Nearly everyone at some point rents or leases from an apartment or duplex. Depending on what area you live in, you might even choose apartments or duplexes as a long-term option instead of buying a home.
Both apartment and duplex options are often lumped together into one category but the two actually have plenty of key differences.Â
The good news is that both are great options the next time you are on a hunt for housing. After you read about a duplex vs apartment, you will understand that the two are far from synonyms.
Fundamental Differences: Duplex vs Apartment
In a general sense, apartments and duplexes are located in dissimilar building structures. Apartments will often have several stories and will include many separate units
A duplex, as you can tell from the root of the word, are simply two units side-by-side together. Privacy might be better with duplexes, but amenities will usually be more limited than apartments.
Services like lawn maintenance, repair for damaged items in the living area are more common with apartments. This includes add-ons like Wi-Fi or a washer and dryer.
More Differences to Consider
When you are reaching the stage to sign a lease, there will often be different parameters on your contract with an apartment vs duplex. Apartments are more known for locking in tenants with a year-long deal. Duplexes usually are more flexible with month-to-month options.
You will be more likely to deal with a larger corporation or business when choosing an apartment. But a duplex might be owned by a more casual single landlord.
As far as the size of the unit, duplexes are generally bigger than apartments. Duplexes are also much more likely to be furnished.
Because of the typical building differences between the two, your neighbor’s situations could be drastically different. You could be sharing a wall with three or even four different units in an apartment compared to just one with a duplex.
Apartments will also have a higher rate of turnover, which will lead to an even more unpredictable array of neighbors.
Location, Location, Location
If you have a job located in the middle of a city, you may be forced to either choose an apartment or a long commute with a duplex. Duplexes are often towards the boundary of a city while apartments are known for being more in the middle of a town.
Just as if you were buying a house, location is one of the most critical aspects to consider in the duplex vs apartment discussion.
Love Where You Live
The bottom line is everyone’s living situation is different. Whether an apartment or duplex works best can sometimes be on a case-by-case basis.
When deciding between a duplex vs apartment remember that each has a succinct style and benefits, but also drawbacks that need to be considered as well.
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