Cooperative apartment houses can also be referred to as co-op buildings or cooperative housing. These types of buildings feature ownership structures that differ from traditional apartment buildings because the residents jointly own the building and its common areas. In co-op buildings, residents purchase shares of the building rather than owning their individual units. Other synonyms for this type of housing include co-op apartments, cooperative flats, and co-ownership housing. Co-op buildings can provide residents with the opportunity to have a voice in how the building is managed and maintained, and they often require a more involved application process than traditional rental properties.