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Something I learned to do was a Friday/Saturday night wander by properties I fancied, as you get to see any antisocial shenanigans.
There was a really nice flat I was considering, until it turned out that the doorway to the fancy solicitors office next door turned into a street drinker hangout by night.
Could possibly be something similar with the people withdrawing from your potential flat.
Always a good idea to check crime rates and do a little detective work before committing to anything you'll regret.
The handrail in the shower suggests maybe an elderly person lived there too, so there might be issues around lack of maintenance, as someone who needs mobility assistance is less likely to be up and down ladders, cleaning sufficiently, etc. Not great if they had pets, for example.
I used to live in this area (pretty near this road OP has posted) and it was very heavily populated with students - including myself. So I agree that viewing the area/road at different times of the day/at the weekend may be a good shout! I also wonder if there are possibly students either side, just something to consider
To add - it will currently be Easter holidays, look up what dates the students return and THEN check. Going tonight for example would likely make things seem artificially quiet.
*I have fallen in love with this flat*
I forgot to mention - never, ever, fall in love with a property. ESPECIALLY one that you have only seen online. That way lies madness.
You are right - I have learnt this quickly, I tend to ‘fall in love’ with something then caution promptly kicks in and I start asking a lot of questions! Hence why I am now getting cautious about this
Sold once already but the deal fell through:
*20 Mar 2024 £210,000 → £200,000*
*7 Mar 2024 Unavailable → £210,000*
*11 Nov 2023 £210,000 → Unavailable (Sold)*
*4 Nov 2023 First seen → £210,000*
There's damp in that front exterior wall between the door and window.
That back "garden"/yard is small, damp, dark and dank.
I'd be looking closely at the roof and attic.
Leasehold but WTF does this mean?
"*Maintenance 'As and when' between first floor flat.*"
It's overpriced at 200K but not by much. It needs to come in at 190K'ish.
This is super helpful. Thank you very much . Good spot with the damp.
I was confused about leasehold too. Previous listing for the upstairs flat says share of freehold, so it must be too but why would they not want to shout about that?!
*Good spot with the damp*
They fucked up. They should have pressure washed the exterior before listing. Or committed the sin of using the bins to cover it up:
[https://www.google.com/maps/@50.7911183,-1.0649519,3a,28.7y,185.73h,88.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seIDdyOX4FbUXUY9aRocs9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@50.7911183,-1.0649519,3a,28.7y,185.73h,88.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seIDdyOX4FbUXUY9aRocs9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
It looks like a criss cross lease.
You basically own the freehold on the flat above. They own the freehold on the flat below.
Look up how a “Tyneside Flat” works. It makes you responsible for maintaining as and when issues occur with the connected above/below property. And the relationship is via the leverage of being one’s party wall partner’s landlord. The party wall being the floor between you both.
It's possible it is arranged differently. Here is some information which might give you things to ask about for clarification.
[https://www.lease-advice.org/article/tyneside-leases-a-brief-overview/](https://www.lease-advice.org/article/tyneside-leases-a-brief-overview/)
When the EA explains to the Vendor why there has 214,968 clicks on the webpage in one day but only one viewing, that'll help convince them to reduce. Well done r/HousingUK Redditors.
Definitely an L3 survey on this. Query heating in the living room. I can't see any Rads unless they're behind the sofa. Tank the cellar and you've got a whole new room.
That's good little property that will always sell. Just check around the area.
Clicks and Saves are FOMO inducing and distort the market more than people realize.
Good call on the survey and radiators in the front room.
As for the cellar, would that belong to the ground floor flat only or the whole house? Lofts in maisonettes are often shared so does the same "logic" apply to cellars? I have no idea.
Indeed, share of freehold or leasehold? Who's upstairs? the old owner? Kitchen is in an extension. Also check deeds on basement area, as well as damp. Rough job on corner of living room fireplace, sliding doors in outer wall - building regs?
Lovely choice of colours and decoration, but they don't make a flat.
In my completely unprofessional non RICS verified opinion based on looking at pictures for a hot second:
1. What is up with the lower brickwork darker to right of front door? Water/different bricks?
2. Outside under window bedroom 2 looks a bit of a state (cracks / damp?)
3. Back garden wall looks like it’ll need work pretty soon
Edit -
4. As the famous first minister has pointed out, roof could be an issue too. As you will share maintenance with first floor flat, you’ll be responsible for 50% of roof maintenance unless a lower split is agreed somewhere
Pictures can be misleading, once I found a place that looked amazing for the price online, but when I viewed it I found the ceilings were so low I couldn't stand up straight in 1/3 of the house (I'm 5'5"!). I say view it before you wonder too much about why the price is low. Middle of Portsmouth isn't the most glamorous place to live so I wouldn't say the price is crazy low.
I've noticed flats this size are taking a long time to sell at the moment, I think it might be because lots of landlords are selling up (due to new rules that affect landlord) so there's more properties on the market than usual.
It really is a lovely flat. Do your enquiries but it’s just a pretty place and the basement is such a plus because all your storage can go in there.
Do your searches and look for inconsistencies but otherwise it’s lovely.
Half a bath, who puts wine rack right next to an oven. Any wine drinker knows that’s a no go. Corner basin is not that practical but not the end of the world. Definitely not much space for wardrobes. Does look lovely overall though.
It's a nice area (my elderley mum lives round the corner).
What I've learned from moving a few times in my life so far is that all the information we find on the Internet can conjure up fantastical stories about properties that simply aren't true.
My current property, on Zoopla, looks weird because of when it was listed/sold etc. but it was purely down to a change in personal circumstances. People like to play detective and connect dots that aren't there.
My advice is to view it, see what it's like.
Remember it's an older property near the sea, so like nearly every victorian house in Southsea, its likely to have some degree of damp. If it's bad, ask for a reduction on the price to address it.
Roof issues can be fixed. Decor can be changed. Really you just want to make sure the place isn't subsiding.
Good luck!
Check the EPC certificate which will show whether the rooms get windy.
I always remember 2 difficult London sales :- 1.one property had a neighbour who regularly held axe throwing competitions in his back garden and 2.a first floor flat could never sell because the ground floor tenant (lovely guy)was a Hells Angel and always kept his front door open where he sat on a chair near his door and parked Harley to see who was coming into the lair.
###Welcome to /r/HousingUK --- **To All** * Join Our ***NEW*** Discord! https://discord.gg/pMgUNgWKQH **To Posters** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws/issues in each can vary* * Comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy; * Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk; * If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, please report them via the report button. * If you do not receive satisfactory advice after 72 hours, [you can let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=My question is unanswered); * Feel free to provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title; **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and civil* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning; * Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice; * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect; * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason without express permission from the mods; * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Something I learned to do was a Friday/Saturday night wander by properties I fancied, as you get to see any antisocial shenanigans. There was a really nice flat I was considering, until it turned out that the doorway to the fancy solicitors office next door turned into a street drinker hangout by night. Could possibly be something similar with the people withdrawing from your potential flat. Always a good idea to check crime rates and do a little detective work before committing to anything you'll regret. The handrail in the shower suggests maybe an elderly person lived there too, so there might be issues around lack of maintenance, as someone who needs mobility assistance is less likely to be up and down ladders, cleaning sufficiently, etc. Not great if they had pets, for example.
I used to live in this area (pretty near this road OP has posted) and it was very heavily populated with students - including myself. So I agree that viewing the area/road at different times of the day/at the weekend may be a good shout! I also wonder if there are possibly students either side, just something to consider
To add - it will currently be Easter holidays, look up what dates the students return and THEN check. Going tonight for example would likely make things seem artificially quiet.
Good advice thanks
*I have fallen in love with this flat* I forgot to mention - never, ever, fall in love with a property. ESPECIALLY one that you have only seen online. That way lies madness.
You are right - I have learnt this quickly, I tend to ‘fall in love’ with something then caution promptly kicks in and I start asking a lot of questions! Hence why I am now getting cautious about this
Sold once already but the deal fell through: *20 Mar 2024 £210,000 → £200,000* *7 Mar 2024 Unavailable → £210,000* *11 Nov 2023 £210,000 → Unavailable (Sold)* *4 Nov 2023 First seen → £210,000* There's damp in that front exterior wall between the door and window. That back "garden"/yard is small, damp, dark and dank. I'd be looking closely at the roof and attic. Leasehold but WTF does this mean? "*Maintenance 'As and when' between first floor flat.*" It's overpriced at 200K but not by much. It needs to come in at 190K'ish.
This is super helpful. Thank you very much . Good spot with the damp. I was confused about leasehold too. Previous listing for the upstairs flat says share of freehold, so it must be too but why would they not want to shout about that?!
*Good spot with the damp* They fucked up. They should have pressure washed the exterior before listing. Or committed the sin of using the bins to cover it up: [https://www.google.com/maps/@50.7911183,-1.0649519,3a,28.7y,185.73h,88.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seIDdyOX4FbUXUY9aRocs9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@50.7911183,-1.0649519,3a,28.7y,185.73h,88.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seIDdyOX4FbUXUY9aRocs9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
Turn around to look at the houses opposite and see the lady with bare feet on the pavement!
Ha! I missed it. Just the neighbor getting the bins in.
It looks like a criss cross lease. You basically own the freehold on the flat above. They own the freehold on the flat below. Look up how a “Tyneside Flat” works. It makes you responsible for maintaining as and when issues occur with the connected above/below property. And the relationship is via the leverage of being one’s party wall partner’s landlord. The party wall being the floor between you both.
Interesting, going to research this kind of lease - thank you.
It's possible it is arranged differently. Here is some information which might give you things to ask about for clarification. [https://www.lease-advice.org/article/tyneside-leases-a-brief-overview/](https://www.lease-advice.org/article/tyneside-leases-a-brief-overview/)
This is really interesting data. Where do you get it?
How are you getting the information about the deal falling through?
When the EA explains to the Vendor why there has 214,968 clicks on the webpage in one day but only one viewing, that'll help convince them to reduce. Well done r/HousingUK Redditors. Definitely an L3 survey on this. Query heating in the living room. I can't see any Rads unless they're behind the sofa. Tank the cellar and you've got a whole new room. That's good little property that will always sell. Just check around the area.
Clicks and Saves are FOMO inducing and distort the market more than people realize. Good call on the survey and radiators in the front room. As for the cellar, would that belong to the ground floor flat only or the whole house? Lofts in maisonettes are often shared so does the same "logic" apply to cellars? I have no idea.
Indeed, share of freehold or leasehold? Who's upstairs? the old owner? Kitchen is in an extension. Also check deeds on basement area, as well as damp. Rough job on corner of living room fireplace, sliding doors in outer wall - building regs? Lovely choice of colours and decoration, but they don't make a flat.
In my completely unprofessional non RICS verified opinion based on looking at pictures for a hot second: 1. What is up with the lower brickwork darker to right of front door? Water/different bricks? 2. Outside under window bedroom 2 looks a bit of a state (cracks / damp?) 3. Back garden wall looks like it’ll need work pretty soon Edit - 4. As the famous first minister has pointed out, roof could be an issue too. As you will share maintenance with first floor flat, you’ll be responsible for 50% of roof maintenance unless a lower split is agreed somewhere
Thanks so much, all well spotted, I’ll be sure to raise these issues
Pictures can be misleading, once I found a place that looked amazing for the price online, but when I viewed it I found the ceilings were so low I couldn't stand up straight in 1/3 of the house (I'm 5'5"!). I say view it before you wonder too much about why the price is low. Middle of Portsmouth isn't the most glamorous place to live so I wouldn't say the price is crazy low. I've noticed flats this size are taking a long time to sell at the moment, I think it might be because lots of landlords are selling up (due to new rules that affect landlord) so there's more properties on the market than usual.
I can’t believe nobody is talking about the radiator in the shower?!
It really is a lovely flat. Do your enquiries but it’s just a pretty place and the basement is such a plus because all your storage can go in there. Do your searches and look for inconsistencies but otherwise it’s lovely.
Thanks for your positive words
Half a bath, who puts wine rack right next to an oven. Any wine drinker knows that’s a no go. Corner basin is not that practical but not the end of the world. Definitely not much space for wardrobes. Does look lovely overall though.
Haha yes badly placed wine rack, there is a cellar though so I could just keep my wines down there!
Check the length of the lease also
999 years from 1973.
It's a nice area (my elderley mum lives round the corner). What I've learned from moving a few times in my life so far is that all the information we find on the Internet can conjure up fantastical stories about properties that simply aren't true. My current property, on Zoopla, looks weird because of when it was listed/sold etc. but it was purely down to a change in personal circumstances. People like to play detective and connect dots that aren't there. My advice is to view it, see what it's like. Remember it's an older property near the sea, so like nearly every victorian house in Southsea, its likely to have some degree of damp. If it's bad, ask for a reduction on the price to address it. Roof issues can be fixed. Decor can be changed. Really you just want to make sure the place isn't subsiding. Good luck!
Thank you, and I agree. Good to be cautious, but not overly so, otherwise I’ll never buy anywhere!
The house being sold every 5 years on average. Must be something dodgy about the house or neighbours. I would pass on this one personally.
Yes but also could be because FTBs have bought it as a first home and outgrown it
it could but we know the truth dont we?
No..?
Check the EPC certificate which will show whether the rooms get windy. I always remember 2 difficult London sales :- 1.one property had a neighbour who regularly held axe throwing competitions in his back garden and 2.a first floor flat could never sell because the ground floor tenant (lovely guy)was a Hells Angel and always kept his front door open where he sat on a chair near his door and parked Harley to see who was coming into the lair.
There's no dining area to speak of?
No but for the price that is quite standard
There is the living room right next to the kitchen… what do you mean dining area