London property buying red flags

[TheCactus1]

I’m looking to buy a flat in London, are there any red flags I should look to avoid (other than unreasonable lease length/ground rent/service charges). On the flip side, are there also any good features that I should particularly look for?

Look out for buildings with cladding problems!

Absentee freeholder. A real pain if you want to extend the lease. The smell of weed coming from neighbours home. Unkempt looking flats/ gardens directly next to yours.

Always check the boiler!

Thank you!

As with any town/city, beware “ghost kitchens” ie a commercial space near/under your flat being used as industrial scale food prep place for Deliveroo etc - you get a LOT of scooters very constantly at their door, v loud and more common a problem since lockdown

I’d avoid resident managed/right to manage blocks. They’re generally controlled by people on a power trip or well meaning idiots who have no idea about leasehold law and what is required in running an estate. It may keep the costs down to start with but you’ll be staring down the barrel of some very big bills when the building ages.

Actually I would do all I could to avoid leasehold. It’s such a pain.

I would look for share of freehold, top floor as middle floor has noise from below and above, are there any major works or refurbishment planned, is there a slush find, do all owners have to agree to any major works, is there a management company, are lettings allowed, do you need to have carpets and not wood flooring , are pets allowed, what does the annual maintenance fee cover. Whereabouts are you looking, I love house hunting.

I would second @memberofthewedding on the cladding. Also check the name of developer and management company if the building is one of the shiny new-ish developments, as some are infamous. If ex-LA, check if there is any major refurbishment coming up.
A word of caution with top floor flat, I'm living in one and although it's generally lovely, the rain and heatwave brought one hell of a summer. With climate change this will happen more frequently so worth checking that the roof is not leaking and you are allowed to install air-con.
And if the agent is Foxtons you can start by down-pricing by 10%

Thank you so much everyone!! Lots of things I hadn’t considered

Ask how much the service charges will be. Mine are sooo expensive!!

Look at the general state of the grounds/garden and communal areas to see if your fees are worth tbe money. Ask around and see what other developments are charging and compare. And ask what tbe ground rent is!

Also consider if your building is over a Tube line/backing onto a tram line/near a major road/under a flight path because everyone deserves peace and quiet.

Share of Freehold
No cladding
Balcony
Strict management including rule on flooring (ours said either carpets or hard floor acoustic underlay)
Don’t go for single aspect south facing. We were overjoyed by the light, but the temperature in summer was awful and it will only get worse.

My brother is selling a flat in London which has a courtyard and is built in the garden so has noone above or below him. www.purplebricks.co.uk/brochure/1169742 might not be what you are looking for but I think it is a nice flat.

I echo many of the previous comments. Our lounge and 1 bedroom is south facing and the bricks outside heat up during the day and come the evening, (6pm onwards) it gets even hotter in there as it radiates back. We use fans and an air conditioner far more than a heater!

If its tall enough for a lift, ideally check that there are at least 2. Not such an issue if there are only a few flats, but if its a large block, many flats etc some places have at least 1 lift broken every week.

Try to visit at different times of the day- say weekday peak hour and also fri or sat evenings. You'll get an idea of how busy the street outside will be, road noise and movement in and out of the block at 8:30 on a monday. fri/sat evenings is generally when our upstairs neighbour starts their music blaring!

Our flat is very close to a tube line. In bed (we are 1st floor), you can hear it rumbling underneath. Not horrendous, but took a while to get use to it.

Since the 7/7 bombings, we now pay a terrorism charge in our council tax! I'm between zone 1-2.

Check the service charges

If you are able to speak to any neighbours, ask how accessible and responsive the freeholder is. Biggest issues with living there.

If you have a car, check the cost of residential parking in the borough.

Look around the streets and see how much parking is actually available (obviously if the block doesn't have parking on site)

Check your car complies with ULEZ. If you are within the congestion zone, there are charges for that too- but slightly reduced for residents

I believe that your home/contents insurance will be higher, if you live above a premises with cooking- cafe, kebab shop, pizzeria etc due to the added risk of fire. Fumes would also be an issue, so avoid being above or near any food prep shop.

Our flat is on a busy high street. Very convenient for shops, tube etc, BUT, I'm forever cleaning the windowsills of the rooms facing the road. Its a black, fine, soot which I assume is from buses and traffic. If I had a choice, I would have preferred being 1 street back because I'm sure the dust isn't healthy at all. I now have a super-dooper but expensive air purifier, but then the windows are closed and it get very hot!

If you find something you like the look of, join the local Facebook groups and see if there's been any local issues.