Studio or one bedroom flat

[Button2121]

Hi all, I’m looking into buying a flat for my daughter to rent from me. I have the choice of 2 flats… one is a studio with separate small kitchen, the other is a one bed with the kitchen/living space combined. Studio is £7k cheaper. I’m struggling to know what will be Best Buy long term? Thanks for reading 🙏🏻

One bed.

Easier to sell.

Much nicer to live it. Worth the extra money.

Is the studio big enough for a mortgage? I was going to buy a studio but it was half a sq m too small for a mortgage despite being able to get a mortgage on a one bed for the same size. Also from a resale POV I’d go one bed.

The one bedroom, clearly.

One beds easier to sell

One bed. Definitely.

One bed is better. Preferably one bed with a separate kitchen. It makes a big difference.

Studios are always less desirable….sleeping in the room you live in, is best avoided if you can have a separate bedroom.

One bed.

I started off on the property ladder by buying a studio flat. I loved it for a couple of years but very quickly felt restricted by living in one room. I wanted to be able to invite friends round for dinner and not be sitting in the same room as my bed!

One bed all the way especially when the difference in price is 7k as opposed to 30k.

Studios are great for people who can’t afford a 1 bed. - gets them on the property ladder. For a single person it can be a good start and some are actually bigger than modern 1-beds.

However, for £7k the 1 bed is probably better. If the kitchen is in the living room, just look at the sizes carefully - it can be very cramped, can you get a sofa, small dining table and other seating in? However £7k on too if studio price isn’t much and worth stretching for. Thanks

One bed without a doubt. Studios can be hard to get a mortgage on even if they’re over 30 square metres

7k is not very much when it comes to buying a house! Very small amount in comparison to the overall cost of home ownership.

So for £7 k more I'd go for it!

Go for the one bed - so much nicer for your daughter to live in and better for resale also

One bed every single time. I would never ever buy a studio.

Thanks for all the messages. So here is the situation. The studio is on the first floor and has a long narrow galley kitchen and small shower room, but the main room (living/sleeping) has a high ceiling, a bay window and a lovely varnished oak floor.
The one bed has a smaller kitchen/living space with a lowered ceiling and is on the second floor. There’s a bigger shower room and a not bad sized double bedroom.
The studio feels nicer but not good use of kitchen space… ahh I’m torn tbh…

Studios are often conversions in old Victorian houses, with a large and characterful main room.

The thing is, it’s not great to sleep and spend all your time in the same room, especially when other people come round, as others have mentioned.

Everyone upthread points out mortgage difficulties, re-sale difficulties with Studios. A 1 bed is nicer to live in and a better investment in most cases.

Of course if you’re looking at a horrible 1 bed, the studio will look nice. There are good and bad studios and good and bad 1 beds. Perhaps given the 1 bed is only £7k more than studio, it’s not a very nice 1-bed.

There are always more 1 beds available. You will have to consider the price range for 1 beds and de ide if you can afford a decent one. Pushing yourself for a 1 bed is a good idea if you can. However, I’d t buy something g horrible just because it has a bedroom. Presumably it doesn’t have to be this particular 1 bed…you can keep looking.

And advice on this thread has been unanimous which is rare.

Of course if your budget is studio flat budget, then that is what you should get. Lots of people start off with one, and whilst there are downsides, they can be a good start.

Has your daughter seen them? Which does she prefer?

If the studio has a totally seperate kitchen, that is a bit different to one that is living/sleeping/cooking all in one room.

Is there much of a difference in actual size?

My experience is that even with a separate kitchen mortgage companies call it a studio and there is a LOT of the computer says no re studios. You can get mortgages if they are over thirty square metres but it can be an absolute pain. Is the idea to keep and rent after your daughter lives out or sell??

Studio flat
High ceilings
Bay window
Oak original floor
First floor
Sleeping/living in one room
Separate galley kitchen
Small shower room
Electric heating

One bed:
Second floor flat (not in roof space as floor above)
Lowered ceiling
Bay window
Smaller kitchen/living space
Separate but small double bedroom
Decent size shower room
Gas central heating
Crack to one of the window panes

Both in same Victorian listed building but well maintained (£10 per week service charge covers building insurance and cleaning communal areas)

I’m usually so decisive but I see plus and negative in both… thank you all. I’m very appreciative of comments thank you 🙏🏻

£7k difference in price. Both floor spaces similar sides hence studio feels more spacious.

Gas central heating in the one bedroom would clinch it for me! When I was househunting I immediately ruled out anywhere that didn't have it.

I lived in a gorgeous studio for several years that sounds very similar to the one you're looking at. I LOVED it until covid hit and I was working from home full time. Honestly, having to think about where I hung my undies to dry so that my boss couldn't see them on video got old real quick. I hated that my desk was visible even when I was in bed or watching TV in the evenings. If your daughter will do any WFH, she'll probably be glad to be able to have some separation between work and home.

The cost of heating the big room, high ceiling studio could be high, depending on the efficiency of the electric heating.

The studio I bought had electric storage heaters that were so ineffective I got rid of them in favour of having the wall space to put furniture against. However, my flat was high up in a tower block and was very effectively heated by all the neighbours beneath and by the sun streaming in the high windows.

Having said all that, it really comes across that you much prefer the feel of the studio... Is there any potential to put a mezzanine bedroom into the studio to make it separate?