| + Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
I am downsizing
I really don't have any interest in gardens or feeding the birds
I will have to turn down the volume on the sabbath for old Bert downstairs in number 4 but apart from that I can't see any big drawbacks ?
No, but when I moved recently I asked the same question and the drawbacks I heard were: difficulty in drying your laundry and having to carry your shopping up a few flights of stairs. Isn't there also that maintenance fee you have to pay?Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY
There is a communal garden with washing lines
Yes , mine includes a house insurance contribution
I live abroad. Everyone lives in flats over here. So do I. Have done for the last 13 years.
In terms of living, I feel as comfortable in an apartment as in a house.
The only thing I hate about it is the communal stuff. Basically, in Spain, you have to vote on every communal decision and your M2 corresponds to the percentage your vote is worth.
At the moment , we are voting on putting a lift in and the price of things has just spiralled. Thing is, if you have a certain number of people who are happy to get into massive debts to get the job done, you have no option but to follow.
I don't know how communal issues are sorted out in apartment blocks in Wales, but I'd say the likelihood of falling out with your neighbours is generally a bit higher than if you live in a detached house.
I think we could reduce some of our housing problems if we built more flats
I don't know wether any decisions on major cost issues can be made within a typical management group over here
Being merely a freeholder and not being in control of maintenance expenses isn't appealing.
What about being a leaseholder and in the same position ?
Sorry, I meant leaseholder.
Oh, and the duration of the lease will probably reduce as the years tick by.
Most modern blocks have a management company. Decisions are made are made and residents have to comply. Much, much easier in the case of repairs, anti-social behaviour, etc. My son lives in a converted house and basically paid for some repairs to the roof himself as it was so hard to get the others to agree.
Bear in mind that if it is a newer block (this may apply also to converted houses, I don't know) there will be a service charge. This can be pretty hefty so check it out.
I don't know if people remember, but when I moved five years ago, I was all set to buy the leasehold of a flat in deepest Beddau. I'd agreed a price and was all set to move in, but delays in selling my house in Cardiff meant that I was able to do the research into the leasehold and what it entailed that I should have done earlier and, in the event, I backed out because the more I learned, the worse it sounded. This meant I was back to square one in effect because the proposed buyer of my house did the same once he heard of my decision.
Still, it was all very much for the best, as I ended with a place I own which cost me the same as the leasehold (it wasn't a full leasehold only about a third of one) on that flat would have done and I don't have to pay the annual service and maintenance charges on top every year which ran into four figures on the flat I almost got.
I'm not saying don't ever get a leasehold, but it might be worth getting a solicitor to look through the one you're after - looking back at it now, I had a very lucky escape.
It's a 999 year lease which began in 1965
The place was built in 1965 and has a 999 year lease from that date
Yearly service charge is 1200 which includes buildings insurance
That is reasonable. Forgot to mention the lease. We extended ours last year. It might be worth contacting the management company to check if there are any major repairs or other expenses planned in the near future.
It's a dirty business
Same in Barcelona, but we are 1 apartment 1 vote.
I'm 1st floor so lift maintenance isn't my top priority, but hundreds of other issues and agree some people here seem to have bottomless pockets, constantly wanting to reform and changes shit. We had a fire/arson attack new years day 2021 luckily nobody hurt but it actually brought the small community closer together as we all stood on the street in our PJ's.
Germany , France , Holland , Spain ....seems far more people live in apartments and also rent than they do here .....Same in Barcelona, but we are 1 apartment 1 vote.
I'm 1st floor so lift maintenance isn't my top priority
I think that's great personally , I don't need a family home but very few two bed houses seem to be built these days so it's flats or apartments
How hot does it get in Spain in those flats in high summer ?
flats and apartments here tend to be very small as well
That's very true
I need somewhere to store my fishing tackle and metal t shirts
You have to know what's important
When I was buying a flat in Cardiff many years ago, apart from having to pay ground rent (wasn't much) I also had to pay maintenance costs to the management company.
The flats were built in 1965 and had a problematic flat roof (damp).
The management company had contractors build a pitched roof. At the same time, the area around the basement garages was in need of repair... all of this work (roof & tarmac) came out of a reserve fund that had accrued over the years.
All the maintenance costs each year were audited and sent to each resident. It was as transparent as could have reasonably been hoped for, therefore we weren't faced with a sudden huge bill.
You can't ask for anything more than that really
Obviously ground rent and service charge are the first things to be considered as additional costs.
I think my biggest concern would be nuisance “neighbours” in a house you may have none, 1 or 2 but it only takes one idiot living either side of you or above you to make it hell.
Some elderly folks have the TV on very loud , it's not their awkwardness they just struggle with hearing
Germany is much better than Spain for the rental agreement, nobody owns a home in Germany.
Too hot, and what i was amazed at, is how cold it gets in winter as well lol. We have direct sun from about 2pm till 6pm, so not so bad. Keep the windows closed so the warm air doesn't come in and shutters down for those hours to totally block it out.
We are a small building so only 17 apartments.
Sounds lovely
Same as ours, company manages everything, we have meetings and vote on decisions, but most of the hardcore maintenance is driven by the building inspections you get. They take care of the cleaning, insurance, inspections etc. I think all property management companies in Barcelona are registered lawyers but not all building need to have a company. I've seen horror stories of people running off with the money when people were self organized.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote