Penthouse
Penthouses
A penthouse is a full-fledged house located on the roof of a high-rise building. To be called a penthouse, a residence must meet a whole set of conditions.
As explained by Darya Tretyakova, head of consulting and analytics at Azbuka Zhilya, the property must be two-level (sometimes three levels are found) and have high ceilings – from four meters. Such housing is located on the top floor of the building and also occupies the entire roof. Moreover, if there is a 'neighbor' on the roof, the property is no longer considered a penthouse in its classic sense.
There must also be access to a usable roof with good waterproofing. If there is no access to an open area, then it is an attic, not a penthouse.
An important condition is a beautiful view that should not be obstructed by taller buildings nearby. The upper level of the apartment is glazed with panoramic windows.
It is not always possible to meet all these requirements within the Russian market and legislation. Developers often, wishing to raise the status and price of housing, call properties that are not penthouses by that name, experts warn.
Apartments
Apartments are relatively large spaces with one or two rooms that are often located in administrative buildings or hotels. The main difference between apartments and ordinary flats abroad is the presence of a service agency. In Russia, however, the key point is the legal status: apartments belong to the category of non-residential premises, meaning you cannot register your residence there. But you can organize an office relocation and convert the space into apartments.
This format first appeared in the skyscrapers of Moscow City. Subsequently, apartments were positively received by developers and currently account for just under half of the market, said Anatoly Dovgan, head of analysis and monitoring at Intermark Savills. For comparison, in 2010 the share of such offerings, according to the company's estimates, was only 3%.
Despite the growth in supply, not all buyers in Russia clearly understand what apartments are, and learn that you cannot register a residence in them only after completing the transaction.
The purchase price of apartments is relatively low, but monthly utility payments are higher than for a flat – precisely because of the non-residential status. However, apartments can easily be converted into an office without needing any permits.
Lofts
In the minds of buyers, lofts and apartments are often seen as synonyms. In fact, lofts are always the result of redevelopment of an old industrial building.
The first loft properties date back to the Great Depression in the United States, when abandoned factory spaces began to be used as housing rented at minimal rates. The format was popular among creative professionals due to low rental rates and virtually unlimited possibilities for arranging the spaces.
In Russia, the practice of creating lofts is limited – factories on the outskirts of cities continue to operate or remain abandoned for many years, while buildings in the center are often simply demolished. However, lofts do exist in Russia, but they came to our market as a 'fashionable' format in the business and elite classes.
'Potential sites for lofts in Moscow are located in the city center, where cheap real estate simply does not exist. Moreover, the format had already been popularized in the West, and in Russia the first demand came precisely from those people who had lived in such a space abroad and wanted to bring it into their Moscow life,' says Alexander Poduskov, director of sales and development of loft projects at KR Properties.
Experts warn that now in Moscow and St. Petersburg, 'loft' projects are appearing that are not lofts in the classic sense. Under the guise of lofts, new buildings are sold that have some loft characteristics – high ceilings, use of brick, specific window shapes, exposed utilities in the living space. However, a loft is always a historic building, and specifically a factory building, so it cannot be a mass product.
Duplexes
The understanding of the term 'duplex' varies by country. In Russia, this type of housing is known in its original English version – as a house with several apartments under one roof. As a rule, such a house is shared by two families. Sometimes a duplex is called a two-level apartment with a staircase between floors.
In Russia and the CIS, the duplex has developed as one of the types of elite housing. Active construction of duplex villages is currently underway in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, as well as in the suburbs of Kyiv, says Darya Tretyakova. A duplex house in such a village is a spacious building where the area of each section starts from 200 square meters. In addition, duplexes are often located on large plots – up to 20 ares.
Townhouses
A townhouse is a multi-story house whose walls adjoin the neighbor's house. Each house typically has a separate entrance and a small adjacent area. Abroad, it is common to have a garage on the first floor; in Russia, such solutions have also begun to be used.
A townhouse successfully combines a low price with the advantages of a nearly full-fledged country house. In Russia, objects that are not townhouses at all are often called townhouses.
“In Russia, the term ‘townhouse’ is literally translated as ‘house in the city.’ But they forget that in English, ‘town’ is used for small towns and suburbs, while for a city like Moscow, the term ‘city’ is correct. It was a real cultural shock for me to hear the definition ‘townhouse’ applied to mansions in the historical center of Moscow. This is fundamentally illiterate,” says Andrey Petukhov, director of marketing and sales at MIAN 24.
The expert warns that very often any low-rise development is called a townhouse. But it should be understood that unlike townhouses, low-rise apartment buildings do not have a separate entrance for each apartment or an individual adjacent territory.
Club houses
A club house is an elite low-apartment residential building built according to an exclusive project in a prestigious, well-maintained area. Such houses are built for a narrow circle of residents belonging to the same social class.
It is the selection of residents that is a key feature of club houses – most of the apartments in them are sold through closed sales.
“There are no real club-type houses in Russia at all – there is no relevant legislation under which the owners themselves can join the management company, choose their neighbors, interview potential buyers, and make other important decisions regarding their home,” notes Daria Tretyakova.