A stand-alone house (also called a single-detached dwelling, detached residence or detached house) is a free-standing residential building. Sometimes referred to as a single-family home, as opposed to a multi-family residential dwelling.

The definition of this type of house may vary between legal jurisdictions or statistical agencies. The definition, however, generally includes two elements: a single-family (home, house, or dwelling) means that the building is a structure maintained and used as a single dwelling unit. Even though a dwelling unit shares one or more walls with another dwelling unit, it is a single family residence if it has direct access to a street or thoroughfare and does not share heating facilities, hot water equipment, nor any other essential facility or service with any other dwelling unit. In some jurisdictions, allowances are made for basement suites or mother-in-law suites without changing the description from "single family". It does exclude, however, any short-term accommodation (hotel, motels, inns), large-scale rental accommodation (rooming or boarding houses, apartments), or condominiums.