Tenement is a term usually used to describe a crowded, decaying apartment building. Tenement may also refer to any dwelling that houses tenants in crowded, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions. A tenement can be an old residential building that has been divided to house low-income families at low standards. It can also be a new structure built for many low-income families–each in its own small apartment. An urban district that houses numerous tenements is often called a slum.
Tenements are strong income-producing properties. Each family may pay a low rent, but many people are crowded into small, poorly maintained areas. Thus, the rent per unit of area in a tenement is often greater than that paid by middle-income people in larger and better apartments.
Historians believe tenements have existed since ancient times, when the Romans built them to house the poor and the slaves. Most tenements in the United States were built to house poor immigrants. Today, housing laws prevent the construction of new tenements, but some existing buildings can still be described as tenements.
