What is Tenement?
The traditional use of “tenement” refers to a certain kind of long-term rental building. The term “tenement” refers to a building, a plot of land, or both and the associated legal rights.
A tenement is still commonly used for a multi-purpose structure in the United Kingdom, particularly Scotland. There is legal weight to the tenancy as well. Dominant tenement refers to the property that enjoys the easement’s benefits. A servient tenement is a piece of real estate that must be sacrificed to satisfy an easement.
In the United States of America, a ‘tenement’ is often an overcrowded and run-down residential building occupied by people with poor incomes. Several apartments share a roof in a tenement building, but their entrances and walls ensure that inhabitants maintain their privacy. Typically, a tenancy agreement will include the length of time the tenant will use the apartment, the monthly rent, and any other lease terms.
How many rooms are in a tenement?
Five- to seven-story tenement buildings were common, often taking up the whole available lot size (about 25 feet width by 100 feet long, in accordance with preexisting municipal restrictions). Some tenements were originally single-family homes, while others were transformed from older buildings by adding stories or expanding into the backyard. There was less than a foot of clearance between each structure, preventing the free flow of air and light.
There was less than a foot of clearance between each structure, preventing the free flow of air and light. Many apartments had windows facing the street and no air conditioning or heating in the inner rooms.
New tenements were constructed by speculators later on, usually using subpar materials and hasty methods. This kind of house was unappealing even when brand new and posed serious safety risks. In these tenements, it was not uncommon for 12 persons to share a space just 13 feet wide, and the infant mortality rate was as high as 1 in 10.
What was the problem with tenement housing?
During the Industrial Revolution, crowded, low-quality, and frequently unclean tenement housing arose in metropolitan centers. Tenements were generally large apartment structures with many modest flats accommodating several families. Tenement housing has several causes, including but not limited to the following:
1. Overcrowding
Extreme crowding was a common feature of tenements. Crammed living quarters have resulted from several families occupying one or a few little, inadequately ventilated rooms or flats. The lack of space was detrimental to one’s safety, health, and happiness.
2. Subpar Sanitation
Poor or nonexistent plumbing, sewage systems, and trash collection were only some of the sanitary issues that plagued tenements. Not having access to clean water and proper sanitation led to the spread of illness and made life unpleasant and unhealthy.
3. Poor Lighting and Airflow
Inadequate ventilation and lighting were common problems in tenement buildings. Spaces that were inadequately lit and ventilated were depressing places to live and put people’s health in danger.
4. Poor Quality Workmanship and Potential Threats to Safety
Many tenement structures were built rapidly at low cost, often ignoring safety regulations and structural soundness. Tenements were prone to fires and accidents due to poor building quality, a lack of fire protection precautions, and overpopulation.
5. Inadequate access to necessities
Most tenements needed more basic services like running water, heat, and reliable trash collection. Tenants’ restricted access to shared amenities like bathrooms and laundry rooms further added to their already difficult living situation.
6. Practices of Exploitative Renting
Tenement building landlords often exploited the poor by demanding excessive rates while providing deplorable living conditions. Due to exploitative rent practices, many tenants, especially low-income employees, and immigrants, were stuck in a never-ending cycle of poverty and reliance.
Tenement housing conditions were so bad that they triggered widespread health crises, societal upheaval, and demands for change. Over time, legislation, building codes, and higher housing standards have been developed to address the difficulties connected with tenement housing as more people became aware of them and advocated for housing changes. Low-income people and families benefited from reforms such as increased funding for public housing and stricter restrictions on cleanliness and building safety.
Examples of Tenement
There were many variations in the tenement building style during its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in industrialized areas. Some common types of tenement buildings include:
1. Back-to-Back Houses
Back-to-back houses were a style of tenement housing common in towns like Birmingham, England, where homes were erected in rows, sharing walls with their neighbors. The living quarters in these homes needed to be more sanitary and overcrowded.
2. Old Law Tenements
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, New York City was filled with these tenement structures. Usually between five and six floors in height, their apartments were dark, small, and poorly ventilated. The restrooms and water pumps in the courtyard of many Old Law Tenements were communal affairs.
3. Barrack Houses
In European towns like Glasgow, Scotland, barrack homes were affordable tenement accommodations. Long hallways connected rows of tiny, windowless chambers in these massive, institutional-looking structures. It was common to find the barracks crowded and needing more necessities.
4. Railroad Apartments
Cities like New York had many railroad apartments. The apartments were long and skinny, with rooms lined up sequentially behind one another. Because of the layout, the residents had less personal space and natural light.
5. Walk-Up Tenements
Walk-up tenements were multi-story apartment buildings that lacked elevators and were common in places like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. Apartments in these types of buildings are often piled one on top of another, making stairwells small. The air quality and conveniences in walk-up tenements could have been better.
