Legal Definitions - tenement house

A tenement house refers to an apartment building, typically found in urban areas, that offers low-cost housing. These buildings are often characterized by their poor physical condition, inadequate maintenance, and a failure to meet modern safety, health, and sanitary standards, often leading to overcrowded living situations.

• Example 1 (Historical Urbanization): In the late 19th century, a five-story brick building in New York City's Lower East Side housed dozens of immigrant families. Each floor contained several small apartments, often with shared hallway bathrooms and no running water inside the units. The building's stairwells were dimly lit, and the plumbing was frequently broken, leading to unsanitary conditions.

  This illustrates a tenement house because it's a low-rent apartment building in a densely populated urban area, housing many families in small spaces, and suffering from poor maintenance, shared facilities, and inadequate sanitary conditions typical of the era.

• Example 2 (Contemporary Urban Neglect): In a struggling neighborhood of a large Midwestern city today, a three-story building with boarded-up windows on the ground floor still houses residents on the upper floors. The landlord rarely makes repairs, leading to a leaky roof, non-functioning heating in some units during winter, and persistent pest infestations. Despite these issues, the rent is very low, making it one of the few affordable options for many residents.

  This example fits the definition of a tenement house due to its low rent, poor physical condition (leaky roof, no heat, pests), and the landlord's neglect of basic maintenance, which results in substandard living conditions for its occupants.

• Example 3 (Overcrowding and Substandard Amenities): A multi-unit building in a densely populated area has been subdivided multiple times over the years. What were once single apartments are now partitioned into smaller rooms, each rented out individually to different tenants or small families. The building has only one functioning communal kitchen and two bathrooms for over twenty residents, and the electrical wiring is visibly frayed in the hallways, posing a fire hazard.

  This scenario exemplifies a tenement house because it describes a low-cost, overcrowded living situation where basic amenities are severely strained and the building itself presents significant safety hazards (frayed wiring) due to inadequate maintenance and modifications.