Ground floor flat - security

flubberyzing

I live in a flat, although on the first floor. A ground floor flat wouldn't have put me off, as long as it wasn't a rough area (which it isn't around here - mostly young professionals and young families).

I think I would have been marginally more concerned with security on the ground floor, but only making sure that I didn't accidentally go out and leave a window open. But I think there's lots of benefits to a ground floor. Quick and easy access being one. I hate my one flight of stairs when I have bags of heavy shopping!

And like someone above said, houses all have a ground floor, and there isn't really a difference IMO.

That being said, I feel more comfortable leaving the flat unoccupied for a week or so when I'm on holiday, than I did when I lived in a house.

Freecall

Different folks like different things and you must decide what is best for you.

Having said that however, the majority view is clearly reflected in the prices paid for higher flats. Look at a new development (as the flats will be identical in other respects) and you will see prices rise floor by floor.

seven-day-weekend

My son has a second floor (top) flat. He bought this flat because it was the best one he looked at for the price, but he didn't really mind which floor it was on and a ground floor flat would have had direct access to the landscaped communal gardens. He has lived in a ground floor one in the same complex as the flat he has bought. However, his girlfriend was glad he chose the second floor one because she was concerned about security. The only thing he was concerned about was that he might have to carry his bike up two flights, but the flat has a garage with it so not a problem.

When my husband and I are old(er) and grey(er) we will downsize to a ground floor flat or possibly a bungalow. Don't see any difference in the terms of security.

ankspon

Freecall wrote: »

Different folks like different things and you must decide what is best for you.

Having said that however, the majority view is clearly reflected in the prices paid for higher flats. Look at a new development (as the flats will be identical in other respects) and you will see prices rise floor by floor.

No difference in price in the development i live in.

propertyman

A house has two floors +

When you got to bed you can shut the GF windows and doors.

The trick is to have good window locks and robust door and window frames which deter the majority of intruders. Some catches are lockable in the part open position allowing ventilation.

Although not attractive there are meshes or bars or sliding grills which you can fit to opening casements. A good friend of ours rented a flat for a short time and it drove him mad with lack of sleep as he became paranoid that someone might climb in.

GraceC

I lived in first floor flats until the current ground floor flat. I think there are pros and cons of security of each - we were broken into through the communal hallway when we lived in a first floor flat. A lot depends on the area. However after years of staring out at other peoples gardens we now finally have our own bit of outdoor space. Maybe it is less secure but it was what made us go for it.

propertyman

Thats a common error living in a gf flat does not mean that the grass outside is yours to use exclusively. Always check what the lease not an EA says.

seven-day-weekend

propertyman wrote: »

A house has two floors +

When you got to bed you can shut the GF windows and doors.

The trick is to have good window locks and robust door and window frames which deter the majority of intruders. Some catches are lockable in the part open position allowing ventilation.

Although not attractive there are meshes or bars or sliding grills which you can fit to opening casements. A good friend of ours rented a flat for a short time and it drove him mad with lack of sleep as he became paranoid that someone might climb in.

I think that these might be a good idea in ground floor bedrooms, providing you can open them from the inside. When I lived in Spain, all ground floor windows had to have bars on otherwise you would not get any insurance. Local buiding customs dictated that these were immovable decorative wrought iron, and whilst they looked picturesque, would have been lethal in case of fire. Single-storey buildings would have had these on all the windows. :eek: Luckily, our house only had two ground floor windows, one into the kitchen and one into the workshop, so we did not have this problem of fire escapes.

So as I say, as long as they can be opened from the inside in case of fire, I think these are a good idea and mean you can have your windows open at night on the ground floor.

Edied to add: something like this - http://www.securityshuttersdirect.co.uk/grilles/grilles.htm

ankspon

propertyman wrote: »

A house has two floors +

When you got to bed you can shut the GF windows and doors.

The trick is to have good window locks and robust door and window frames which deter the majority of intruders. Some catches are lockable in the part open position allowing ventilation.

Although not attractive there are meshes or bars or sliding grills which you can fit to opening casements. A good friend of ours rented a flat for a short time and it drove him mad with lack of sleep as he became paranoid that someone might climb in.

A house has 2+ floors,correct but it still has a ground floor and you can shut the windows and doors in a flat as well.

seven-day-weekend

ankspon wrote: »

A house has 2+ floors,correct but it still has a ground floor and you can shut the windows and doors in a flat as well.

However, some people( like me) like to sleep with the bedroom window open, in which case a retractable security grille is a good idea.