First time buyer: one bedroom in London

redefinr

jonnygee2 said:

That does seem extortionate. Given it's bigger than others you've looked at you can usually expect to pay a bit more, but not this much! Can't see any mention of gyms / pools in the building either. Not even a concierge is mentioned.

nah cmon, that's £200/month on top of mortgage + bills. With the new building at least you get concierge etc etc. It's quite a big block of flats imagine how much they making p/year just to look after that sort of garden.

Also, isn't the lease a bit too short?

Crashy_Time

Rip off London, what a joke, maybe people will make a run for the countryside and cut their own grass after all!

blue_max_3

Crashy_Time said:

Rip off London, what a joke, maybe people will make a run for the countryside and cut their own grass after all!

Supply and demand unfortunately. And the run is likely to be a very long one!

lisyloo

Crashy_Time said:

Rip off London, what a joke, maybe people will make a run for the countryside and cut their own grass after all!

I thought you were dismissing the idea that people were looking for gardens now and not flats?
i think there will be some long term changes. Relevant link
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53303364

redefinr

to be honest, I'm used to work both from home and in offices - I'm self employed so it's nothing new for me in terms of working structure.
I'm pondering this flat in Uxbridge Road a lot, it's nicely positioned. It's that 84 years left on the lease something to worry about?

jimbog

redefinr said:

to be honest, I'm used to work both from home and in offices - I'm self employed so it's nothing new for me in terms of working structure.
I'm pondering this flat in Uxbridge Road a lot, it's nicely positioned. It's that 84 years left on the lease something to worry about?

Might be worth finding the cost of a lease extension and use that if (or when) you negotiate (hard) on the price
https://www.lease-advice.org/calculator/

redefinr

jimbog said:

redefinr said:

to be honest, I'm used to work both from home and in offices - I'm self employed so it's nothing new for me in terms of working structure.
I'm pondering this flat in Uxbridge Road a lot, it's nicely positioned. It's that 84 years left on the lease something to worry about?

Might be worth finding the cost of a lease extension and use that if (or when) you negotiate (hard) on the price
https://www.lease-advice.org/calculator/

Ok that's not too bad according to that rough estimate it comes between 6k-8k which is alright. 
The EA said the price is a bit flexible but at least +£320. I may go and have a look tomorrow...

steve866

redefinr said:

to be honest, I'm used to work both from home and in offices - I'm self employed so it's nothing new for me in terms of working structure.
I'm pondering this flat in Uxbridge Road a lot, it's nicely positioned. It's that 84 years left on the lease something to worry about?

I personally would not purchase a flat with a lease that short, unless an extension was arranged before exchange.

bouicca21

Tbh I work a lot from home and could not face doing it from a 1 bed or studio flat.  I like my space, and I like being able to have all my working stuff in a separate room.  With OP’s budget I’d be looking at a bigger place in zone 4, but if he/she really wants to stay that central, then that’s his/her choice.

jonnygee2

. It's that 84 years left on the lease something to worry about?

It's something to think about more than worry about in my opinion.

A lot of leases will only let you extend if you've been there for two years. So you will have a two year window after that before the lease dips below the crucial 80 year mark. But so long as you have done the maths and are sure you'll be able to afford it in that window, it's not an issue.

Lots of buyers will just outright walk away from an 84 year lease, but really that's to your advantage.