An apartment is a home that's part of a larger building, where multiple families or individuals live in separate units under one roof. Unlike a house that stands alone, an apartment building might contain dozens of homes stacked on top of each other and side by side, each with its own kitchen, bathroom, and living spaces.

People who live in apartments usually rent them, paying the building's owner a monthly fee to live there. In some buildings, called condominiums, people actually own their individual apartments, much like owning a house.

Apartment living offers certain advantages: you might have neighbors just through the wall or ceiling who can help in an emergency, buildings often provide maintenance workers who fix problems, and apartments in cities put you close to schools, stores, and workplaces. The tradeoff is less privacy and space than a standalone house. You share walls with neighbors, which means being considerate about noise, and you typically have a landlord or building rules about pets, decorating, and how you use the space.

Cities worldwide rely on apartments to house their populations efficiently, stacking homes vertically when land is scarce or expensive.