To find it hard to adjust to this kind of home?

[Firefumes]

I recently viewed some houses, where the front door/windows are right at pavement level. So people walking past the house can easily see in, if you were unlocking the front door, others would be directly behind you if they walk past. Aibu to feel this is a bit unsafe?

I’m sure many people manage okay. It’s just that I have had my own apartment for a few years. It’s a nice apartment complex with restricted access, gated entry, concierge so feels safe. I’m also on the 2nd floor. So I feel risk of theft or break ins are low.

Previously I lived with my friends at university, and before that I lived with my parents. My parent’s house has a long, steep driveway and a porch. Their front door isn’t accessible at street/pavement level to passers by, you’d have to take the stairs. As a result, they’ve never had any bother from strangers and their house feels safe. Was no bother leaving parcels in the porch as they were covered from street view.

But something about the houses I viewed recently, just felt unsafe. Like they were too accessible to members of the public, people just naturally end up in close proximity and able to see inside. Aibu to write these off for that reason?

I wouldn't like that or feel comfortable in that setting, so YANBU but as others said, it really depends on your budget.

Love all the posters referencing these as starter homes, a good way to get on the housing ladder, or for those of lesser means. Very Mumsnet! For zillions of us these homes ARE the peak of the housing ladder, and we are happy and proud to live in them!

Yes, my MIL used to call the front door of a house, the 'street door' as she grew up in houses with the front door on the pavement. Not at all unusual. Build in their millions in urban areas, mining villages etc.
Some have a small area at the front, maybe a metre deep for a few plants or the bins, might be better for you. You would need some kind of blinds or shutters though.

I am loving the descriptions of terraced houses with front doors onto the street like they're not extremely common. I grew up in the Midlands and now live in the North, and whether it's a row of Victorian terraces or older stone built cottages or terraces, absolutely LOADS of houses have doors onto the street in both areas. Is it a regional thing?!

Terraces that open straight on to the pavement are very prevalent in a lot of cities/towns in some parts of the country. There were virtually none where I grew up but there are thousands of them where I live now (north west). I lived in two when I first moved here, and honestly, it was completely fine. I don't ever recall having anyone peer in while I was there! ! But I did have voile curtains at the windows in both properties.

Having parcels delivered was a tad annoying because obviously it isn't ideal to have an expensive parcel just sitting on your doorstep when your doorstep is on the pavement. But that was really the only thing that ever bothered me.

Ever since the Budget this seems to be happening more and more.

People talking with horror about having to do things millions of us just take for granted.

Yes, I agree, it's so strange!

I lived in a house like that for 3 years - it was part of a row of cottages in a lovely market town in the south so quite different to the back to back houses you see in Manchester (where I grew up). We were lucky as we had a big hall that then went into the main living area of the house so any wet shoes/ umbrellas/ prams were all in that room. I liked living on the road - it felt really cosy and I enjoyed seeing people walking past etc. made me feel connected to the world!

Apologies if that was crass of me. That was not my intent. But hopefully we can agree they are very normal homes.

‘I’m not privileged but I have a decent enough income from work to live alone in London’

dear oh dear

I've had houses like that and houses with front gardens. I don't think the houses opening onto the street are inherently less safe than houses with front gardens. Presumably if you are bring followed you would be very visible to others whereas if your front door was concealed no one would be able to see a man following you in. If safety is your main priority, your current situation of a concierged apartment is probably best.

I have just realised (after having a grumpy Whapsapp convo with my neighbour about the gardeners clearing our drive VERY noisily this morning) that I live in a flat BUT have a fairly long drive. Living the confusing dream. No concierge though. 🙁

Eurgh poor people houses eh 🙄

Must be unsafe.

Good advice here, though no.3 is, err, very specific 😆

Ive been reading this while sitting in my two up, two down terrace with a door opening straight onto the street, though we do have a tiny hallway rather than the front door opening into the living room, as the stairs are right opposite the front door. Plenty of these houses in the northern town where I grew up, and in the city where I live now.

My neighbour’s house is one of those that have a downstairs bathroom in the extension at the back (houses built around 1900 with outside toilets only), which I’m sure would have shocked the OP even more!

Such terraced houses are very common in less affluent parts of the country and have been for years; they're all that a lot of people could/can afford. Growing up in a house with a long drive is somewhat less common.

I suspect they are actually much safer than detached homes or houses in isolated areas because your neighbours are close by.

We lived in a 3-storey end of terrace house when our children were young. The front door was not right on the pavement, it was to the side of the house but our living room window looked right out onto the pavement. I used to love standing there with my baby watching people walk past.

If anything had happened in that house that meant I could not get to a phone, I could have shouted very loudly and one of my neighbours would have heard me.

I love the cottage-y feel of homes like this. There is a lovely row of old railway cottages where I live, the owners paint the exterior in lovely pastel colours.

We live in Victorian terrace in London like this, although there's a big front step so that gives a bit of distance from the pavement. It's very common in Camden and Islington (often highly desirable and priced above Mansion tax rates, definitely not a starter home!). I'd always lived in flats before, and I agree it feels intrusive and less than ideal. We have shutters in our living room which we keep closed, so people can't look in (there are French doors at the back of the room which allows lots of daylight in). But there is quite high footfall on the street, and people always feel the need to peer into our hall when we open the door to go in or out. There is nowhere to store a wheelie bin (we leave bin bags on our doorstep on bin day, which gets ripped open by foxes). Parcels are sent to lockers or post office, or thrown down to the basement area.
I don't feel unsafe - it's a secure front door and locks itself so it's always locked once shut. The location is great though and you don't get houses with a front garden for the same price around here. And I think it's better than being in a flat, I'm glad to be out of the leasehold system.

Such terraced houses are also very common in more affluent parts of the country.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/158445467#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/166570457#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

Not many people can afford these homes.

Things that aren’t familiar seem scarier.

A driveway with bushes: lurking and hiding
A front door to an apartment block: lurking and hiding and no one is looking out of their windows into the corridor…
Door on to the street: you can be in in a trice, and the neighbours are all close enough to hear you yell.

Actually millions of us live perfectly safely and normally in all these different set ups.

If you personally don’t feel safe then don’t buy that particular house……sorted!

There are also houses like this that sell for well over a million pounds each.

The only issue I’ve found with my terraced house is that the net curtains and blinds got trashed because the cat objected to her view of the street being blocked. I compromised with the cat and the new blinds only get lowered to 6 inches above the window ledge so she has unimpeded access.

Of course that means I get lots of comments on the theme of “look a cat” as she surveys her kingdom/naps in the sun.

Reflecting back to my childhood the only people I knew who didn’t live in houses like this and had gardens were my relatives that lived in council houses, they all had beautiful gardens, paths etc but the goal was to be able to buy their own houses, some did and “upgraded” to terrace houses like these.

When DH and I moved and bought our first home 10 years ago we looked at 2 houses 1 day a beautiful corner house with front garden and an absolutely huge back gardens, the house had an annex with built in granny flat, huge bedrooms and was going cheap as a previous owners had exchanged it for a smaller new build and the property company wanted shot of it, but nothing needed doing to it except a change of paint and decor. We then saw our home, Edwardian terrace with a tiny garden ( literally 3 steps to the front door), we are on the corner, our neighbours at the side of us are all flat fronted terraces like the houses I grew up in. We fell in love with the terrace houses immediately even though it needed so much work. I love terrace houses they have so much character and history.

In the market town I live in there are at lease 4 new build estates, houses on these estates can be on the market for ages but guaranteed a terrace house goes up for sale it’s snapped up immediately.

Quite. Still in my 2-bed terraced starter home here, as can't afford anything else! But it's mine, and it's home, and I am lucky to have it

Houses with driveways and front gardens are for rich people, especially in London.

The fact that your parents have that and that you are renting a flat with a concierge and looking at any kind of house in central London would indicate that contrary to your protestations, you are indeed very privileged.

If you can afford to buy in London, you can afford a very nice house indeed with as big a driveway as you want outside the South East.

How do you think all the other people who can't afford big houses with sweeping driveways are doing?