Downsizing with YA kids in London

[AllThingsAreGods]

We currently live in a large 5 bed on the outskirts of London, which suited us when the children were small and is close to their school. It’s a lovely place but we’ve always missed being closer to the centre, and the kids (20 and 18) also wish we lived more centrally and closer to public transport.

DS is leaving school this summer so school will no longer be a factor and all things being well will be off to uni in the autumn. DD is studying in London and living at home.

We are thinking about moving more centrally- we would need to downsize in order to to afford it. Our budget would stretch to something like this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169974410
(we’re not looking at this house- ours isn’t even on the market yet- it’s just an example
of what we could afford). We know this area
well and love it. We would also be able to walk to work from here.

Just wondering if anyone else has made a move like this. Did you find it hard getting used to the smaller space?

It seems really small....18 and 20 year olds bring friends round ..

I would do that like a shot!

Not with that layout wrt position of bathrooms and bedrooms, but yes, 3 beds so that they have one each as long as needed, prime location for central London - fab!

Haha - it's bigger than my house in a less central / smart part of London and has two bathrooms too.

How do you feel about on street parking?

I wouldn’t. YA DC have a lot of stuff especially if going back and forth to uni and that house (I know it’s not THE house) is titchy. You could barely all watch telly together — let alone have friends round. You’d be on top of each other when you’re all home.

I’d leave it a few years until at least one has moved out and then reassess.

My parents did this - admittedly 20 years ago! I only lived with them for a year or so before I moved out to live with friends but my brother stayed a few more years. They moved just after I graduated uni and my brother finished school. It was great, the lack of space wasn’t a big issue for us and the central location more than made up for it. It was a very different lifestyle. My parents still live there now.

I would definitely do this and am planning it as my retirement. But would consider doing it earlier if ducks were in a row!

It’s not titchy! I would do it. Everyone has a bedroom. You’d love being in a central location. Of course there’s enough room for everyone to watch tele.

Sounds like a good plan.

I think this type of move will be ideal in about 5 years time.

I was highly reliant on my mum and dad's house and my 'home' mates for my early 20s.

The house looks very nice.

I did something similar and it was great. The kids really benefitted and I still love living so central. It's brilliant.

I think it might be too early. I nearly did this but Covid hit and now the 5 bed has come in handy as both kids are back as their landlords sold the properties they were renting and with one partially WFH we need the space! I would just have a long think about whether a smaller place would work if you were all at home together for long periods of time especially as you’re used to a 5 bed.

Walking to work is v tempting though!

Where do you want to be living in 5/10/15 years time?

What’s your health like. Whats compatible with reducing mobility. Moving twice in 10 years is an awful lot of stamp duty.

That might adjust what you’re looking for slightly.

Also worth having a think about what your factoring arrangement feel you want house space wise. It might be fewer bedrooms and more central location but still a larger house sized living room and kitchen. Four adults for whom it’s their primary address take up a fair amount of living and dining space. But a lot less bedroom and garden ane school proximity needs.

I’d do it. But I already live in a 3 bed in zone 1/2 with a child so I’m biased. But honestly think it sounds great!

I don’t know why you need more bedrooms than you have children. If it’s for guests then that is a real luxury and can’t happen that often. I’d prioritise the location over spare bedrooms at this stage in life. (And have done!).

Yes like the idea... Im thinking the same as would love to live further in... unfortunately dh wants to leave lon and go more rural so am stuck at the moment...
Don't like the layout of that particular house but as a concept great.

I downsized from a 2800sq ft detached house outside London to a 1300sqft terraced house in SW London. My eldest had left home and my youngest wanted to go to an all girls school for sixth form and I wanted to go back to London.
The bigggest issue is storage. I have none. I put built in cupboards in the bedrooms but other than a small space under the (steep) stairs and a shed in the garden there is no where to put Christmas decs, suitcases, just stuff. Even the vacuum cleaner (I did build a cupboard for one but then changed from an upright to a Henry and it doesn’t fit). The loft is converted so a little bit of eaves storage that my DD uses. So I have a storage unit, which obviously costs, but I can’t see how to get rid of all the stuff in it.
But that’s just a price I’m willing to pay for the location. I can’t afford a bigger house.
My bedroom is half the size of my old one, we have less bathrooms, but with three bedrooms (from five) there’s my DD in the en suite loft, me in the second bedroom and a spare bedroom for my son or other visitors.
The living room is small but fits us and there’s a dining area at the back with a large lounge chair and it hasn’t been an issue. My DD is now at uni but had four friends for a sleepover recently and I just left them too it. After cooking they hung out in my DD’s room. My son would need more space as he had loads of mates over. So this house wouldn’t work if he was still living with us.
So it all depends on layout and lifestyle. If your kids like to have mates around then two reception rooms would be best, one for you one family room for them. As for location - I’m always fantasising about moving more central!

We know the area well and we had our dcs here and plan to raise them here (they are primary aged). Our house is in a similar terrace, a little bigger with 4 bedrooms but we are a family of 5. We chose to stay in zone 1 as we loved being able to walk to work and school, and to have so many amenities and culture on our doorstep. It's a lifestyle that suits us although I grew up in inner London and I've never lived in a suburb or rurally, so I am used to it.

It might take some getting used to being in proximity to neighbours, dealing with more litter, crime and asb etc. It's not unsafe exactly but you have to be streetwise and sensible. Areas like this have council estates on the same street as mansion-tax houses and they're mostly fine but there are issues with gangs etc. We are in central London every weekend visiting museums and theatres and the dcs have a great bond with DH as his commute is a 10 min cycle.

We never host big social events and people here tend to meet up outside of homes anyway. It's fine for small gatherings. We have a lot of clever wall storage to keep floor space free, and we never have overnight guests (nor we want them, even if we had a mansion!)

On street parking isn't an issue as we don't have a car and have never needed one. We get groceries and any large items delivered, and use public transport to get everywhere.

Would you (or DC) keep cars or bikes?

We live centrally in a 2 bed with 1 DC. We love being in reach of everything but i really wish we had at least 1 spare bed for family and friends to visit as obviously hotel costs can really add up

Your Dc would be able to make the most of it by moving once Ds leaves school.

I am retired and looking to move closer to the centre. My Dc loved being able to come back from Uni to meet their friends and do lots of London stuff.

I 100% would do this. You’ve raised kids and they are going to university, now is the time to prioritise what you want for the rest of your life. The lifestyle for you from living centrally will be great. And your kids really won’t mind. They still get a room each and that house is not small

We did this in another city with younger teens. It has worked well for them but driven DH and I slightly nuts.
when dc leave we are moving further out and buying something bigger we weren’t meant for minimalist living and we do like having guests.

Well I'd do it like a shot too. But I've brought my children up in central London.

I couldn't contemplate living in the suburbs and am used to living in a terraced house, with no storage (there's enough for me!) parking and no "entertaining" space. I love living in Central London.

But I think there are other things you'd have to get used to apart from the small house. (which is a pretty big house really!).

And also, I have children at university - they would hate (and told me this when I was thinking of selling) me to move away from their area - all their friends are here and they see them frequently. I think perhaps your move (like mine) is a few years away yet.

I don’t think it’s a terrible idea, but I think you need to think about how it would work. Would there be enough space if 1-2 kids came and lived at home for a few years when they started work? What about if you have guests? And where would you all be sleeping (if you and DH would be taking a room next to a kitchen, what if the kids come back late with friends)?

Also do you have any hobbies which require being noisy or need a lot of space? Where would you eat and watch tv (the bedrooms aren’t massive)? Could you get car parking permits for however many people need them? You’d also be liable for the ULEZ there I think and probably the congestion charge if you went anywhere. Would that be an issue? And what about bikes- I note in this house they’re keeping the bike in the dining room!

For me it wouldn’t be great with adult kids as I find we all start getting on each other’s nerves and arguing if we are all on top of each other- we need space to get on. Also I actually lived in that area and got worn down by the chicken shops, car crime, traffic, noise and obvious drug deals going on on the corner of the road (as well as the constant smell of weed). But I guess if you know the area you’ve taken all of this into account already!

I’d do it in a heartbeat if I could afford to be that central. The location looks fabulous. As for storage, I downsized massively two years ago and storage beds are my best buy. I have one double ottoman, and a kingsize with hideaway storage underneath. Both wonderfully comfy and swallow all my out of season clothes, suitcases, Christmas decs, unhung pictures etc etc.

Like a shot, and this my plan too. In fact we're probably going a bit further in when dc2 starts secondary in a few years, so 2/3 borders rather than 3/4. I want a flat in the Barbican for retirement (ha!).

If both DC have left home it's up to them if they move back to live with you or not, with reduced space. If you're still in London it's not like they can't see their mates. You won't need a car, absolute bliss. It's a really good opportunity to massively declutter and have a look in IKEA at some of the smaller space living stuff.

It's not that small anyway, only 100sq ft smaller than ours and I think we've got a decent size terrace.

I really wouldn’t be deciding on my future house with guests in mind. If we can’t host guests - so be it. Other things would take a priority.

You don’t want to be rattling around a 5 bedroom house in the countryside in your 60s/70s…just to have some spare bedrooms for guests!

I note in this house they’re keeping the bike in the dining room!

Quite surprised no one thought to move this for the photos, given that they’ve obviously had a good tidy up!