One Bedroom / Two Children

pollyanna24

I may be in a situation in a year or so where I have to sell my house as I own with my brother and he wants to move on.

Is it completely unfeasible for me to buy a 1 bed flat and for me to sleep in the living room when I have two young girls? Think this is the most I will be able to afford in my area and don't want them to change schools (as I don't think this is as easy as it might be anyways).

RAS

have a look at this http://permanentpublications.co.uk/meet-the-authors-michael-guerra/

You may be able to find an earlier article on raising three boys in a one bed flat on the Permie site. (They bought the flat upstairs recently hence the teen with his own room).

pollyanna24

Thanks for that. Something to look into. I don't feel the complete dread that I did when I had it in my head that I had to buy a 2bed.

It will be cramped, but hopefully doable. Some of the 1bed flats in my area even come with a private garden which would be great!

BigAunty

Other options include moving into rented accommodation which is what people do when they can't afford the type of mortgage for their preferred property, moving to a cheaper area or considering shared ownership.

Ask for ideas and options on the Housing forum.

Not quite the same but I had a friend who bought up her son for 8 years in a 1 bedroom property in the private sector. At least the children are the same sex and similar age.

She preferred to do this in order to retain a higher than average priority on the local social housing waiting list - she could have easily moved to a 2 bedroom private property but wanted social housing. Recently, she was allocated a 3 bedroom ground floor housing association flat with a big garden, new kitchen and new bathroom. The previous tenant had recently decorated and fitted carpets with the social housing landlord let her retain. Her patience paid off.

Have a look at your social housing allocation policy to see if you would be classed as overcrowded and if this would result in a higher priority. Some councils, for example, will not class a household as overcrowded unless they are short of 2 bedrooms.

Do some proper research on Shared Ownership - there are lots of risks and issues associated with it that get reported on the housing forum.

pollyanna24

I don't want to go down the social housing route and I think I earn too much anyway.

I also don't want to rent.

I have owned for 11 years and don't wish to rent as it would see all the equity I have built up slowly eroded.

I don't want to move away as my job is in London and I like the school my girls are in.

I do realise there are an awful lot of "I want/I don't want" in what I've typed above, but I just don't want to see what I've worked so hard for gone. I don't wish to get off the property ladder now that I am on it just cos my ex is an a*** and left me when I had two tiny children.

Just wondered how other people coped in small housing. I thought 1 bed would be okay as they will always be in bed before me and I am always up when they are. Suppose it depends on how big the 1 bed is really.

Buzzybee90

I'm sorry but I really don't think buying a one bed is a good idea. Especially a flat. The girls are only going to get bigger, I think this sounds like a rubbish way to live.

pollyanna24

Had a thought. Where will all my clothes go? Arggh!

pollyanna24

Buzzybee90 wrote: »

I'm sorry but I really don't think buying a one bed is a good idea. Especially a flat. The girls are only going to get bigger, I think this sounds like a rubbish way to live.

Prob is a rubbish way to live. But it wouldn't necessarily have to be forever. I could maybe move away further from London when the girls are about to start secondary school or my boss retires so that I don't have to be so close to London.

I just don't want to rent. I think if I start that, I'll never get back on the property ladder especially as house prices keep going up.

19lottie82

Really, 3 people in a 1 bed flat sounds rotten. Maybe it would be doable for six months or so as a short term solution, but long term? No way.



I'd keep your eyes on the market for a 2 bed you can afford. Yes, it may be difficult, but prob not impossible. What about property auctions (not sure how these work in terms of mortgages tho)? Or something that needs cosmetically upgrading? You could do it up over time.

tanith

Lots of people manage to bring up kids in a small place its not ideal but perfectly doable. Compromises have to be made and space shared we had a bed settee in the living room and two girls shared quite happily till the oldest was 8 and the younger3+. When our son came along was when we burst at the seams for a few short months and finally managed to buy a 3 bed place.

As for clothes, well share wardrobes and don't buy too much. I would not pass up up the chance to get your own place you will all benefit in the long term.

ciderwithrosie_2

We have brought up 3 children in a 2 bed house, it's doable, the main problems are storage space and privacy. This has got considerably worse as they've got older. If you can find somewhere older with high ceilings etc, you'll have more options for storage. I dread to think how much stuff is in our loft, I never go up there! Or you might find a place with a bedroom big enough to divide.


How long would you plan on staying in a one bed place? As they get to teenagers they may well want to stay up later than you on occasions - what if you were poorly and needed an early night? Sleepovers may be difficult unless they have the same friends.
What if you met a new partner?