Buying a flat

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I'm planning on buying a flat, only bought houses before - what extra things do I need to consider or find out about?

cwcw

From my experience of buying and now selling one you should ask things like:

1) Is the flat leasehold? (yes in the majority of cases)

2) If leasehold, how long remains on it and who owns the freehold?

3) If the local authority own the freehold, what proportion of flats are privately owned and what criteria do any remaining council owned properties have for tenants? Mortgage companies might be wary of lending for flats in blocks where the majority are council owned.

4) If a property company or agency owns the freehold, how effective are they at dealing with the communal areas? How helpful are they or do they just sit back and make a big profit?

5) How much is the ground rent and service charge? Also, communal buildings insurance contribution?

6) How are repairs to communal parts charged? e.g. a proportionate contribution from each flat, a "rainy day" fund from higher service charges, etc. Has the current owner any examples of communal repairs in their time there?

7) What are the neighbours like, and how good is the sound insulation?

8) What are the parking arrangements? Allocated? Garages? etc.

9) Are pets allowed under the terms of the lease (if leasehold)?

10) What is the set up for services, e.g. TV, phone lines, internet, water, gas, electricity, waste, etc. Some may be provided communally, e.g. a communal TV aerial.

11) Can you sub-let? i.e. buy the leasehold and rent it out.

12) If the building is a shared freehold and the flat is not leasehold, how is it run? What are and who takes the responsibilities? What are the costs involved? etc.

13) Is there equal/shared use of the communal areas and gardens?


This is by no means a comprehensive list but are the sorts of things to look out for in my experience. Do plenty of research and also talk to a few random neighbours in the same block - you're closer to neighbours in a flat so it really is important they're not nightmare neighbours.

SailorSam

I was looking at some flats, only 2 storey ones and i wondered what were the pros and cons
of an upstairs one as opposed to the upstairs, for example who's responsible for roof repairs.
I've decided to stay where i am.

cwcw

SailorSam wrote: »

I was looking at some flats, only 2 storey ones and i wondered what were the pros and cons
of an upstairs one as opposed to the upstairs, for example who's responsible for roof repairs.
I've decided to stay where i am.

I live in a top floor one (2nd floor), but roof repairs in my block are apportioned equally between all the flats. This is the fairest way because the roof is a communal part and my floor is effectively the roof for the flat below. I think most blocks of flats apportion communal costs equally but not sure.

Advantages to top floor: less noise as nobody walking above, better views

Disadvantages to top floor: more stairs to climb (felt especially when bringing shopping home!), less inclination to use communal gardens, higher chance of needing to claim on buildings insurance as your flat would bear the brunt of any roof problems.

Although that's more disadvantages, the advantages for me still outweigh them as the disadvantages are more niggles, whereas the views from my flat are brilliant and I've been in ground floor flats belonging to friends and you can hear the footsteps above a lot more than any noise we get. Obviously sound proofing varies though.

SailorSam

cwcw wrote: »

I live in a top floor one (2nd floor), but roof repairs in my block are apportioned equally between all the flats. This is the fairest way because the roof is a communal part and my floor is effectively the roof for the flat below. I think most blocks of flats apportion communal costs equally but not sure.

Advantages to top floor: less noise as nobody walking above, better views

Disadvantages to top floor: more stairs to climb (felt especially when bringing shopping home!), less inclination to use communal gardens, higher chance of needing to claim on buildings insurance as your flat would bear the brunt of any roof problems.

Although that's more disadvantages, the advantages for me still outweigh them as the disadvantages are more niggles, whereas the views from my flat are brilliant and I've been in ground floor flats belonging to friends and you can hear the footsteps above a lot more than any noise we get. Obviously sound proofing varies though.

Thanks for that, when i looked there was only a ground one available and i thought the upper floor may be more secure and less prone to any break-ins. What made me decide to leave things for the time being was, these particular flats were all electric and i'm use to the GCH.
Still it's a thought for the future.

cwcw

SailorSam wrote: »

Thanks for that, when i looked there was only a ground one available and i thought the upper floor may be more secure and less prone to any break-ins. What made me decide to leave things for the time being was, these particular flats were all electric and i'm use to the GCH.
Still it's a thought for the future.

Yes, that's another thought actually. When getting home contents insurance quotes and selecting a flat, I've then been asked if it was ground floor or upper floor, so it could be that the probable lower likelihood of burglary on the top floor is reflected in contents insurance costs.

olly300

SailorSam wrote: »

I was looking at some flats, only 2 storey ones and i wondered what were the pros and cons
of an upstairs one as opposed to the upstairs, for example who's responsible for roof repairs.
I've decided to stay where i am.

In regards to contents insurance I've lived in flats on different floors.

The funny thing is that some companies give you the same quote price regardless of floor you are on but then state that if you live on the top floor of a 3 storey block with no drain pipes near the windows, you must keep your windows locked at night from the rooms you aren't in.

Though in one of the top floor flats I lived in it was the people on the top floor who got burgled after I moved out not the bottom or middle floors. Someone came in through the loft hatch in the corridor and through the ceiling of the flats.

So if you are thinking of buying a top floor flat ensure any loft hatches are actually in your flat. This does mean you have to be there for any maintenance men.

bristol_pilot

I would want to check whether the other flats are owner-occupied or let to tenants. If let to tenants, are they chavs on HB? Is the freeholder the Local Authority? If they are, expect some hefty bills!

Personally, I'd never buy a flat. Your life is too much in the hands of your neighbours (if you rent, you can always move). But its your choice.

bristol_pilot

cwcw wrote: »

I live in a top floor one (2nd floor), but roof repairs in my block are apportioned equally between all the flats. This is the fairest way because the roof is a communal part and my floor is effectively the roof for the flat below. I think most blocks of flats apportion communal costs equally but not sure.

Yes, but what often happens is that the owners of the flats on the lower floors simply refuse to pay. Try suing your neighbours, you will not get very far. Flats can simply be a nightmare.

olly300

bristol_pilot wrote: »

I would want to check whether the other flats are owner-occupied or let to tenants. If let to tenants, are they chavs on HB? Is the freeholder the Local Authority? If they are, expect some hefty bills!

It doesn't work like that.

You could move into a flat where everyone is a owner occupier then within a year or two the majority of the flats could be rented out to a mixture of tenants. Mainly because people can't sell and due to the change in their circumstance they have to move.

Likewise with houses the same can happen with your neighbours. This has actually happened to a friend of mine.

If you don't want anything to do with your neighbours get a detached house with a decent distance between your houses.

Some of the flats I looked at had massive service charges simply because they an art-deco listed building, or had "wonderful" communal gardens, or were undergoing repairs, or had a porter, or the management company was simply a thief.

One of the rules of thumb I was given was to avoid any flats with a lift. I also noticed that flats with garages had high service charges as well.

olly300

bristol_pilot wrote: »

Yes, but what often happens is that the owners of the flats on the lower floors simply refuse to pay. Try suing your neighbours, you will not get very far. Flats can simply be a nightmare.

That's what a management company is for if they do their work properly.