On top or under. What's the better?

[CelineW]

What would be your choice?

A South London top third floor newly built property with balcony? With next door neighbours, and neighbours in the opposite building, playing loud mega bass music? (I don't know how they get away with it? It can be hear down and across the street!)

Or a ground floor newly built property at the back of the same building? Surrounding by other buildings back yards, with no properties attached to its sides, only two family apartments above and a back yard which can easily be hidden from spying eyes?

Two extremes. So hard to reach a decision.

That's hard but after renting a basement flat I wouldn't go with that option. The lack of light was awful, it was newly done up but still had damp issues and was hard to heat up. That's my personal experience but the lack of light was a killer

Sorry I thought it said basement flat! Ground floor all the way!

@FairyLightsAway I lived in a basement too and indeed the mould and lack of light was horrible. I damaged my eyes sight in the basement we lived in. The place I am on about is ground floor with windows all around. It's a newly built building: yellow bricks.

Ground floor, without question, even without you mentioning the music.

@BackforGood Thank you for your reply. It's great putting things in writing in Mumsnet because while writing it makes you realise deep inside you'VE already made your choice but just need reassurance 😊

Neither?! Keep looking?I would never live in a flat with people above me ever again, the noise is awful. Top floor with balcony every time, although not in this particular instance because of the bad neighbour.

@OrangeFluff Sadly, the top floor flat is our existing property! 😂 It is an Affordable Rent HA property. The only way to move is a mutual swap or a transfer. 😊 The property downstairs has become vacant. So, I am hoping for a transfer. It's difficult because my daughter’s primary schools application has been filled. We are waiting to find out where she'll be accepted. Two months to go. I know the sound of people moving on top of you is horrible. I have been there. But newly built property have better insulation. In my present property wearing earplugs make the thumbing mega bass worse and we can't enjoy our balcony. 😯 It seems as if one neighbour finally gets caught for noise nusance then another take over as a retaliation! 😕 The joy of social housing. 😩

So basically only one family above your flat if you take the ground floor one?
I'd go for that.

@Kiroro Two families. I am daydreaming right now. There is no guarantee we will get the property. I made enquiries about the property directly to my landlord sixteen working days ago - no reply. The idea never came to me until one of our neighbours mentioned it. There is always hope.