Ground floor flat - security

olly300

Old_Git wrote: »

the big downside to ground floor flat is you can hear the neighbours above .
I always knew when the neighbours had a shag .

Nothing to do with what flat you are in it's to do with noise insulation and whether your neighbours have any shame.

I have more noise disturbance from people through the wall than above me.

Mainly because we aren't allowed to lay flooring that disturbs others.

Also the fact that above me they have floating floors means they can't have tiles so they are stuck with a choice of laminate, carpet and lino.

As the laminate is noisy they can't have it in the rooms they live in there as I can get away with having any flooring I like.

olly300

JasX wrote: »

Another positive you won't have on the ground floor is I find my thermostat (sensibly set) hardly ever kicks in as the flat below me has their heating up so high it pretty much heats mine too and my utility bills are very low as a result

Being at the bottom of the stack you may find yourself on the unfavourable end of this effect (unless you can get a heap of inter-floor insulation in).

The flat I'm currently in has the lowest heating bill of any place I've lived in, and I'm on the ground floor.

I have also lodged in another flat on the ground floor where the heating was off unless the temperature was under 5c outside as it was too hot.

Point is if the building is newer or insulated properly it doesn't matter what floor you are on.

olly300

Typhoon2000 wrote: »

A burglar probably won't won't to go in and out a window in a block of flats where there are going to be plenty of people coming and going and it would be pretty obvious what he was doing. Most likely he would let himself in through the communal entrance when some one else was coming and going, and make his way to the top floor where he is less likely to be disturbed by residents going in and out,and work on the front door. So the groung floor is safer!

I've lived in a top floor flat where the flat opposite me was burgled through the ceiling hatch in the communal hall.

I opened the hall cupboard in the flat a few weeks after and discovered a large hole in the ceiling with some insulation coming through. Someone had obviously started to come through my flat but had been disturbed. :eek:

The flat doors of all the flats above the ground floor had all been rein-enforced which means someone had obviously tried to force them at some point.

I live on the ground floor now and when I locked myself out the locks couldn't be forced as there is no room, so the locksmith had to drill the locks out.

Kirri

Typhoon2000 wrote: »

A burglar probably won't won't to go in and out a window in a block of flats where there are going to be plenty of people coming and going and it would be pretty obvious what he was doing. Most likely he would let himself in through the communal entrance when some one else was coming and going, and make his way to the top floor where he is less likely to be disturbed by residents going in and out,and work on the front door. So the groung floor is safer!

I'm in a ground floor flat - was told by other long term leaseholders that these were burgled once years ago and they started on the top floor flats here! They are much more likely to go in via the communal hallway than via a window and in flats there are always so many people coming and going all day.

For me I don't like the idea of being trapped in a top floor flat in case of fire - there are pros and cons to both though and I did look at all floors before buying and it was what came up at the time. Lots of delivery co's for large items won't deliver over ground floor.

I do have a few people nose in whilst walking past and never leave my windows open at night (never did in a house either, hate spiders) or when I'm in the bathroom. My flat is cool though even in summer. I used to find I was more nervous sleeping in an upstairs bedroom in a house incase someone got in downstairs and I didn't hear them, than in a flat.

olly300

Kirri wrote: »

I do have a few people nose in whilst walking past and never leave my windows open at night (never did in a house either, hate spiders) or when I'm in the bathroom. I used to find I was more nervous sleeping in an upstairs bedroom in a house incase someone got in downstairs and I didn't hear them, than in a flat.

Some insurers have stated that you aren't insured you regardless of what floor you are on if you leave a window open and are asleep in a different room, and the burglary isn't forced entry.

As someone who has lived and lodged in flats on the top floor and the ground floor the only differences I can really think off are:
1. Curtains - on the ground floor you need to have some sort of window covering all the time unless you like people looking into your rooms. There as on the top floor you can get away with not having any unless you have double decker buses going by.

2. Stair/lift access - on the ground floor you don't worry about heavy shopping, carrying bikes, carrying push chairs or having a mobility problem. There as on the top floor if you have mobility problem then you are stuck if the lift isn't working. Plus if you do have a lift you can be stuck in it when it breaks. (With a couple of people I visit or stay with I don't take the lift.)

The rest of the issues like security, noise, heating, light, access to space etc depend on the design of the building the flat is in.

scottishblondie

I've lived in a ground floor flat for 9 years. As an 18 year old girl on my own for the first time I was a little apprehensive to begin with, but I got over it pretty quick.

I sleep with the window open in the summer. Flats on the floors above me have been broken into - but you would need to be a pretty bold burglar to break in my door 2 feet away inside the main door of the building! I also love not having to lug the shopping up the stairs.