What Is A Maisonette?

Maisonette is literally a derivative of the French word maison, meaning "house". So, "small house" would be the literal translation. Most commonly, though, it’s used to indicate a small, self-contained apartment located within another, larger dwelling. The word is usually used in British and South African cultures.
Many large, older homes will contain a renter’s unit with its own entrance, usually at the side or back of the house. This smaller unit is typically located on two stories, so the living area might be above or below the entrance area. The entrance it typically located at street level, and there are internal stairs allowing access to the other level.
The maisonette can be a unit within an apartment building, or within a house. Since it’s a separate unit, though, in many cases it will have its own utility meters, although with converted older houses, this may not be the case.

A maisonette is a flat or apartment in a block that is spread over more than one floor, with its own internal staircase. It can also refer to a flat that has its own front door to the outside, rather than a door in an entrance lobby or landing. More recently, as developers in the UK have tried to fit more, smaller dwellings on each building site, blocks of four living units have been built that are in effect floor flats. Because the two upstairs flats have a separate front door and stairs to reach them, it can be described as a maisonette, which is considered more upmarket.