Buying a flat or apartmenf

[NomadicFinnMoose]

I'm buying alone, noone to discuss this with.

What are the pitfalls, particularly financial/leazehold ones, of buying an apartment? I'm aware I need to check service charge and what's included (like buildings Insurance), but what about non-insurance budding repairs?

I don't want to buy, then end up in financial difficulty, or lease issues. I also can't afford to waste time to only find out something that sounds trivial that could stop me, purchasing.

I'd really appreciate any tips of questions to ask, what I need to avoid etc.

Thank you so micj.

We bought a share of freehold flat. No ground rent but services charge is about £200 a month including a hefty contribution to a reserve fund. It’s a period property and all the freeholders are keen to keep it maintained to a good standard.
I can walk everywhere and local public transport is great plus it’s really well connected by rail. We’ve gone down to one small car and once that gives up the ghost I don’t think we will get another.
To buy a house we would have needed to move further out, run 2 cars and, for us, quality of life would have been compromised as we love being central with a bit of buzz on our doorstep.
I also prefer living on one level and it’s a lot more spacious than all the houses in our price bracket.