At the end of 2014, President Putin signed a decree in which the property tax individuals tied to the cadastral value of real estate. But if the tax rate on apartments in 2015 is 0.1% of the cost, and by 2020 it will increase, according to the decree, to 0.3%, then the owner must now give the state 2% per year from the cost of apartments and any other commercial real estate.

This situation clearly implies that apartments are ideal as a means of active income, allowing not only to maintain them, but also to share them with the state.

Apartments on mortgage

A separate question is whether it is difficult to buy apartments with a mortgage or credit. The answer is clear – it’s not difficult. Banks benefit from such deals. The cost of apartments is lower than the cost of apartments, which means selling the collateral in case of non-repayment of the loan will be easier than selling the apartment. You cannot register in the apartment, which means there will be no problems with eviction from your only home and other “delights” of a regular overdue mortgage. The rate on loans secured by commercial real estate is always higher than the rate on residential property.

Apartment or apartment - Which is better?

Let's summarize. Apartments today are a type of commercial real estate intended for temporary residence of the owner or third parties.

Buying apartments for your own residence is an option with its own pros and cons. The main advantage is saving 15-20% of the initial investment, and also the fact that the apartments are sold already finished and furnished, which also saves money and time on repairs and furnishings. But there are also disadvantages to the purchase:

  • high property tax rate;
  • impossibility of permanent registration;
  • lack of social guarantees provided to homeowners.

Much the best option use of apartments - renting them out for the purpose of generating business income. Possible different terms rental - from several hours to several years. Daily rental- the most profitable, but also the most expensive business, as it requires investment in advertising and resolution of inevitable force majeure situations. Profitability from renting out apartments long term approximately equal to the yield from renting out apartments or slightly exceeds it.

By purchasing several apartments under one roof at once, an enterprising person can open a profitable hotel business. Successful examples can be found in many countries around the world. He himself will live in one room, and the rest will be rented out to tourists, business travelers, part-time students during a session, and simply people who are looking for temporary solitude.

Today apartments can be found not only in the luxury segment - more and more offers are appearing on the market. The apartments are in demand and have become available to a wide range of buyers. However, the acquisition of such real estate is fraught with a lot of peculiarities.

The first question that arises for the average person is what are apartments? Many people do not know that they are distinguished from apartments by a number of important details. And if previously large studio apartments were considered apartments, now this type of housing is acquiring more precise legal features, and apartments can be found even at 30 square meters. meters. Essentially, this is the same hotel where you can buy a room with a kitchen, and the price includes hotel infrastructure. There may already be places for recreation, fitness rooms, restaurants and spas, as well as office space and conference rooms, note specialists from the Azbuka Zhilya company. Apartments are non-residential premises; theoretically, they are commercial real estate. This is why many apartment complexes are converted office buildings. In Moscow, in areas where the development of residential properties is prohibited, it is quite legal to build apartments and sell them as residential premises. It will not be possible to register in such a place, but you can do temporary registration, and even then not everywhere and not always. That is, the main difference between apartments and apartments in Russia is their different legal status.

Tretyakova DariaHead of Consulting and Analytics Department at Azbuka Zhilya“For a family with children, for example, the inability to register in an apartment is a significant disadvantage for life. Accordingly, difficulties will arise with the use of district clinics, kindergartens and schools. It is quite difficult to get a mortgage loan to buy an apartment. And programs aimed at supporting the purchase of housing do not apply to apartments. Unlike an apartment, an apartment can be seized by a creditor from the owner, even if it is his only home.”

However, apartment owners are of little interest in registration, Hospitality Income analysts note. As a rule, such properties are purchased as a second or third home for wealthy people. Typically, expensive apartments are purchased by employees of foreign companies, top managers, and businessmen - location and hotel service are important to them, notes Daria Tretyakova, head of the consulting and analytics department at Azbuka Zhilya. In addition, the status of non-residential premises allows apartment owners to register legal entities, which can be convenient for the company.

Elena Lysenkova CEO of Hospitality Income“This format of residential real estate, veiled as a hotel format, which came to us from the West, is being implemented in many Russian cities and in general it has become familiar. And the fact that registration in them is impossible does not bother anyone. If we talk about the development of the apartment market in general, then the direction of apartment real estate is currently developing in two formats. In an apart-hotel format, when hotel originally created for renting out rooms for temporary accommodation of guests, but these rooms have more spacious characteristics compared to classic hotel rooms. And service apartments, which are a complex of apartments that are first sold to the market to end users, who, in turn, can transfer these apartments to the management of a professional centralized management company that will rent out and maintain the apartments.”

The disadvantages include operating costs and increased taxes. Today it is five times more for apartments than for an apartment, and monthly service fees can vary from 15 to 40 thousand per month or more. But the apartments are much cheaper - 15-20% lower than apartments of the same level. This is largely due to the lack of infrastructure - the developer is not obliged to build clinics, kindergartens and schools, as is done in the case of apartments. For example, the center of Moscow is experiencing tension - schools and kindergartens are overcrowded, and the number of apartment complexes is growing. In addition, such facilities may lack parking spaces, which also increases the load on city infrastructure.

Despite minor shortcomings, the apartments have a number of important advantages. And here, as they say, it’s a matter of taste and priorities: your choice should be based on the purpose for which you are purchasing housing. According to Hospitality Income Consulting specialists, the demand for apartments will only grow in the next three years.