Council swap feeling a little suspicious

[Socialhse]

I'm probably over thinking but I feel a bit suspicious.

Council exchange/swap

Property 1:

Old build 1930s . 3rd floor no lift . No garden. Good storage. Bedroom one is very big. 2nd bedroom is a single room with build in cupboard. Can fit basic furniture. Large living room . Small basic kitchen. Separate toilet and bathroom. Small brick balcony.

Property 2:

New build . Ground floor. Gated communal garden. Bedroom 1 king-size. Bedroom 2 small double. Big fitted kitchen. Large balcony. Good storage. Wet room.

Why would Property 1 want to swap with property 2? The properties are about 15 mins from each other.

Could be any number of reasons. I wouldn't make a move without doing due diligence. That said, people round here are very keen to move back to their old neighbourhood, even if they're only a five minute drive away, so that would be a big motivating factor. As an outsider I don't really get it.

From 1 to 2, no stairs, outdoor space, bigger kitchen, good storage.

For 2 to 1, could be many reasons, including poor neighbours, but also maybe closer to elderly dependent (15 mins each way might make a big difference to caring time and getting there in an emergency) or perhaps they never use outdoor space and don’t like cooking so the bigger kitchen/communal gardens aren’t important for them. Could be a different school catchment area or under a better GP surgery? Could be they had an experience there they want to move on from (partner or parent dying, divorce etc). It’s obviously not very obvious on the face of it, but it’s possible there’s a very non-neighbour-related reason.

@ChaosAndCrumbs username checks out 😉

Err why does 2 have a balcony listed if they’re on the ground floor?!

my preference would be not the ground floor over anything. Less secure and feels exposed!

Ah, that way round does seem less desirable.

Even so, it could be location, friends nearby, parking maybe? Some people just prefer period buildings to new builds. Some people feel vulnerable sleeping on the ground floor, even in a safe area.

Does the area around the new build look clean and tidy? That’s usually a good indicator. Sound proofing.. could be. Might be nothing sinister at all though 🤞

Bad neighbours probably

No, she says 1 wants to swap with 2, which is far preferable, surely?

She's mixed them up she means the other way round.

With a ground floor flat swap I'd always be a bit cautious that upstairs flat tenant is noisy . Being the upstairs flat you at least don't have the noise above you .
I'm upstairs , my ground floor flat tenant is an absolute asshole ... I am slightly more thankful he's not upstairs from me .

They may have relatives/friends nearby.
Bills may be cheaper.
More convenient for public transport.
Closer to work.
All very valid reasons.

Hmm.

My friend recently did a similar swap (from a small 2nd floor flat into a big, on paper much nicer, ground floor flat with communal garden etc).

She was so thrilled initially but it turns out that her new neighbours are up at all hours with music at full volume, and there's a local pub that kicks out in the early hours which means lots of drunk people shouting etc outside her window. Her front door faces the communal garden but bedroom window faces the road so she gets all the noise. She's barely had one good night's sleep since moving in.

I don't know OP but I'd be suspicious too...

It sounds like it might be an issue with neighbours. Otherwise it sounds too good to be true. It's worth the person (moving to the ground floor property) visiting the outside of the property at different hours on different days to see what the surrounding/noise levels are like. They could even ask nearby neighbours what it's like to live there. You can never be too cautious with these things. I've got experience of having awful neighbours and they ruined my life for the time that I lived above them

Probably location, maybe better schools or closer to work or friends/ family or amenities. Some people don’t feel safe in a ground floor bedroom (I don’t generally). Some people don’t like wet rooms. Neighbours might also be a factor, personally I wouldn’t like sharing communal spaces like a garden even if the neighbours were nice. I find it a bit suffocating having to talk to neighbours and feel quite exposed by the fact neighbours have so much insight into my coming/ going etc.

Bad reason's (from your daughters perspective): bad neighbours , bad noise insulation, bad neigbourhood, ground floor flats are often cold.

good reasons (for you daughters perspective): they think her flat is bigger /better than it is, family /support live in same block of flats or closer, closer to kids schools or work, don’t care about small second room because it’s just them.

Has your daughter asked them why they’re swapping?

My guess would be location. 15 minutes is a lot to some people. If it’s a single/couple they might only care about the main bedroom size.

But yes, I do think it’s worthwhile doing some more investigating to find out if there are nightmare neighbours. Visit at different times, ask around.

Maybe one of the properties have RTB?

I would go and sit outside the new build for a few days and evenings, property 2 sounds much nicer than property one on paper but maybe 1 has much more character and is nearer family. But I’d certainly be watching for a bit

This ..

Maybe the ground floor tenant has had some antisocial behaviour problems or burglary and would feel more secure a couple of floors up

New builds the rent is normally a lot higher, mine is

I wouldn't like to be on the the ground floor of flats. Doesn't feel safe, noise from residents above, noise in the corridor/staircase of people coming and going. Plus everyone's deliveries.

Also communal gardens - sounds nice but easily taken over by one dominant household. Then you are paying upkeep for something you never access.

But I would definitely go and hang aroung outside at varying hours to check out for loud/party-happy neighbours.

Could be a possibility. Apparently she's been there 3 years and went there via multi swap. So maybe she's had relationship problems or something like that.

Dd says her friend seems to do all the talking. Because the actual swapper has social anxiety.

I saw on the swap site someone else in the same building ground floor also wants to swap. Thry are looking for house only though. Maybe they fell out with each other 🤦‍♀️

Tell your dd to scout out the area in the evening, after dark preferably. Just drive around the area to get a feel of it. Friday or Saturday nights especially to see if there's any anti social behaviour that might effect the ground floor residents more than others.

Is the 3 rd floor flat the top floor as it may be a noise issue that is making her want to move

No disabilities here but I would always pick ground floor over third floor.

A large fitted kitchen, wet room and outside space are also appealing.

I would wonder why someone from Property 2 would want to move to Property 1. However everyone has their own preferences and reasons.