Residential lots are private residences for each Sim family/household. They can either be empty or contain premade houses. The purpose of residential lots is for Sims to have a place to live and fulfill their motives in.
In The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3, residential lots automatically have a mailbox and garbage can next to the street, however in The Sims 4 only spawns a mailbox. Residential lots can have up to eight Sims living in it, but have no limits on the amount visitors to the lot. While a Sim could, theoretically, remain on a community lot as long as funds and needs allow, they can only live on a residential lot.
Other Sims who are not currently being played can visit a player's residential lot. In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, members of the currently played household are able to visit other residential lots. Visitors to a residential lot will leave when it gets late, unless they've been invited to stay over. They will also leave if their motives drop too low, or if all members of the residing household leave the lot.
The Sims[]
When a family buys a lot and moves into it, it becomes their home. If the family moves from one residential lot to another, all of their belongings are sold. However, build mode items, such as doors, windows, and stairs remain.
Unless the Vacation expansion pack is installed, Sims are only able to sleep on residential lots, as Vacation allows Sims to sleep on Vacation Island lots. Residential lots are the only lots that can be edited during gameplay. If the Unleashed expansion pack is installed, unoccupied residential lots in the original neighborhood and Old Town can be edited. However, unoccupied residential lots in Magic Town cannot be edited even if Unleashed is installed.
The Sims 2[]
Residential lots in The Sims 2 can be placed almost anywhere, as long as they connect to a road. It is, however, possible for the player to place a lot almost anywhere through the use of mods. As in The Sims, a family's belongings, other than build mode items, are sold when they move out of a residential lot. However, the inventory feature, introduced in Nightlife, allows Sims to take objects with them when they move.
Residential lots are the only lots that can be edited during gameplay, unless Open for Business or Bon Voyage is installed. Open for Business allows Sims to open a home business on a residential lot and edit any community lots that they own. Bon Voyage allows Sims to edit any vacation home that they own. Unoccupied residential lots can be edited if the Lots and Houses bin is open.
The Sims 3[]
Sims are now able to visit other inhabited residential lots. If story progression is enabled, empty houses may be filled with NPCs; a house must have a refrigerator and at least one bed in order to be automatically filled.
If the player chooses, he or she can move the active household to a new lot using the telephone. In later expansion packs or patches,[which?] the phone can also be used to purchase additional homes. When a household moves out of a house, the player is given the option to sell household objects, leave them behind, or transfer them into the family inventory. The decision to sell or keep household objects affects how much money is earned from the sale of the house.
For the first time in the series, playable Sims are able to visit other residential lots through map view. At least one member of the residing household must be present before Sims can enter the house. Players will not be able to view the insides of the house until the Sim is invited inside, or unless the player directs their Sim to look into the house's window. If there are no residents at home, or if the lot is unoccupied, Sims will only have access to the outside of the house. While guests are able to use most of the objects on the lot, some interactions may result in a warning for behaving inappropriately; interactions such as stealing food from refrigerators, detonating objects, setting up booby traps, or using objects that visitors would normally be discouraged from using (such as showers or beds). If the Sim continues to behave inappropriately, they may be asked to leave by the residents. Oddly, some interactions, such as repairing broken appliances, may also incur a warning. Kleptomaniacs who are caught stealing may be asked to leave immediately.
The active household's home lot will be indicated by a green map tag in map view. The residences of any Sims known by the selected Sim will be indicated by an orange map tag.
The Sims 4[]
Residential lots maintain similar roles to The Sims 2, while retaining some features from The Sims 3. Garbage cans are no longer necessary on lots, and players can purchase outdoor garbage cans in build mode. Mailboxes can be deleted and moved around. Residential lots do not require any objects to function.
Players who use the gallery can set the amount of bedrooms and bathrooms in a house up to eight. Lots can also be instantly placed in build mode, and players can now move entire houses across the lot.
University Housing[]
The Sims 4: Discover University returned this residential lot assignment known as Dormitory for enrolled college students.
Tiny Home Residential[]
The Sims 4: Tiny Living Stuff introduced a new variant of residential lot, called a Tiny Home Residential. These are similar to regular residential lots, however with a few differences. There is a maximum limit of 100 tiles of living space— more tiles are not permitted for this lot type. However, this 100 tile limit only applies to the lot's interior. Tiles within foundations, rooms in basements, and upper floors all count against this limit, while enclosed outdoor spaces, pools or vegetation do not count. There are three tiers of this lot type: Small Home (tier 3), Tiny Home (tier 2) and Micro Home (tier 1) . The tier that a lot corresponds to depends upon the number of tiles used. The fewer tiles used, the higher the tier and the more benefits the lot will bring. The table below summarizes the three lot tiers and their benefits.
| Tier Level | Max. tiles | Tier benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 3 - Small Home | 100 | |
| Tier 2 - Tiny Home | 64 |
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| Tier 1 - Micro Home | 32 |
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Haunted House Residential[]
The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff added a "haunted" version of a regular residential lot. While under this assignment, the house will be subjected to many paranormal and ghostly activities.
Residential Rental[]
The Sims 4: For Rent adds rental residential. Unlike Vacation rental lots, residential rentals can be lived in permanently like other residential lot assignments, and also allow for Sims to live in user-designed apartments.