Basement apartment

{{Short description|Apartment located below street level}}

{{Short description|Apartment located below street level}}

[[File:-43 semi basement.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the basement apartment, [[Korea]].]]

[[File:-43 semi basement.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the basement apartment, [[Korea]].]]

A '''basement apartment''' or '''basement flat''' is an [[apartment]] located below [[street]] level, underneath another structure—usually an [[apartment building]], but also [[house|homes]] and businesses. Cities in North America legally define them as an [[accessory dwelling unit]] or "ADU".

A '''basement apartment''' or '''basement flat''' is an [[apartment]] located below [[street]] level, underneath another structure—usually an [[apartment building]], but also [[house|homes]] and businesses. Cities in [[North America]] legally define them as an [[accessory dwelling unit]] or "ADU".

[[Renting|Rent]] in basement apartments is usually lower than in above-ground units, due to deficiencies common to basement apartments, which are often cramped, and typically noisy, especially due to passing traffic.David W. Chen, [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02EFD6153CF936A15751C0A9629C8B63 Be It Ever So Low, the Basement Is Often Home], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (February 25, 2004). They are also particularly vulnerable to [[burglary]], especially those with windows at sidewalk level. In some instances, residential use of below-ground space is illegal, but practiced regardless.

[[Renting|Rent]] in basement apartments is usually lower than in above-ground units, due to deficiencies common to basement apartments, which are often cramped, and typically noisy, especially due to passing traffic.David W. Chen, [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02EFD6153CF936A15751C0A9629C8B63 Be It Ever So Low, the Basement Is Often Home], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (February 25, 2004). They are also particularly vulnerable to [[burglary]], especially those with windows at sidewalk level. In some instances, residential use of below-ground space is illegal, but practiced regardless.>__NOTOC__Owning a home with a basement apartment can be an investment, both providing an income stream and adding to the value of the property.{{cite web|title=Basement Apartment|url= https://basementbro.ca/blog/A-Step-By-Step-Guide-For-Converting-A-Basement-Into-A-Self-Sufficient-Apartment |publisher=Basement Bro |accessdate=7 Mar 2019}}>

Owning a home with a basement apartment can be an investment, both providing an income stream and adding to the value of the property.{{cite web|title=Basement Apartment|url= https://basementbro.ca/blog/A-Step-By-Step-Guide-For-Converting-A-Basement-Into-A-Self-Sufficient-Apartment |publisher=Basement Bro |accessdate=7 Mar 2019}}

__NOTOC__

==Health risks==

==Health risks==

[[File:Interieur kelder - Aarle-Rixtel - 20374118 - RCE.jpg|thumb|Basement in The Netherlands]]

[[File:Interieur kelder - Aarle-Rixtel - 20374118 - RCE.jpg|thumb|Basement in The Netherlands]]

==In fiction==

==In fiction==

[[Ruth McKenney]] based a series of stories in ''[[The New Yorker]]'', later republished in the book ''[[My Sister Eileen]]'', on her experiences living with her sister in a moldy, one-room basement apartment, directly adjoining the [[Christopher Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Christopher Street]] [[New York City Subway|subway]] station on the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh local}}, at 14 [[Gay Street (Manhattan)|Gay Street]], in [[Greenwich Village]] for which she paid $45 a month ({{Inflation|US|45|1938|r=-1|fmt=eq}}).''My Sister Eileen'', pg. 197. The apartment was burgled within the first week during the six months they lived there. The book was later made into a Hollywood movie.

[[Ruth McKenney]] based a series of stories in ''[[The New Yorker]]'', later republished in the book ''[[My Sister Eileen]]'', on her experiences living with her sister in a moldy, one-room basement apartment, directly adjoining the [[Christopher Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Christopher Street]] [[New York City Subway|subway]] station on the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh local}}, at 14 [[Gay Street (Manhattan)|Gay Street]], in [[Greenwich Village]] for which she paid $45 a month ({{Inflation|US|45|1938|r=-1|fmt=eq}}).''My Sister Eileen'', pg. 197. The apartment was burgled within the first week during the six months they lived there. The book was later adapted into a Hollywood movie.

A basement apartment at 5 St. Luke's Place in New York City’s Greenwich Village was the scene for both the 1966 play and the 1967 movie “[[Wait Until Dark]]”.

A basement apartment at 5 St. Luke's Place in New York City’s Greenwich Village serves as the setting for both the 1966 play and the 1967 movie “[[Wait Until Dark]]”.

==See also==

==See also==