If you’re a first-time tenant then the huge number of properties available to rent on Rightmove offer a bewilderingly wide range of homes to live in.

But although they all look the same online, they are very different in real life, offering a wide range of accommodation from maisonettes to shared houses all in stark contrast to many other European countries, where most tenants rent apartments within purpose-built blocks.

To better understand what’s on offer, here’s our guide.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Do you want to live in a shared house but don't fancy a joint contract with the other tenants? And perhaps you want to pay your rent weekly, in cash? Then Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are for you. They are usaully at the budget end of the housing market and, although you get a lockable bedroom, you’ll share access to the toilet, shower and kitchen and there's usually no communal lounge.

Read our ultimate guide to renting in the UK

Apartments within converted period houses

During the 1970s millions of Edwardian and Victorian houses were converted into apartments and many of them remain so today. They’re easy to spot - terraced and semi-detached houses with three or four separate doorbells outside them and multiple bins.

Flats within purpose-built period properties

These look similar to flats within converted period houses, but usually have their own front doors rather than a single shared front door. Also, because they have been purpose-built, the partition walls are more solid so you’ll hear less of your neighbours.

Flats within mansion blocks

Mansion blocks are a curiosity of the 19th century when purpose-built apartment developments, built in red brick, were constructed on the outskirts of our larger cities. At the time these were the tallest buildings in their areas and were sold or rented out as ‘upmarket’ apartments, hence the ‘mansion’ prefix. In Scotland they are also known as ‘tenement blocks’ and were built in city centres instead.

Apartments within newbuild blocks

We have been building new homes in increasing numbers recently and of the 250,000 built every year, a fifth or 50,000 are apartments. If you can afford their often higher-than-average rent, then there’s plenty to choose from; every city now has new blocks all over their skylines. These include high-end internal fittings and modern conveniences including a concierge, en-suite bathrooms, the latest kitchen kit and excellent broadband.

Maisonettes

This is an apartment, usually within a larger block of flats, which has its own ground-level front door and is arranged over several floors. They’re almost houses, as their name ‘maisonette’ suggests – ‘maison’ is the French word for ‘house’.

Shared houses

Shared houses are houses or larger flats which a group of friends, workmates or students rent together. After getting together, they find a suitable property with the required number of bedrooms and then rent it via a ‘joint and several’ rental contract.

These are called ‘joint and several’ because, unlike an HMO (see above) all the people renting a shared house are responsible for the rent jointly, not singly. This is a very popular renting option because it’s the cheapest way to rent in any area. Bills are split too which helps keep costs down.

Penthouses

If you're into the origin of words then penthouse is an interesting one. It means, literally, an 'appendage' to a building constructed on a roof. But these days it is used to describe a large, luxury apartment sometimes with its own lift, usually on the top floor and which is generally the most expensive property (to rent or buy) within a building.

Read our A-to-Z glossary of renting. Know the lingo!

CreditLadder can help you improve your credit score

If you want to improve your credit position by reporting your rent payments, CreditLadder is the only way to improve your credit score and position across all four of the main Credit Reference Agencies in the UK, namely Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Crediva. Building up a high credit score has a lot of benefits, including helping you access finance at better rates - this can also help save you money.

CreditLadder also runs a free mortgage application service in partnership with Tembo which will tell you how much you could borrow.

Remember the information provided in this article is for information purposes only and should not be considered as advice.