There seem to be some misunderstanding as to what precisely a “self-contained” apartment and a “mini flat” is. The purpose of this essay is to clarify the ambiguity surrounding the aforementioned notions.
A self contained apartment or room is a single room that has all the facilities such as toilet, bathroom and most probably a kitchen en- suite. On the other hand, a mini-flat is an apartment that consists of 1 bedroom a sitting room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet. A mini-flat is akin to a typical “room and parlour”.
Self Contained Flats
Simply put, a “self-contained” apartment or room is a single room that has all the facilities such as toilet, bathroom and most probably a kitchen en-suite. That is to say that the room is ‘independent’ in and of itself. It appears the term self-contained is commonly used in Nigeria whereas in other climes such as in Europe and America, it is commonly called a “studio flat” or a “self-catering” flat. Another way of describing a self-contained Apartment is to liken it to an “all-purpose” room. This type of apartment is mostly popular amongst people who abhor sharing facilities with other tenants hence the idea is to have everything they need within the confines of their abode.
