Dead set on a house but now considering a flat, what's important to know?

[Biwurlu]

I had never really considered getting a flat but the only property that has wowed me has been a flat!

It's in the right area, bright top floor share of freehold flat. Bit smaller than I would like but stil good.

Is there anything important to check out with the flat? The floors seem solid (not wooden) and its purpose built 90s. The current owner says they can't hear the flat below (but they would!)

My concerns are noise or smoke coming from flat below (would no smoking indoors be part of the free hold?) And resale value as its way smaller with no garden and a 1200 maintaince fee a year than houses are a mile away.

Anybody here have experience of this all? Thanks

I live in a flat built in the mid 90s second floor no lift been here for about 10 years I don't have any problems with neighbours or smells particularly

The lady below is very sweet and says she never hears us (probably a lie) but she did in the past before DC, mention about a flatmate with heels she could hear...we got different floor covering (was floorboards in kitchen) and always all take our shoes off. I have two boys and we did spend a lot of time going to parks etc after school but that was Ok as most local families do that anyway (small gardens in general)

It is very quiet generally considering it is the city centre, which is lovely. I do miss being able to open a door into a garden, but that is about all really. It's far easier now the DC are older as well.

Choosing to live in a flat means choosing to live communally to a certain extent; and that means accepting that other people might chose to live differently to you so long as what they're doing is legal and reasonable even if it's not to your tastes. You don't sound as though doing that would make you happy, but trying to change other people's behaviour would make you the problem neighbour.

More importantly, flat living means that you lose a lot of control over your physical environment. Not just over cosmetic items affecting the whole building like window style or the colour of the walls in communal spaces, but in getting serious repairs done - good luck if you've got a management company that's only there to profit and doesn't care to do its job, or fellow flat owners who don't want to pay for building repairs that don't directly benefit them.

We're about to move out of the beautiful top floor Georgian flat we've lived in for sixteen years, and I will never live in another flat again.

@dillydallyshillyshally all I'm wanting is not neighbours that smoke so I have smoke in my flat or make a lot of noise. Isn't that just normal?

Why did you live there for 16 years if you didn't like it?

A survey will be limited in a block of flats. They can look at the roof and inside the flat and communal areas but I dont know if they look at the whole structure of the building and wont be able to see into the other flats. Like others have said if you live on the top floor you shouldnt hear much noise but I have never lived anywhere that bans smoking. You can ask about noise restrictions like using a washing machine which can be noisy.for people below you.

Thanks, that's reassuring.

I think the chance of living below a chain smokers that smokes inside with the windows closed is small. If it's bad I'll just sell it and move.

Until my budget is much bigger I'll always be at the mercy of antisocial neighbours. Hopefully in a flat things will be more communal and people thoughtful. I realise I won't be able to run the washing machine overnight, skip or play loud music anymore.

I do find it a bit odd smoking isn't banned in some leasehold places, it's banned in Central park.

If there's a balcony with shelter I'd think most would want to smoke there rather than inside

@Biwurlu (sorry if that doesn't work, I'm new here)

But a certain amount of smell and noise is inevitable, no matter how well constructed the building is, and if you already know that will make you unhappy , why put yourself in that position? It's the nature of flat living, you have to put up with things that other people do that annoy you inordinately, and they have to put up with whatever your odd and annoying foible is (you must have one!). If having neighbours that don't smoke or make noise (how much noise?) is your priority, either don't buy a flat or find a building specifically suited to your requirements. I don't see the point in moving somewhere where you already know you're likely to be unhappy.

We lived here for so long because it didn't use to annoy me that other people smoked, cooked bacon, played music in the garden, had dogs, etc, and now it does. Communal living hasn't changed; I've changed and it no longer works for me.

The biggest issue is still being at the mercy of your management company or management committee for communal repairs and maintenance.

Not having anti social neighbours is a priority. Of course flat living means you have close neighbours.

Lots have said they've had top floor flats without any smoke from below or noise here anyway.

Why did you live in a flat for 16 years if you didn't like it?

Sorry you did answer that.

That's why I'd never live in a conversation and only a purpose built. Apartments I've had for work and even studen halls I didn't really hear much from the people above or below.

If you need a mortgage, many lenders will not lend on a freehold flat by the way!

Really? Why's that? First time I've heard that

biwurli https://www.cml.org.uk/lenders-handbook/englandandwales/question-list/1836/

A true Freehold Flat is rare to find as flats are usually subject to leases. Owners of Freehold Flats can run into difficulty when major structural problems arise with the property.
Unless there is a legal agreement in force between the owner of the freehold flat and the owners of adjacent properties there could well be huge problems in the future in agreeing on structural repairs and their associated costs.

Freehold flats are not to be confused with owning a share of the freehold. Some leaseholders have a leasehold interest in their flat but also own a share of the freehold of the whole building. This is different to owning a freehold flat.

So I suppose it depends whether it is a freehold flat or a leasehold flat with a share of the freehold of whole block! Hope that helps! I'm not trying to be arsey, just trying to help x

Oh sorry I thought freehold ment shorthand just share of freehold. Didn't realise freehold flats alone were a thing

For me it could limit people with babies visiting because of the stairs and also anyone who has mobility issues. Both my uncle and Grandad had massive issues walking distances and managing stairs so for us a downstairs toilet made their visits easier.

The fees could increase and not having my own garden would be an issue. So for me, I would always choose a house over a flat.

I would avoid leasehold - I had a flat and ended up having to pay £10k in ‘major works’, they can demand you pay under section 20 and you have no choice. So much is out of your control. I would never buy a flat again.

In the smoke front, we found that people smoking in other flats in out building wasn't a bother to us. However, when smokers had decided not to smoke inside it was .ore problematic- one used to smoke at the back door, only just out of it if was raining, so it blew back into the communal hall/stairs and we could smell it in our flat. Another lot tender to smoke outside the front door which was below our bedroom windows (albeit about 40 feet below), and again we could smell it.

Bonus of the top floor is it tends to be really quiet and never any issues like flooding from flats above (this had happened to all the lower flats in our block over time!!). It may be more expensive to heat depending on roof insulation however. There will always be a market from people wanting to live in flats, especially younger couples, and for us the top floor was a real bonus- plus more light and better views too.

And freehold flats are really common in Scotland- not a big issue for mortgage lenders in practice.

Ours is also a top floor Georgian flat and lived here a long time, but experience quite difference to the PP above in the same situation. It is not 'communal living' it is private and we all keep ourselves to ourselves.

We run the management committee ourselves- not some private expensive company- and have yearly meetings. It has always been fine. The outer hallways are painted in a way appropriate to the building and its historical nature, a lady some to clean the brass and hoover it (hallway and stairs) monthly, we pay her and then every year the other flats pay us for it.

It can be what you make it. Most people are generally not out to make a fuss, and want to get on. and are reasonable. Saying that my DH does find the management committee a bit of a hassle sometimes. But being on it does mean a bigger say in how things are done.

And YY it is SO quiet. Despite being in the centre. Only noise is occasional revellers from the city centre. Which would be the same if we had a house here (so location not the nature of the flat)

I lived in a flat, really glad we sold and found a house. We could hear the music from flat downstairs and opposite, yet couldn't hear direct opposite or underneath. They could hear our baby though. Communal area a bit of a pain as no storage and no lift, so not easy with pram and baby. Communal bin was awful, parking although was allocated, people abused the visitor spaces with their second and third vehicles.