English basement
{{RefImprove|date=February 2023}}File:Brownstonebasement.jpgs with English basements]]
An English basement is an apartment (flat in UK English) on the lowest floor of a building, generally a townhouse or brownstone, which is partially below and partially above ground level and which has its own entrance, separate from those of the rest of the building.{{Cite news |last=Holder |first=Sarah |date=2021-09-14 |title=How the English Basements of Washington, D.C., Came Into Their Own |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-09-14/the-architectural-history-of-d-c-s-english-basements |access-date=2023-02-02}}
Realty
English basements are sometimes rented out separately from the main dwelling, either by a single landlord who owns both portions of the building or by a tenant of the building who is subletting. English basements are most common in larger, older cities like London, Edinburgh, New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.{{Cite web |last=Nesbit |first=Josephine |date=June 6, 2022 |title=What Is an English Basement? |url=https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/what-is-an-english-basement#:~:text=offers%20fantastic%20flexibility.%E2%80%9D-,Where%20Are%20English%20Basements%20Commonly%20Found%3F,Columbia%2C%20particularly%20in%20older%20homes. |access-date=February 2, 2022 |website=US News}}
Etymology
The origin of the term "English basement" dates back to at least the mid-19th century. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1853: ("1853 N.Y. Daily Times 8 July 5/3 (advt.) House for sale...A new three-story English basement house").{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} "English basement" is mostly an American phrase. Some people{{Who|date=November 2024}} refer to it as the "garden level." Building codes in most cities{{Where|date=November 2024}} use neither of the phrases, stating that any floor partly below grade-level is simply a "basement" and a floor more than 50% below grade-level is a "cellar." In some other cities, such as Chicago and San Francisco, this space is referred to as a "garden apartment" (not to be confused with other types of garden apartments). In Québec, in both English and French, this space is known as a "demi sous-sol," literally a "half-basement." In the United Kingdom, this style of apartment is usually known as a "garden flat," so long as it connects to a rear garden; the level of the property is referred to as "lower ground." {{citation needed|date=July 2012}}