Key points
- In a professionally managed apartment building, all units are rented by one owner through a management company, with standard applications and leases and, often, an on-site maintenance team.
- A condo is one owner’s unit in a building run by an association. The owner is your landlord, and the association’s rules on moves, pets and rentals apply to you as well.
- In a house or a unit in a two- or three-family home, the owner usually handles everything. In a single-family house, the lease may assign outdoor chores such as snow or lawn care to the tenant.
- Layout labels are not standardized. A “1B+den” or a “split” can mean different things in different listings, so read the floor plan.
Three kinds of landlord
The same rent can come with very different arrangements. What matters most day to day is who owns the unit.
| Apartment building | Condo | House or multi-family | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landlord | A management company | The unit’s owner; the building is run by an association | The owner, who sometimes lives on site |
| Application | Online, with set criteria such as an income ratio | Set by the owner or their agent | Set by the owner or their agent |
| Lease | The company’s standard lease | The owner’s lease, with association rules attached where required | The owner’s lease |
| Repairs | On-site maintenance and a request system | The owner inside the unit; the association for common areas and building systems | The owner |
| Amenities | Often a gym, lounge and package room, sometimes a concierge | Depends on the building | Usually none; perhaps a yard, porch or driveway |
Renting a condo
In a condo, the owner signs your lease, but the association runs the building. Its rules can cover move-in times and elevator reservations, move-in fees, pets, parking and whether units may be rented at all. Some associations collect move-in fees directly, separately from rent, so ask who charges what.
Repairs inside the unit go to the owner. When a problem starts in a common area or a building system, such as a leak from the unit above or pests moving through the building, the association usually has to act, which can take longer. A responsive owner coordinates that for you.
Day-to-day differences
A few practical differences come up again and again:
- Noise: concrete-framed newer buildings are usually quieter than older wood-framed homes. In any building, a corner or top-floor unit shares fewer walls
- Laundry: newer buildings usually have a washer and dryer in each unit; older homes may have shared machines in the basement, or none
- Kitchens: many older Boston kitchens have range hoods that recirculate rather than vent outside; if you cook often, check
- Furniture: nearly all long-term rentals are unfurnished; furnished units are mostly short-term and priced higher
- Houses: in a single-family house, the lease may make you responsible for snow removal, lawn care or putting out the trash, so read who does what. In multi-family buildings, keeping shared entrances and exits clear generally stays with the owner
- Heating and cooling: older buildings may have radiators and window air conditioners; newer ones usually have central systems
Layout terms
Listings use shorthand that is not standardized. Some common terms:
- Studio: one main room with a kitchen area and a bathroom; sizes vary widely
- 1B+den: a one-bedroom with an extra room that may lack a window or enough space to count as a legal bedroom
- Split: usually a two-bedroom where the bedrooms sit on opposite sides of the living area, popular with roommates; in older Boston apartments, “split” can also mean a living room converted into a bedroom, leaving no separate living room
- Garden level: partly below ground, usually less expensive and less bright
- Finished basement: below-grade living space; ask whether it can legally be used as a bedroom
- 0.5 bath: a half bath with a toilet and sink but no shower or tub
General information for renters, current as of the date shown. Building rules and lease terms vary; confirm the details for the specific unit.