Declining townhouse layout?

[notintowoo]

Hello,

I have been on the council register list for about 12 years. It is just DD and I (12). Over the course of those years, we have viewed four properties. I declined two properties due to price and unsuitability and the other two properties I was outbid.

I recently received a call from the council to view a property, which was declined by the first person. I went to view the property and although the location is great (for work and DD travelling to school and not far from my parent's house) and the rent is quite decent. The townhouse layout is what is putting me off. It's a terrace conversion flat. I am on the first floor (a neighbour below but no one above me) but it has a townhouse sort of layout. I have my own entrance door, the hallway/entrance is on the ground floor, the bathroom is on the first floor. The kitchen and living room is on the second floor and the bedrooms are on the third floor.

Also, a friend recently told me that if I was to consider buying the property (which I wouldn't), it would be very difficult to sell as townhouses are unpopular.

I feel a bit disheartened to consider turning this down but I wanted to gather all of your thoughts before I speak to the council. What should I do?

I'd be going for it. If everything apart from the layout is good then you'd be foolish not to take it, especially if you've been waiting 12 years!

I've lived in two townhouses, set over three floors - and the cleaning was not an issue. I love townhouses, they are by far the most popular houses where I live.

Safer as burglars prefer to burgle ground floor.

Youre absolutely right. Burglars love ground floors!

"A maisonette is defined as a two-storey flat with your own front door. This means you can directly exit your home to the outside world instead of sharing a corridor with other people in your block.
Maisonettes are also referred to as ‘duplexes,’ which is their American title. However, a great way to think of maisonettes is to envisage a house on stilts. This is because they’re often located over shops, garages, and even other maisonettes."

But two floors worth of stairs?

What a ridiculous design.

Yes, @Catinabeanbag , but was your alternative sleeping on the sofa in a cramped one bedroom place with someone soon to be a teenager? In a less desirable part of town?

I live in a 3 storey Victorian house, in the next street are 4 storey Victorian houses, just past that are 5 storey houses, and there are even some that have a basement , 4 floors and then attics. None of them have lifts so people are using those stairs all the time, lots of them are family homes, not divided into flats. I wonder how they manage all those stairs. The ones with the basements have the kitchen in them, so quite a way to go for the morning cuppa!

I have two floors’ worth of stairs. It’s really normal in my style of house -terraced. Our bathroom is on the first floor, though, and there’s no downstairs loo.

OP, take the house. It’s far better than what you have now. Most people have to go up or downstairs to use the loo. Lots of people have bathrooms off the kitchen, and your layout is better than that.

In a few years, your DD might have moved out and then you’ll be trying to get a council property as a single person with no dependants, and that will be virtually impossible.

I have 2 sets of stairs and it's no big deal. In 6 years time the child won't be a factor the council will have to consider and you'll be booted off the housing list (which I'm surprised you're still on given how picky you're being).

This. Get off the list and leave it for someone who actually is desperate for a home. You should be bloody grateful you are being offered subsidised housing.

You’re desperate?

Then take the damn flat.

THANK you. I just could not picture the layout at all until you posted this. It was driving me crazy trying to figure it out.

You can't buy council houses around here anymore unless you've been in it for years and years. Anyone taking one now will never get the option.

OP I'm not sure what you want from this thread. In your opening post you said you wouldn't consider buying a house so the lack of popularity your friend talked about for this type of property is irrelevant.
Either you're desperate for a larger place or not. You've said this one is also affordable and in a reasonable location so surely its a no brainer to take it. A bit of bathroom inconvenience is surely nothing compared to all the pluses this place offers.
If you don't take it you're clearly not desperate.

Honestly I can’t get past the worry about not being able to sell something you don’t own, can’t afford and is not even for sale anyway. You might as well worry about not being able to sell Buckingham Palace 😵‍💫

(Council properties are not subsidised though FWIW)

Erm on any level a townhouse is much better than a studio! I think the people “advising” you might have an agenda. Many people I know in my old area, a very naice part of SW London lived in upper maisonettes (with kids) and loved them. They change hands for 800k these days. Very sought after.

It sounds as though it would be on any level much better than where you are now. You should go for it.

Came here to say exactly this! Council houses are not subsidised, what gives you the idea that they are??

Also many many people in cities spend literally millions on townhouses- often on 4 or 5 floors. Unless you have specific medical issues stairs are really nothing to worry about (unless you moisturise your feet and then race to answer the door- I wouldn’t recommend that but all I got was a slight carpet burn) and a slight walk to a bathroom at night is nothing to worry about, and you’d get used to it very easily.

Oh and if this is your first offer, whilst in theory you can decline and not slip down the list, in reality, you're back on that list and anyone more urgent than you will push you down so you may well not be offered the next suitable property, you could be waiting some time, entirely dependent on how many emergency applicants arise.

Have you really never posted this before @notintowoo it is almost identical to a post a few months back!

Thank you everyone for your comments. I've been contemplating about it all day.

One of the downsides is that DD's room is a single bedroom. To be fair, the single bedroom is not too bad. It could fit a a small double bed, wardrobe and a little chair. But her current room (in our flat) is a double bedroom, and it's just the perfect size for her and fits all her stuff, text books, three wardrobes (including mine) a chest of drawers. She could practically live in there.

We rejected to properties. One was too expensive, it was a new build and the rent was approx.£300 week (not including service charge) also one of the single bedrooms was the same size as a very small corridor with a small window. Only able to squeeze in a small single bed and that's it. The other flat was right near to an ex friend of mine who is crazy and was harassing me/stalking me for years (long story). So declined the flat even though I liked it.

If you're currently sleeping in the sitting room, and this house would give you a bedroom each, at an affordable rent, in a good location, with a secure tenancy, I'd definitely take it.

Presumably then it has another, larger room - theres no reason she can't have the bigger bedroom if she will be spending more time in her room than you would in yours? I never understand why the adult automatically has the 'master' bedroom, when they are unlikely to need to use it except for sleeping!

Is your council even selling off its properties???

So can you have the single room ? And DD the other bedroom.

You’re making up more complete nonsense ‘reasons’ to stay in the bedsit, the room can fit a double bed, seat and wardrobe and that’s still not good enough for you?
I’m out, this is infuriating to read.

Your daughter will still have more space in the maisonette than she has now even if her room is smaller, because you will have your own room so she will be able to use the lounge and kitchen more and she won't have your wardrobe in her room.

She doesn't need a double bed, there's only one of her.

If you really struggle you can probably utilise space elsewhere for some of her stuff. Under the stairs, on a landing, even in the lounge.