Scotland Stuff

Gers

glasgowdan wrote: »

You risk living with noise if getting a tenement in Glasgow. Where will you be working?

Tenements can be very hard to sell. As with any property it depends on the specific location and condition. Who makes up the local population, whether it's govan or dowanhill.

All flats are responsible for the roof, but top floor flats have to put up with the hassle while factors try and sort issues out. Factors bills can be huge, £100/m is common.. Neds kick in front doors meaning costly repairs. Students set off smoke alarms. Gardens get used as dumping grounds and dog toilets.

Paisley...holy cow, that's even worse.

We've moved to Lenzie and it's perfect, ten min train to Glasgow, space and nice gardens, good schools. Many of Glasgow's schools are poor performers. Bishopbriggs is good if a bit busy for some. Clarkston, Eastwood etc are nice. Shawlans is busy and studenty but becoming more trendy

Parking in tenement areas is often a lottery.

Buildings often have a lot of maintenance issue.

Think carefully!

You've had bad experiences and a jaundiced view of tenements in Glasgow.

I've lived in three tenement properties and my Mum has been in hers for well over 40 years and not had any of the problems you've listed. Of course, it depends on the area / location, just the same as in every other type of property in any other city.

She's never had 'neds' 'kicking in close doors, smoke alarms set off or stuff dumped in the garden. I have an acquaintance who is in a student apartment in the east end of Glasgow (Duke Street) which is very central and busy - no evidence of bad stuff either.

As for being hard to sell, again, not in my experience. The apartment above my Mum's sold three weeks ago after being on the market for two weeks. Similar (though not AS speedy) with others in the postcode and the neighbouring postcode. The high ceilings and usually large rooms are in demand.

Any problems aren't to do with tenements as buildings. Anti-social people live everywhere or anywhere.

thirtytoseventy

glasgowdan - thanks for the reply, I definitely heed some of your warnings. I will be working overseas most of the year, so this is more a bolthole. parking not needed, a train station close by is far more important to me and hopefully being 15 mins to Glasgow CC with frequent services... hence Paisley, which I honestly don't think is that bad! Some lovely streets in the centre and near the river. Shawlands I will probably look at, and maybe Springburn area too. Never heard of Lenzie though but sounds good... I just don't really need the family friendly thing, more city conveniences.

Gers - that's good to know. I think for the right person these flats will always be desirable. The common aspects do concern me a bit as I guess you could be really lucky or equally unlucky with who your neighbours end up being and/or any unexpected events.

glasgowdan

My comments are all true in some/many cases. I've lived in 7-8 tenements across west end, south side and city centre. Some cheap, some expensive and nice.

Springburn...just no! As you seem aware... it's down to luck, and neighbours in these flats can change regularly.

glasgowdan

This is quite useful. http://simd.scot/2016/#/simd2016/BTTTTTT/13/-4.2792/55.8662/

thirtytoseventy

That's awesome - totally geeking out over that one!

Pixie5740

Springburn and Paisley would not be my top choices. I'd go for West End (Hillhead, Downhill, Hyndland, Kelvinbridge) which has the benefit of the underground and a Waitrose

A lot of it will come down to budget but I think you'd be better off renting a tenement somewhere you think you'd like to live before taking the plunge and buying one.

I can't say I've shared dan's experiences of neds trying to kick in my door or fuming stuff in my garden. Anti-social behaviour will have more to do with the neighbourhood that the particular type of property you live in.

glasgowdan

The door thing has been in two properties...one I rented and one my wife's uncle owns, and have been drunk/stoned friends of people in one of the flats! Just another example of being unable to pick the many neighbours you share with in these flats.

Curve ball... I've seen a few good bungalows around kings park at fair prices...

GingerFurball_2

The best tenement properties in Glasgow are the tenements that back on to Clydesdale Cricket Club in the South Side.

They're huge and the whole block essentially shares one massive garden. Plus they're less than 10 minutes away from Glasgow Central by train, there's 3 train stations on 2 different lines within a 10 minute walk.

lydriver

the parking was the worst thing when I was looking, each to their own but !!!! looking for spaces at night when coming home from work

best one I saw was in Dennistoun right next to new builds where they had made lots of spaces for the new builds, bu

davidmcn

glasgowdan wrote: »

The door thing has been in two properties...one I rented and one my wife's uncle owns, and have been drunk/stoned friends of people in one of the flats! Just another example of being unable to pick the many neighbours you share with in these flats.

I presumed the OP was looking for Scottish peculiarities, rather than just "universal potential downsides of living in flats".

OP, another point I meant to mention - have you looked into insurance if you're away for months at a time? Most mainstream insurers get twitchy if you leave the place unoccupied for more than a standard holiday length. You might want (or need) to get someone local who can check in on your property, or be an emergency contact for your neighbours for e.g. burst pipes etc.