Please talk me out of buying this beautiful apartment

[Nstarr]

Myself, partner, plus 2 under 2. Kids need a garden right? So please talk us out of buying this absolutely stunning apartment.

-new build with loads of character and history.
-high ceilings, huge windows, spacious rooms
-luxury very high end finish similar to a 5* hotel, very much our style.
-‘Good’ local school

BUT

Maintenance fees of £1700 a year, slightly further from family moving from Surrey to Hampshire, no garden!!!

There may be plots next year with small gardens, we’re not in a rush. It’s generally just not practical. We could easily afford the 2 beds. The 3 beds are same price of a house. But a house would take £££££’s to get to that standard. Please talk us out of this ridiculous idea.

The words new build, loads of character and history don’t belong in the same sentence. Do you mean it’s a renovated historical building.

If so I would question how many other young families will live there. Going forward your children may have no one to play with. You’ll also probably get a lot of older neighbours who may not like the noise of children, and so may complain a lot.

I wouldn’t even consider it with children.

Luxury 5* finish with two small children is insanity. They’ll ruin it, especially if they’re cooped up indoors all the time. Step away from the flat.

• service charges set by developers are almost always artificially low. I would expect the 'true' cost to be at least £2,500 per year, more if you have concierge/amenities/lifts etc

• converted historical buildings have the worst of both worlds, you'll be dealing with new-build snagging PLUS a deteriorating envelope over the next 5-10 years

• Do you fancy living in a flat with two small children if we go into lockdown again?

I like having a garden but many city based friends don’t have them and are very happy, so I disagree that they are essential.

Unfair to make children live in a flat if you can afford a garden.

I wouldn’t live in a new build anything, but definitely not a flat.

I wouldn’t be without a garden. My garden is small, only about 13m long, but we use it a lot. I’m sat in it now! Over the half term holidays the children ate lunch outside, caught little froglets and snails, ran under the sprinkler, made a den and read their books, had a sword fight with garden canes, bounced on the trampoline, made an obstacle course, chalked pictures on the patio, planted sunflowers, played with the cat, had a teddy bear picnic, tried out new roller skates. Mostly while I was relaxing with a cup of tea! A lot easier than going to the park!

Don't do it.
It sounds awful.

No way I would live in an apartment with kids. Also point number 1 is wrong. You can't have a new build with character and history.

"2 under 2"
"luxury very high end finish similar to a 5* hotel, very much our style"

Oh dear.

New build with history? Don't move into a tardis, wait for a garden.

Millions of people manage without direct access to a garden. However, I would be put off by the maintenance fees. There is just too little control and if they go up more you may struggle to sell.

new build with loads of character and history.

Err.... surely that's a contradiction of terms

Yes, think of the poor children. How can you possibly consider making them live in a flat?

Paraphrase of the ridiculous replies on here.

Fwiw, it sounds like a very shiny, beautiful millstone but not because it's a flat or apartment or whatever you want to call it. Avoid anything that involves ever increasing maintenance fees. I don't imagine the superficial fittings will look 5* once all the kids paraphernalia has been moved in.

The 'new build with loads of character and history' thing has been discussed quite a bit on this thread.
The conclusion, which I find likely, seems to be that it's a conversion/refurb of a historic building.
Not that this is the point of the thread.

I think we all recognise a garden is a luxury and not an essential. But the OP has a choice, and for me a garden would be very high up my list of must haves. My kids lived in the garden when they were pre-schoolers. (not literally or that could be another mumsnet thread - should I report my neighbour she makes her toddlers live in the garden....)

You’re thinking like the person you were three years ago before you had children and if you bought the flat it would be for them, not the parent that you are now. The flat will still be there in twenty years’ time when your children have left home.

Maintenance fees are a con. If things go wrong they'll want you to pay for it and they won't. If you got a place without a maintenance you'd save so much money. Maintenance dosnt do anything.
We pay maintenance and recently our flat door bell has stopped working. They expect us to pay for it. The maintenance people also put an extra charge on for repainting the stairwells to our flats even though we pay them to maintain the building already.

Get a place without maintenance!

The garden is a red herring. You have 2 kids. If you can afford to then get three bedrooms, they will thank you later and everyone will have their own space. Plus, those maintenance fees will come in incredibly useful as kids growth spurt and need new shoes/uniform every 6 months. Plus if they ever blackmail you for a pet a garden is very useful!

Choose a house/flat you can grow into. x

We have a large garden. We currently can't access it due to significant building work across the rear of the house. It's a nightmare. We have a lovely park very nearby but it's not the same, kids get hungry, thirsty, need the toilet, nappy changes. They're cold, they're too hot, they brought the wrong toy with them. We have to pack for a day trip just to go round the corner.

Don't do it.

‘Kids need a garden’ seriously?! Kids need a safe and loving home. Many children live without a garden and are not ‘suffering’ because of it. Flat living is extremely popular for families outside of the UK, and children aren’t any worse off through because of it! Buy a place that you love, flat, house, canal boat, whatever.

As a disclaimer I should have said I’m sunbathing in our garden right now with sprinkler ready for when kids get back.

But seriously, look at square footage and consider what you’ll need when your tiddlers get bigger. Outside space can be rectified with parks etc but in general space trumps fittings. (That will get trashed with 2 wee ones!)

Kids don't need a garden but, as with dogs, their owners' lives are a lot easier if they have access to an enclosed outdoor space.

@Alwaysawake45

‘Kids need a garden’ seriously?! Kids need a safe and loving home. Many children live without a garden and are not ‘suffering’ because of it. Flat living is extremely popular for families outside of the UK, and children aren’t any worse off through because of it! Buy a place that you love, flat, house, canal boat, whatever.

Kids need a lot of exercise and outdoor time! Gardens are not essential, but they make life an awful lot easier for their parents.

Most parents haven't got time to spend 3 or 4 hours a day looking at their kids running around in a park.

Flat living is extremely popular for families outside of the UK
as a choice against living in a house with garden? Really?

A home needs to be more than stunning to work for you. Bragging rights can't compensate for a less convenient location than you need and a lack of the garden that you need.

Honestly, you are attracted to the flat because it looks new and shiny. With two kids under two it won't stay like that for long.

With young kids I'd go for practicality over looks every time when it comes to houses. And if you can afford a garden they are a godsend.