Ground floor converted flats - please share good and bad experience about upstairs noise

Smodlet

z1a wrote: »

I can't understand anybody buying a flat, renting yes, buying no.

Desperation. Perhaps they are sick of paying rent, of putting up with LLs/LAs or both and can afford nothing else.

GaleSF63

z1a wrote: »

I can't understand anybody buying a flat, renting yes, buying no.

Smodlet wrote: »

Desperation. Perhaps they are sick of paying rent, of putting up with LLs/LAs or both and can afford nothing else.

I'm not desperate! I prefer flats.

I've been in my present flat for 20 years since new. The sound insulation is excellent and I don't hear many footsteps on the laminate floor above even from teenage boys/young men and I have never once heard the TV. I don't have TV or music on very much so I will hear nearby noise.

We have a decent-sized sinking fund and a very good factor. No profit-making freeholder making life difficult and expensive.

I have worried a bit each time the flat above sold but so far so good!

[Deleted User]

A friend of mine lived in a ground floor flat and the leasehold terms were that all the flats had to be carpeted (obviously, this cut down the noise a lot). All was fine until the flat above her was sold and the new owner decided to rip up the carpets and put down laminate flooring instead! From them on, she could hear every step. She complained to the leaseholder who did absolutely nothing about it.

Also, from my own experience renting, conversions tend to have been done as cheaply as possible so the sound insulation tends to be poor. Purpose-built flats were (for me) much better.

Crumble2018

Smodlet wrote: »

Desperation. Perhaps they are sick of paying rent, of putting up with LLs/LAs or both and can afford nothing else.

We live in the South East, don't have high earnings, so we can't afford even a 2 bedroom house. Buying a flat is our only option. It is still better than renting. Yes - in an ideal world we'd like a 3 bedroom detached house, but whilst we live where we do, it's never going to happen.

Rosieandjim

GaleSF63 wrote: »

I'm not desperate! I prefer flats.

I've been in my present flat for 20 years since new. The sound insulation is excellent and I don't hear many footsteps on the laminate floor above even from teenage boys/young men and I have never once heard the TV. I don't have TV or music on very much so I will hear nearby noise.

We have a decent-sized sinking fund and a very good factor. No profit-making freeholder making life difficult and expensive.

I have worried a bit each time the flat above sold but so far so good!

I wish I knew where you lived it is so difficult to find where/what flats to buy due to noise issues

annetheman

I have lived in a purpose-built block of flats near the top but with many flats below and a few above. We always heard the people below us - it took a while to realise it was coming from them, actually. We never heard the people above us (1960s tower block).

I also stayed with an ex for a few days who lived in a groundfloor flat and we heard the TV and people's voices from the flat upstairs very loudly (Victorian conversion)

I now live in a top-floor flat and it is very quiet - the loudest thing I've heard was a few weeks ago when I heard my neighbours doing the deed quite loudly, but it was the hottest night of the year and I'd moved my bed next to the window and had it wide open, and they had theirs wide open, too (1930s purpose-built flats).

If it really matters to you, better be safe than sorry - only go for the top floor.

Skiddaw1

z1a wrote: »

I can't understand anybody buying a flat, renting yes, buying no.

It was a combination of factors in our case- we originally rented it and were very happy there (husband was living there when we met and I moved in with him later). LL decided to sell it and gave us first dibbings and it was a feasible way of us getting on the housing ladder. We lived there as owners for around four years before we sold up and moved to a house, and we made a decent profit. We'd always intended to move on at some point and the flats in question were (and remain) popular as batchelor/batchelette pads/first home for young couples.


Wouldn't care for flat-life again mind you...

divadee

We live in a top floor converted flat. We only hear downstairs if they are doing diy etc .... or slam the door. We used to live in a ground floor purpose built flat and I could hear the upstairs flat having sex!

But, we have a toddler and as much as we tell her not to jump, to walk quietly she is a very lively toddler and kids will be kids. I hate to think the noise downstairs sometimes! We try and mitigate it as much as possible but we also have to live. If noise is a big issue for you, I wouldn't go for a flat. I would go for a semi or detached but obviously with that is a massive cost implication.

phoebe1989seb

z1a wrote: »

I can't understand anybody buying a flat, renting yes, buying no.

DS is in the south east and although he (and his GF) were buying their next home in a cheaper area than where they sold, there was/is still a huge price hike of around £100k between a one bed flat and a two bed house.

The (two bed) flat they owned in London was jointly owned with the GF's two younger sisters. When they sold it they split the cash (it was owned outright) four ways. DS/his GF bought a one bed flat to live in, while the sisters purchased a BTL. The latter has since been sold and one sister is buying a house (still south east, but slightly less expensive location again) and the other has bought a flat in an expensive part of mainland Europe.

DS/his GF are trading up to a three bed house in the same area. All are getting small mortgages (£100k max).

DS/his GF are only moving from a flat because they now have a baby and want more outside space

Personally I hated living in a flat and would always strive to buy a house if at all possible, but then we've got used to having a detached house with no really near neighbours, lol!