Duplex

Ask a Nigerian what a duplex is and they will describe a family house with an upstairs. Ask an American and they will describe two homes sharing one building. The word is the same; the meaning is not.

The Nigerian meaning. A duplex is a single-family house built over at least two floors, connected by an internal staircase. The ground floor typically has the sitting and dining rooms, kitchen, a guest toilet and sometimes a guest bedroom; the upper floor has the main bedrooms. Many duplexes come with a boys' quarters.

The three main types, which are also how Property Centre lists houses:

• Detached duplex: stands on its own plot with no shared walls.
• Semi-detached duplex: shares one side wall with a neighbouring duplex.
• Terraced duplex: one of a row of duplexes joined side by side.

Agents also use "fully detached" for emphasis, and "duplex with penthouse" or "duplex with rooftop terrace" for a top-floor room above the bedrooms.

For diaspora buyers. If you are buying from abroad, read "duplex" in a Nigerian listing as "two-storey house", and check whether it is detached, semi-detached or terraced.

Floors and extras. Most Nigerian duplexes have two floors. Larger ones add a third level, a rooftop terrace or a "penthouse" room on the roof. Many also have a ground-floor guest room or study, a family lounge upstairs and all bedrooms en suite. The BQ, if there is one, is usually a separate small building at the back of the compound.

Renting a duplex. Duplexes are let whole to one household. Rent covers the house and usually the BQ; service charge may apply in an estate.

• Lagos: terraced and semi-detached duplexes dominate new estates in Lekki, Ajah and Ikota; detached duplexes are common in older GRAs and on the mainland.
• Abuja: detached and semi-detached duplexes in districts such as Gwarinpa, Lokogoma and Guzape.
• Other cities: bungalows are more common, but duplexes are the usual upmarket home.
• US and Canada: "duplex" means a building divided into two separate homes.