24 m2 ... Too small?

jaqui59

My daughter is looking at purchasing a small flat which is only 24 m2. Does anyone think this is too small for comfortable living? It would be just herself and her boyfriend living there.

Im worried she is making a bad decision.

BitterAndTwisted

24 square meters? I'll say it's small!

HappyMJ

jaqui59 wrote: »

My daughter is looking at purchasing a small flat which is only 24 m2. Does anyone think this is too small for comfortable living? It would be just herself and her boyfriend living there.

Im worried she is making a bad decision.

It is too small. It's about the same size as a large caravan. 3 metres by 8 metres. It may a good investment property so she could buy it live in and then rent it out later. I would not try selling it for many years. If it's a flat you need to know what the service charges are....they tend to be quite high. A flat of that size went on the market near to me recently and it was on the market at £29,950. A suitable price for what it was. Although at the moment she may not be thinking about children it's always handy at least buying something at least 2 bedrooms or larger. If she did lose her job they could rent out a bedroom to get some money in to pay the mortgage.

Annisele

According to this article the average size of a new one bedroom flat is now 46 square metres - and the article argues that is far too small.

You're talking about a flat about half the size of the average one bed flat. It's so small that I wonder if you actually mean 24m2 - that is *tiny*.

laurel7172

That's smaller than my living room. I assume it's a one-room-plus-en-suite studio flat?

I've been looking at studio flats online (daughter's uni accommodation not sorted out yet) and the tiny studios tend to be rented out as suitable for a single person. It's not just the space...it's the stuff. If they are both possessionless and plan to remain so (no books, DVDs or CDs ever), have superbly organised capsule wardrobes (that will fit into half a wardrobe each), no more than three pairs of shoes and never buy economy-sized packs of anything, they might be able to make it work.

GwylimT

Is it actually a studio? I doubt a flat that small would actually have a separate bedroom, just a separate bathroom, in which case it might be a good idea for her to buy a good quality sofa bed, as it is unlikely that she will have room for both a double bed and a sofa.

somethingcorporate

We looked at a flat when we were first looking for a place that was about 40 sq mt. It had one bedroom that the (standard double) bed touched on 3 walls.

You would be on top of each other all the time, I couldn't live like that.

We found a cheaper area and put up with a commute for a 100 sq mt flat, plenty of room for 2 and much nicer.

tim123456789

jaqui59 wrote: »

My daughter is looking at purchasing a small flat which is only 24 m2. Does anyone think this is too small for comfortable living? It would be just herself and her boyfriend living there.

Im worried she is making a bad decision.

Such properties are next to impossible to sell on when the market is slow.

I think it's a very bad decision to buy something so small to live in. Try renting one first to see what it's like, but even then, it's a bad idea

caeler

If she has a choice then she should buy a bigger property to grow into, otherwise she'll be moving again in a matter of months and this will be more expensive in the long run.

If her budget won't stretch to big then help her think small so she can enjoy the space. http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/rooms_ideas/small_spaces/

allybee101

This website http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ has lots of ideas around tiny living spaces- it's mostly American, but some good inspiration on how people make the space work for them.
In a big city where space is a premium it might work, and have good re-sale value. Otherwise it might be better saving for somewhere a bit bigger.

purcel

When i lived in Paris the studio flat i was renting was 17 square meters, was tiny, had a mezanine where the bed was, suitable for myself as single but way too small for 2! so it will be fine for her, or for a few months as a couple