definition
strict definition
communal housing
Group residential accommodation, often temporary or indefinite, with limited individual control over living arrangements.
Communal housing encompasses various sorts of places where people live as groups, even if divided into individual units. Living arrangements are generally on a temporary or indefinite basis.
The residents live within a collective arrangement. Separate units can be present without giving residents the full autonomy of independent homes.
Private homes are identified by independence and an expectation of privacy. The number of bedrooms alone does not determine which living arrangement applies.