studio flat for a couple

debrag

Should we as a couple stay away from a studio flat? Where we are looking studios are £500-£650 and 1 beds are usually £650-£700. My partner doesn't really want to go up as high as £700 but you get more for the money at £675+

We are moving in Jan all being good with ref's etc but we earn £1500-£1700 a month and have the usual bills on top.

Our area's are Chislehurst, Bromley & Mottingham due to our places of work

Catatonia

It depends how much stuff you have and how much space you need. Would you feel annoyed if one of you wants to watch telly until late and the other one wants to go to bed early, or are your routines in sync? Would it be awkward if one of you wanted friends over?

debrag

Catatonia wrote: »

It depends how much stuff you have and how much space you need. Would you feel annoyed if one of you wants to watch telly until late and the other one wants to go to bed early, or are your routines in sync? Would it be awkward if one of you wanted friends over?

My partner is thinking of storage at least for the first few months but thats £13 a week.

Our routines are generally in sync and I can sleep through anything.

evil_grrrl666

My husband and I lived in a studio flat in west london when we had just entered the country. I think you need to have quite a strong relationship to make it work... in our case we had a room that had a sofa !!! bed (it was a bit sagged so we had to put the mattress on the floor and sleep there otherwise we'd just end up falling on top of each other in the centre of the sofabed - basically it felt like camping) so we basically had a room with a mattress in it, a wardrobe that would've been sufficient for one person usually (we didn't have a lot of things though, after all we only just moved to the UK), a tiny bistro table & 2 folding chairs stuffed in a corner and just about enough space to walk from the door to the table. The kitchen was separate though (I didn't fancy the idea of sitting on the bed while chopping up veg, plus cooking smells) and a tiny bathroom as well.
We stayed for 6 months and moved somewhere bigger as soon as we worked out we could afford it. If it's all you can afford and you don't mind lack of space so much, it can work but I'd never do that again personally. Fair enough a couple should usually be compatible enough to live together on a daily basis, but if one wants to watch tv and the other wants to sleep early, where do you go? (EDIT: OK this was already mentioned as I was still typing - how about if you have an argument and need some space to think / cool down)
The upside was that we paid 675 including all bills & council tax, and the flat was always warm and cosy. The place we moved into afterwards was 700 plus bills and council tax (so add on another 200 to cover that) and was extremely cold & damp because it had no insulation whatsoever.
Also consider what sort of house the flat is in, we had about 8 people living in 5 studio flats similar to ours in a terraced house so noise could be an issue.

Also bear in mind that some landlords may prefer a single person due to utility costs etc.

adg1

Have you lived together previously, on your own?

If not, I'd swing away from a studio as there is no escaping eachother - no space of your own etc.

Try to get a 1 bed if possible unless its stretching you too far. Maybe look slightly outside your search area?

debrag

We live together currently just need to get out of where we are.

I have suggested Sidcup but my partner currently works in Croydon and doesn't fancy a longer commute even if it's only a little futher.

The furniture we have is PC desk, sofa, small table, 1 bookcase (will be needing more for storage), bed, 1 double clothes rail, multiple 3 tiered draws (trying to downsize), washing machine (we don't need to take)

Some 1 beds I've seen only fit a 4ft bed in.

passing ref/credit checks are my biggest worry.

BitterAndTwisted

I've never lived in a studio flat but think that just living in one on my own would be hateful. I just can't stomach the idea of cooking and sleeping in the same room. Some of these new-builds are the size of a Wendy-house as well so could be very, very cramped indeed.

Personally, I'd rather rent a double bedroom in a shared house.

£700 rent out of a £1700 monthly income is definitely do-able depending on your other commitments.

charlie792

I couldn't deal with living in a studio flat, originally it was something we considered but decided we needed at least 1 bed - we ended up with 2, one as a bedroom and the other as a study and its surprisingly filled. I honestly think you need to consider at least a 1 bed place.
That does seem like an awful lot of money for a studio though but I suppose its the area - our two bed is only £400

tootallulah

It is hard for two people in such a small space I would definitely go for the one bedroom and spend a bit more. :There is just not enough space to live and have any personal space in a studio flat.

Leory

i stayed a night with a girl in a studio flat, she made this right nice curry for us before we went to bed......but you could still smell it all through the night and morning.
ruined the 'atmosphere' somewhat

poppysarah

Insane. Can you work elsewhere in the country?