Types of Housing in Boston
Common Types of Housing in Boston
Because Boston is such an old city, there is a tremendous variety in the types of housing available. From Brownstone rowhouses to apartment complexes, multi-family homes and modern lofts, Boston can offer every type of lodging that you would want. However, the trick to finding housing in the city is to know where to look to find the type of housing you like at the price that will fit your budget. Below are brief descriptions of the types of housing available in the city, and where you might expect to find each one. None of these housing options is ‘better’ than any other – they each offer different things to prospective tenants. Because each neighborhood in Boston is unique, you will find that the same ‘type’ of housing is different in each of the neighborhoods. A small apartment building in Allston will not look the same as a small apartment building in JP.
Brownstones/Row Houses
A brownstone is a terrace or rowhouse in brown or red stone brick. This style of building, built mostly in the 1800s, is easy to recognize because of the distinct bowing of the buildings, the red brick, and the older streets they inhabit. They are sometimes called ‘rowhouses’ because developers often built a number of identical-looking brownstone units next to each other on the same street. Brownstone buildings are generally older than other types of housing, have beautiful architectural detailing, and are located in some of the most desirable neighborhoods of Boston. However, some of the more modern conveniences of apartment complexes, like laundry facilities on premises, easy-to-access internet ports, and central air-conditioning are harder to find in these older buildings. Many brownstones are not handicap accessible. Most brownstones are between three and five stories tall.
Brownstones are prominent in Beacon Hill, the Back Bay, parts of Fenway/Kenmore, and especially in the South End, which holds the distinction of being the United States’ largest Victorian landmark (ie, this neighborhood has more brownstone buildings than anywhere else!)
Apartment Complexes
While Boston does not have many high-rise apartment complexes to offer like New York or Chicago might, there is a fair selection of apartment buildings in the city. These facilities have many units; usually over 20 and sometimes up to 300 or 400. It is hard to generalize across buildings of this sort, but the facilities in these buildings tend to be more modern, have more access to conveniences like central air conditioning, climate control, and laundry; and (generally) tend to be more expensive than similar sized apartments in other types of housing. Some apartment complexes may offer parking to tenants for an additional charge, often somewhere between $100 and $200 a month. Apartment complexes usually offer a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Higher occupancy units are rare. Much of the luxury housing available in Boston is located in an apartment complex, and these facilities offer a huge number of unusual amenities like concierge services, move-in assistance, dry-cleaning and mail service, and specialized leasing offices.
Most of the larger apartment complexes are located downtown, but every neighborhood tends to have a few. Not all complexes are towers – many are laid out horizontally. Of particular note is the Harbor Point complex in Dorchester bay, the largest collection of apartments in Boston.
Small Apartment Buildings
Smaller apartment buildings are probably the main form of rental property in Boston. Compared to the larger apartment complexes or more exclusive brownstones, small apartment buildings in Boston are much more numerous. Often operated by a small property owner or management company, these buildings have a handful of apartments – between five (the minimum number of units a building must have to be considered an apartment building at all) and 15 or 20, and offer a good balance between the architectural beauty and historical feel of brownstones, and the modern convenience of an apartment building. Many apartment buildings will have laundry on premises, but may not have parking facilities. Most of these buildings offer studios and one- and two-bedroom units, but 3- and 4-bedroom apartments are available in some buildings, and they are much easier to find in the smaller apartment buildings than the larger complexes.
Small apartment complexes dominate the Allston/Brighton housing market, as well as certain sections of the Fenway/Kenmore area and parts of Roxbury. Every neighborhood has a smattering of these buildings, although they tend to be less common in the South End, Beacon Hill, and the Back Bay.
Houses
In many of the more residential and suburban sections of Boston, multiple-family houses are a common housing option. For a student population, this type of unit offers the largest physical space of any of the housing described here, and are usually the easiest and cheapest option for four or five people who want to live together. Many home-owners or landlords will rent one floor of a multiple-family house to a group of students. Homes offer a number of advantages: space, a “homey” feel, often parking, and the ability to host guests and visitors much more easily than in an apartment. However, rental opportunities in houses are almost always high-occupancy situations, so if you are interested in looking into a home, make sure you’ve found some reliable roommate ahead of time. Also, in many homes, you will be responsible for paying all or part of the heating bill, which can be expensive in the winter. Very few houses have amenities like central air conditioning or an elevator. If you are interested in buying a house, instead of renting space in one, you’ll want to head to the section of this site dedicated to purchasing real estate.
Rental opportunities in houses are easy to find in Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, South Boston, Roslindale, West Roxbury and Hyde Park, as well as section of Brookline. Houses are a bit less common in the downtown area.
Condominiums
A condominium is an apartment for purchase. Condos can be very similar to the types of rooms you will find in an apartment complex. They are often of slightly higher quality, offer more conveniences, and are more expensive. Since condominiums are usually offered for purchase and not rent, if you find a condominium for rent, there is a good chance that you will be working directly with the owner of the property. Condos may offer parking and will often have laundry in the facility. Like apartment complexes, condominiums can take a number of different forms, depending on where they are located in the city. Because of Boston’s high property values, landlords looking to sell their real estate sometimes decide to convert small apartment buildings into condominiums to maximize their profit.
A number of years ago, condos and condo complexes were more limited in number, and generally limited to posh neighborhoods like the Back Bay and downtown. Now, condos exist in every neighborhood in the city. South Boston is experiencing a big boom in condominium construction, as are certain areas in the South End.
Co-operatives
For those interested in a slightly less traditional living environment, the Boston area does feature a number of different housing co-operatives. Generally, housing co-ops are groups of like-minded people who have all agreed to live in a building together by certain self-imposed guidelines. These can range from living an organic or green lifestyle to being continually active in local civic organizations. Prospective tenants for most co-ops need to contact the co-op organization and schedule a time to meet with one of the current tenants to see if they would fit in with the co-op culture. Co-ops can range in size from just a handful of people to larger groups with several dozen members. As far as buildings are concerned, co-ops are not quite a different ‘type’ of housing – the type and interests of the tenants are what determines a co-op, rather than the type or size of the building they live in.
Co-ops can be hard to track down. A good reference to finding them is the website Bostoncoop.net.
