Which floor is best to live on?

lookstraightahead

I would say ground as I find it much more stressful thinking about the noise I make rather than other peoples footsteps etc.

I love apartment living.

cattie

I downsized from a house into a ground floor flat as I wanted something future proofed as mobility lessened. It's one of the best moves I've ever made. I don't envy my neighbours having to lug their shopping up the stairs (no lifts here) & in fact a neighbour on the top floor is seriously considering selling & going for one of the ground floor flats if one becomes vacant.

I'm fortunate in that I live in a pretty low crime area, but so I can sleep worry free with the bedroom window open in the summer, I've had retractable security gates fitted to the bedroom windows, as have some other ground floor flat owners here.

These flats are just 3 stories high & mostly occupied by retired people, so there isn't a noise transference issue at all. If anything, it can be deathly quiet!

Although onwards&upwards suggests going for a corner flat, if these are older flats they tend to be a bit harder to heat due to having more outside walls than an inner flat I've found. Not a problem in newish flats which have good insulation though.

Crumble2018

Depends on how bothered by noise you are. I've lived with someone above, and would never do it again. We are now in a top floor (2nd floor) flat and on the end of the block. Having nobody above us is utter bliss! (and of course we now have a huge loft space!)

dan958

I'm on the top floor (4 stories, only 3 sets of stairs to climb, as the entrance is 1 story up as it is on a different level). There is nobody above me making noise, and I like it that I don't need to close my curtains as nobody can see me.

running up the stairs isn't an issue, as I like the exercise, but I live alone so the groceries I carry up wont be as much as others (there is an elevator if needed).

Only main concern would be to look into the contracts to see whose problem it is if the roof needs replacing. You want it to be a shared cost rather than the top floor owners problem.

Silver_Queen

Depends on a lot of factors.

Location - if a safer area, I might take the risk of a ground floor flat, but otherwise I'd be worried about burglary.

Access - is there a lift? Two lifts? If there's two lifts then 6th floor or above would be OK, at least one of them will probably be working at any point

Fire safety - will it be easy to get out if there's a fire?

View - do you get a better view if you're higher up?

Terrace - top floor flat might have a nice terrace

Age of building/construction - any chance of roof leaks? What's the thickness of floors? I live in the middle flat of a new build and I never ever hear my neighbours except when they're in the hallways. No footstep noises to bother me.

Proximity of other buildings - is there a flat that's more shielded from view so you don't have to worry about closing your curtains? Is there a level at which you start getting better natural light? The flat I'm buying is on the 7th floor and the buildings surrounding it don't go beyond 6th floor, so I'm getting lots of lovely natural light that I wouldn't get on the lower floors.

Dual aspect - dual aspect is really nice for natural light, more windows, bedrooms can be spaced out better. Bathroom might have a window too, which might be nice if you want plants in there etc.

Price - what's your budget? Normally, the lower the floor, the cheaper the flat. What's more important to you? Save £10k buying a ground floor flat rather than 3rd floor, or would you rather have the light/security of not being ground floor?