Buying a house near some flats

[bjoke]

Am I being unreasonable in not wanting to buy my next house near some block of flats?
So we have been looking at properties for a while now (abt 6 months). Then came lockdown and we were holed up. Then lockdown was lifted and houses were flying off the shelves. Our offer was accepted on a property we liked just before the last weekend and on Monday we got gazumped.
So back to house hunting, the thing there is only one property that is left for us to consider. But this property is next to a block of 9 flats. After going to view it, we discovered there are more blocks of 6 flats about 5 more. And more so, it's a long cul-de-sac, so 1 way in and out.
The situation is this, I have 3 daughters and I am concerned for their well being. We want to live in the next house we buy for the next 15 years.
My husband thinks i'm being unreasonable. Am I? Am I over thinking this?

Ignore comments about snobbery, absolutely no-one in their right mind moves in without assessing the area,

Right, but no-one is disagreeing with that. It's the OP thinking a block of flats is more likely to have "sexual predators and maniacs" and posing a threat to her children that people are criticising her for.
She's not just "checking out the area" is she? Nope, she's making a load of bizarre and offensive insinuations about people who live in flats. It's a mixture of snobbery and sheer stupidity. Apparently people in council houses don't "get up to anything," only flat dwellers. Hmmm, wish my neighbours had got that memo.

Why are you worried about living next to flats? I can understand regarding possible lack of privacy, but otherwise you sound like a snob.

I grew up in a naice detached. The man across the street was a sexual predator. And we got up to all sorts our parents didn’t know about.

Just goes to show eh?

I can sort of see what OP is saying, for the footpriof the block of flats compared to a house or two there could be 100 people rather than say 6 people. And the higher the density of people the more likelihood of some sort of crime. Also the entrance ways of flats could be a magnet for people loitering (not necessarily residents) as they're communal spaces and so that's more likely than loitering happening in other people's gardens. But the best thing to do it look up the crime rates in any area you're interested in. You could be worrying unnecessarily.

*footprint

The flats near me had an arson attack last week. Not surprising, most of the people that live there seem to be up till 3am drinking and smoking shit on their balconies. Fights break out regularly, police visit almost nightly so an arson attack is no shock.

You're having quite a hard time here OP! I don't think you deserve it. Probably could have worded it better but hey.

I would be concerned about safety in the enclosed stairwells that you get in some blocks of flats.

I currently live in an ex-local authority flat in London. My estate is crazy noisy, there is a lot of crime and fly tipping. I've had the police banging on my door in the middle of the night, our car has been broken into twice. We are trying to have a baby and we sure as hell won't be bringing it up here. I appreciate that I'm privileged to have the option to move. And this is London so very different to many places. I hold no ill will towards people who live in social housing but this is my lived experience on my estate.

On the other hand I have friends living in very lovely flats. OP I would suggest going walking around the area and see how you feel. But I'd suggest that anyway, flats or no flats!

I live in a flat in a block of 8 down a street with houses on it. We have lovely neighbours in the other flats but the people in the houses can be a nightmare and seem to think they can treat those of us in the flats like the lowest of the low. The houses all have driveways and garages. The flats each have a designated parking space (i own my flat. I have the deeds the parking spaces are our property.) The people in the houses seem to think they are there to be used as their overflow car park. So two car households who don't want to block one another in, family or friends coming to visit - they use one of the flat's parking spaces! I wouldn't dream of going to park on their driveways.

I am absolutely terrified to be moving houses but we have to move. Our present house is getting too small for all of us, we got it when it was just two of us, now there is 5.
We want to move for good schools (I bet some ppl will also think that's snobbery too) and a good area. I am and will do research on the area anyway. I was hoping to speak with the seller and ask more questions about why they are moving etc, but it was the EA that showed us around and couldn't answer most of our questions. I have lived in flats for almost half of life and I'm not in any way belittling anyone living in them.
The original question may indeed be bizarre and sound small-minded but I wanted facts not sentiments. I was also thinking along the lines of when it needs to sold, could it be a problem?

Who lives there? Are they luxury flats bought by affluent retired people or ambitious young professionals ?

Maybe you should do a recce of the car park to list the parked vehicles by make and age. Also, it's always worthwhile to suss out local dog-walking residents. If there are more labradors and green wellies than bull mastiffs and tattoos your DC's should be safe enough.

Funny I won't have been worried if there were another entry and exit to the street.
The flats were quiet and looked decent, no graffiti or anything; there was no one about but it was raining when I went.

but I wanted facts not sentiments.

What facts? Nobody knows the flats you’re on about and even if they did their info would all be conjecture.

OP, no matter how you worded this thread it would turn into a bun fight. You didn't openly refer to a block of council flats/social housing but people read between the lines and accused you of being a snob, and you seem to have offended many flat dwellers by raising concerns about flats in general.

I totally get your concerns. In general, the higher the population density is in a neighbourhood, the more potential there is for traffic and parking issues, and noise problems, so blocks of flats nearby would put concern many people . If they are council flats/HA flats there may well be an increased risk of anti social behaviour, for many reasons that are obvious to most people and don't need listing here. Do your homework, walk/drive around the area at different times of day and night, then decide whether it's the right house for you. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised, or maybe you'll discover there are reasons why this detached house is priced lower than similar houses in other areas.

I live in a flat! But I call it an apartment to sound upper class😂😂

I live not far from 4 blocks of flats, they're all housing association. Yes there are drug dealers, fortunately only small scale. Most tenants have mh issues. One block is old folk only.
I live in a flat next to a pub and theres more noise and nuisance from there.
I dont know whether you have the same option as my county does, but if you go on my local police website you can see what crimes were committed month by month and in my town the most antisocial behaviour is nowhere near the flats.

Don’t ever go to Paris OP, you’ll have a nervous breakdown.

My trainee lawyer daughter lives in a flat. I’m looking at her now and she doesn’t appear to be a criminal sexual predator...neither do her professional neighbours look to be that way inclined.

Very odd mindset op. I’ve literally never come across anyone who thinks if you live in a flat you must be a criminal or a sexual predator.

bullshit

I was also thinking along the lines of when it needs to sold, could it be a problem

Well no. Because it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever come across anyone Else who thinks people who live in flats are criminals or sexual predators. And even less likely they’d be thinking of buying your house. Because ts a correlation you’ve imagined.

@bjoke

I'm worried about too many things that could go wrong. Bad company, crimes, sexual predators etc.

And only these type of people live in flats? Wow! You are an ignorant snob!

Fred West had quite a big house didn't he?

Also don't Wills and Kate live in a flat? I'm sure the royals will be delighted to be put in your unsavoury bracket as flat dwellers.

I live beside a block of flats. The people there are either retired, young couples getting on the housing market or single parents. None of them are threatening in any way. It is really strange that you are associating flats with being a problem. Are you projecting some kind of anxiety onto them, or where does this come from?

Don’t ever go to Paris OP, you’ll have a nervous breakdown.
Love this Loveinatimeofcovid

OP FFS just get to know the area before deciding that your DDs are in danger from flat dwellers.

The flats were quiet and looked decent, no graffiti or anything

Ffs you're coming across as the most appalling snob. Those flat dwellers you seem to be looking down on from your ivory tower have probably worked hard to buy them. If they are local authority ones that doesn't necessarily make a difference.

Wtf would there be graffiti on the flats