After having been shown one too many crap flats for premium prices in SE London I went and took a look round Bromley today.

Ok, it’s suburbia but it knocks socks off SE London for quiet streets, space and quality of housing stock. Most importantly for a crappy, small 2-bed flat in SE London I can get a whole house in Bromley. Closer to decent riding too.

What are the downsides to owning a house instead of a flat? I can’t think of any offhand other than higher heating bills.

Good points are:
More space
Garden (for chilling, al-fresco dining, fettling and bike cleaning)
Space for a shed for bikes, keeping the house for living in.
Owning the freehold.
Not living on top of your neighbours.
Saving the ground rent and service charge every month
Not having to negotiate with your neighbours when you want to repair something
A better proposition for selling

Any other thoughts?

I always thought flats were for folk who couldn’t afford a house?

I see many downsides for flats, not so many for houses…

If you buy a house and hear noises upstairs or below you then panic!
With a flat its just SOP.

No downside IMO. When I moved to London in ’98 I was very keen to get a house so chose an area that I could afford to do so, no regrets, got a nice little workers terrace house with a little patch of grass.

London has got so silly now I was shown a 2-bed flat between Forest Hill and Catford, built about 7 years ago and already falling down the hill – big cracks around the front door, damp coming through from upstairs and cracks on the outside wall.
Asking price? £325k… 😯

that is silly. round here, £325k gets you a 5 bed detached house like this

ok if you work in London it’ll be a heck of a commute 😉

one downside I suppose – you’ll need more furniture… and probably a lawnmower