What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

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AussieBill
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What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by AussieBill »

I am thinking of moving to HH long term a few years not sure what to rent/lease
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JimmyGreaves
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by JimmyGreaves »

You don't spell them the same, apart from that they're the same!
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by Spitfire »

Technically, there is a difference, whether it translates into being applicable here in LOS I will leave for more property savvy folks to clarify, probably not though, and JG is right regarding here in Thailand. Sure one of the property buffs will see this and set it straight for here.

Generally, however.............
You can rent an apartment and you can also rent a condo. The two major differences between the two is an Apartment building carries a single deed of trust that encompasses the properties as a whole.

A condominium carries an individual deed of trust for each unit. It is possible for a single purchaser to own every unit in a condominium development and operate it in the same manner as an apartment development.

Often, a developer will purchase an apartment building and convert the individual units to condominiums by bringing them up to city code and offering them for sale.

What sets condo ownership apart from other types of ownership is you will not own a specific area of land, instead, you will own a percentage of the land as a whole.

A % of the total land area plus a % of all improvements and areas considered "common area" those places, clubhouse, pool, etc... that are available to all owners and their guests.

Had to check a bit of that, but as said at the start of the post, whether that mentioned above applies here in Thailand can be confirmed by others.

"Condominium" is a US English term generally, dictionaries will often mention "mainly US".

I am, however, completely ready to be stood corrected. :cheers:

Edit - Typos/Clarity
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by mabubba »

Is there a difference when renting a condo or apt. and paying for utilities in LOS? I think I read (can't remember what thread) that with condos you paid utilities through the building manager which they could potentially mark-up. With apartments you could pay the utilities directly. Not sure if that's correct...
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by chopsticks »

Condo, apartment, flat, unit, dwelling etc. all these terms nowadays seem to be interchangeable so I would not assume anything regarding differences in ownership and utility payments based solely on the whim of what term an estate agent happens to use.
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by barrys »

I think it more or less equates to the difference between a bungalow and a villa.

Villa and condominium sound more up-market to justify the higher price - a flat just sounds a bit cheaper, doesn't it.

What's the difference between a studio apartment and a bed-sitter, for example?

Clever marketing lingo, methinks
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by margaretcarnes »

barrys wrote:I think it more or less equates to the difference between a bungalow and a villa.

Villa and condominium sound more up-market to justify the higher price - a flat just sounds a bit cheaper, doesn't it.

What's the difference between a studio apartment and a bed-sitter, for example?

Clever marketing lingo, methinks
True Barry - but I can see the logic of Spitfires explanation about the difference in land ownership between condo and apartment. When I owned an apartment in the UK it included full ownership of it's allocated parking lot for example - plus a third share of the actual land occupied by 3 floors ie 3 apartments. Not a percentage share of the land occupied by the whole development.
It's splitting hairs but also I understand a bed-sit to be just that - a bed sitting room - with shared bathroom and kitchen, whereas a studio has its' own bathroom and kitchen. Either way not enough space to swing a cat!
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by JimmyGreaves »

Talking about Thailand not the moon :-) Might as well discuss the difference between nappy's and diapers as to the relevance of terminology in other countries.

Would be interested to know what terms the Thais use as that would be more relevant. I can see where this is going now.
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by squire »

Spitfire wrote:Technically, there is a difference, whether it translates into being applicable here in LOS I will leave for more property savvy folks to clarify, probably not though, and JG is right regarding here in Thailand. Sure one of the property buffs will see this and set it straight for here.

Generally, however.............
You can rent an apartment and you can also rent a condo. The two major differences between the two is an Apartment building carries a single deed of trust that encompasses the properties as a whole.

A condominium carries an individual deed of trust for each unit. It is possible for a single purchaser to own every unit in a condominium development and operate it in the same manner as an apartment development.

Often, a developer will purchase an apartment building and convert the individual units to condominiums by bringing them up to city code and offering them for sale.

What sets condo ownership apart from other types of ownership is you will not own a specific area of land, instead, you will own a percentage of the land as a whole.

A % of the total land area plus a % of all improvements and areas considered "common area" those places, clubhouse, pool, etc... that are available to all owners and their guests.

Had to check a bit of that, but as said at the start of the post, whether that mentioned above applies here in Thailand can be confirmed by others.

"Condominium" is a US English term generally, dictionaries will often mention "mainly US".

I am, however, completely ready to be stood corrected. :cheers:

Edit - Typos/Clarity
I agree with the above. Additionally, from a Thailand perspective, the term "condominium" is enshrined under an Act of Parliament, i.e., Condominium Act 2522 (1979...together with amendments enacted in 1999 and 2008).
For an apartment complex to be correctly referred to as a condominium, the complex must comply with this piece of legislation.
In discussion with local friends, they also distinguish between condominium and aprtment building by saying that usually an apartment building is owned entirely by one person.
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by AussieBill »

Thank you all for your input so I should ask the question in a diff manner Is it best to rent a apartment or a condo ?
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by JimmyGreaves »

I'd say go for a duplex flat!
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by margaretcarnes »

JimmyGreaves wrote:I'd say go for a duplex flat!

Do you mean a maisonette Jimmy? :wink:
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Re: What id the diff between Apartment and Condo

Post by lifeispixels »

In Thailand, Apartment and Condo are almost the same. People usually refer to apartment when the building is owned by a single owner and let people rent the rooms, while condo usually means individual ownership. ;)
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