Gordons Property Lawyers

Choosing your Home

Our useful tips:

Try not to get carried away by the initial excitement you may feel.
Don’t let yourself be persuaded either by the owners or estate agent.
If you feel pressured after your initial viewing, ask if you can look around the property again on your own.
It’s a good idea for first-time buyers to ask someone who has been through the home-buying process to accompany them - their experience can be invaluable and they’ll also be able to give you a detached opinion.
Remember that both the owners and the estate agent will be doing their hardest to sell the property and gloss over anything that may put you off
the property.
Keep your eyes open and make sure you ask all the questions you want to.
Although you will be anxious to get inside, stop and take stock of the exterior.
What are your immediate impressions? Has the property been cared for or has it been neglected? Look at the roof and the brickwork to assess its
general condition. If the windowframes are wooden, do they appear sound?
Make notes of anything that needs repairing or renovating. After you have finished your first round of viewings, you will find these notes help you analyse
all the properties you have seen.
Try not to pay too much attention to the decor or furnishings - you can change these to your taste later. However, recent redecorating could be concealing one or two problems.
Be practical and methodical with your approach. The most important aspect of the property is its structure. Just as with the outside, look for any obvious signs of neglect and general defects. Is there evidence of damp? Is the electric wiring old?
Before you decide you want to buy a property, make sure you can afford to undertake essential any work.

Consider the other matters
Neighbourhood attractions

How easy would it be to reach the local amenities you regularly use shops schools, health centres?
If you need to use public transport, is it easily accessible? Even if you don’t rely on it, what would you do when the car is in for servicing or repair?
Sometimes neighbourhood amenities can be too close for comfort would you be comfortable living next to a pub, a disco or a school playground
Think about features of the neighbourhood that might be noisy, create air pollution or generate heavy traffic flow at certain times of the day, such as
factories, dairies, quarries or goods yards.
It’s a good idea to visit the neighbourhood at different times of the day, so you can find out if it’s busy during rush hour, noisy when the schools finish
for the day, safe at night.
If there’s vacant land nearby, think about how any potential new buildings would alter the neighbourhood - and your view.

Car parking
Whether or not you own a car, the neighbourhood should be safer and more pleasant to live in if:

There are enough parking spaces for residents and visitors;
You can park near enough your home to unload the shopping and watch the children;
There’s space for cars and lorries to turn;
You can see your car from your window, where it’s less likely to be stolen;
There are no garages or large parking areas, which often attract vandalism.
Street layouts in older neighbourhoods may not allow off-street parking, which means there may not be enough spaces for two-car households and visitors, especially in streets of terraced houses.

Space for children to play
If the property hasn’t got its own garden, is there somewhere safe for your children to play? In flats, very few balconies are large or safe enough for children to play, while games in shared gardens may annoy ground floor residents.

School age children often like to play with friends in the street or in playgrounds, but they may disturb neighbours, and parents may be worried if they can't see them. Children of all ages like play equipment and places to meet. If there are facilities nearby:

Who will maintain them?
Is there a good view of the street and play area from your house?
Are pavements wide enough to keep children away from traffic?
Is the area out of the way of traffic - but not too close to houses?
Is there anything to keep teenagers entertained?

Avoiding road accidents
Bear in mind that:

Small groups of houses attract less traffic.
If residential roads don't link to main roads they won't be used as short cuts.
Drivers can't reach high speeds on short roads.
Most drivers are slowed by sleeping policemen but it's more comfortable for cyclists if there's a gap between the bump and the kerb.
Narrowed sections of roads and tight bends help to reduce speeds.

Relationship with neighbours
While you can't pick your neighbours, you may be able to find developments that are laid out to reduce the likelihood of conflicts. Helpful features include:

Marked parking spaces for visitors' cars.
Separate driveways and separate front paths.
Front doorways that don't look directly into each other.
Unobtrusive spaces for rubbish bins.
Space out of sight of neighbours to repair a car or to keep a boat or caravan.

Blocks of flats

Gardens and paved areas may only belong to ground floor flats or be shared by other residents find out who can use the gardens.
People on the ground floor may have no control over who can use the garden near their flat many people may not enjoy a garden full of other people's children playing near their windows. Are there any restrictions on what goes on in the garden barbecues, drying clothes, ball games?
Shared bin stores, entrance lobbies, stairways and corridors can become unattractive if they are not regularly cleaned and tidied. Who is responsible for
the upkeep? How much is covered by the service charge?

Gardens and balconies

Short gardens and shallow balconies often get little direct sun, especially when the sun is lowin the sky. A shaded garden can be pleasant but you'll probably make most use of your outdoor space if it's sunny at least some of the time.
Balconies in tall blocks of flats may be too windy to enjoy.
Planting a garden from scratch, building fences or buying containers all add to the cost of anew home. If you aren't all that interested in gardening, a paved area, a turfed lawn and sturdy walls or fences provide a useful space for your family and friends to enjoy.
Some front gardens are large to allow space for parking - which may mean that the back garden is too small to enjoy.
Walls, fences and trees can give privacy even when houses are closely spaced, but gardens may be shared.
Walls and closely boarded fences with lockable gates prevent small children and animals straying.
In gardens that get little direct sunlight, you must select plants that enjoy shade.
Neighbouring buildings and trees may shade even a south-facing garden.
You may need to find room to store spades, forks, a lawn mower, potting compost and flowerpots.
Steeply sloping gardens may be difficult to care for and dangerous for children.
Garden ponds may be dangerous for young children.
Neighbouring front gardens may not be separated by a fence or wall. Some developments have restrictions prohibiting fences.
A good layer of topsoil is needed to grow most plants successfully. Some gardens may have little more than a sprinkling of topsoil over rubble!
Green areas and borders next to roads can make a neighbourhood look good or look uncared for. Who is responsible for their upkeep? How often will
they be mown, weeded, replanted, pruned?

Security and safety

Locks, bolts and metal grilles may keep people out - but can trap you inside if there's a fire or you're injured.
The position of porches, extensions, garages, balconies, windowsills, and drain pipes shouldn't form an easy climbing route to upper floors.
Open ground, woods, railway embankments, alleyways and paths backing onto gardens and yards all make it easy for thieves to get into gardens,
break in unseen and make their escape.
Anti-lift devices don't affect safety but prevent burglars from removing sliding patio doors.
Trellises and prickly shrubs make gardens, balconies, and roof terraces more private.

Burglars should feel that breaking in isn’t worth the hassle.

Are letterboxes out of reach of locks and latches?
Are there double-glazed/wired glass panels in doors or beside locks and latches?
Are there sturdy doorframes that overhang door edges?
Are the windows double-glazed?
Is the garden secure - upright boarding, fence supports and trellises inside the garden, with prickly and thorny shrubs and trees by boundaries.

Can you control whom you let into your property?

Are there door viewers and chains that help you see who is at the door?
Are there entry phones, electronic surveillance and access systems, concierges or security guards for shared entrances? Bear in mind that such things
will add to service charges.

Security devices
Mortise sash lock operated with a handle:

Easy for people with a weak grip.
Easy to open quickly, easy to find in the dark.
Locks and bolts turned with a key take longer to open (especially if you can't find the key!).
Two widely spaced locks are more secure than one but both must be easy to reach and not more than one should be key-operated from inside.

Hinge bolts:

Work automatically and don't delay escape.
Make it difficult to force doors but won't stop fire-fighters getting in.

Button release, casement window handle, optionally lockable with a key:

Secure to leave unlocked when you're asleep.
You can lock the handle when you're out.
Fire Prevention Officers recommend that each bedroom should have one window large enough to escape through that you can open without a key.

Some new developments are designed according to police recommendations to prevent assault and burglary. Certain features that make new homes more secure can't be seen, such as the way in which door frames are fitted or metal reinforcement to UPVC window frames: the SECURED BY DESIGN symbol offers reassurance that they have been inspected and approved by a Crime Prevention Officer.

The way you live
People live in different ways and homes aren't just for sleeping and eating in:

You may prefer to dine more formally when friends or relations visit.
You may not want guests and relations to see your entire home.
Everyone would like some privacy sometimes.

Would you prefer open plan or separate rooms?

Open plan:

Does not allow as much privacy as separate rooms and could be difficult for families with lively teenagers.
Can make a small home appear spacious - but creates a single space for cooking smells, the noise of the TV, washing machine, tumble drier and, of
course your guests.
Makes it easier to keep an eye on small children but could you easily prevent toddlers playing near the cooker or stairs?
Allows more imaginative furniture arrangements.

Separate rooms

Separate areas on the ground floor can compensate for lack of space in bedrooms for study, work or hobbies and may be preferred when entertaining visitors and relations.
Mean that different activities can go on at the same time - homework, ironing or DIY projects can be left undisturbed.
May allow someone who can't manage stairs to sleep downstairs and live independently - provided there's also a downstairs WC.
May mean that rooms are quite small - it could be difficult to arrange furniture.

Fitting in furniture and equipment
The number of ways in which furniture can be arranged is limited by:

The size of a room;
The shape of a room;
The positions of doors, windows, fires, radiators and electric sockets; and
Routes through a room to other parts of the home.

Halls and stairs

Integral garages and hallways sometimes produce L-shaped rooms, which are difficult to furnish.
If there is no way through to the front of the house except through the living room, it could be messy to take rubbish to the bins or to move gardening equipment.
If the stairs are in a living area, you need to leave space for people to move around without disturbing others; some designs work better than others
If you or someone in your family or a friend uses a wheelchair, there should be enough space for them to move and turn around in all the areas they're likely to use - without scraping against or bumping into doors, walls and furniture.

Bedrooms

Bedroom furniture takes up a lot of space, so the design of the bedroom is especially important.
The convenience of an en-suite bathroom may mean that space is sacrificed in bedrooms.
It's difficult to make a bed that's pushed up against a wall.
A bed next to a window could be an uncomfortable place to sleep. It's also difficult to open the window and draw the curtains.
Someone sleeping next to the wall in a double bed can’t get out without disturbing his or her partner.
Many bedrooms are too cramped to take a full-size bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a dressing table and bedside cabinets.
Some 'double' bedrooms are too small for twin beds.
Radiators and sockets for bedside lamps and radios may dictate your furniture arrangements.
Larger bedrooms may encourage older children to study undisturbed or entertain friends without disturbing others.

Kitchens

Some small kitchens can only be used comfortably and safely by one person at a time.
There may only be sufficient space, sockets and plumbing for a fridge and washing machine - do you need space for a tumble drier, dishwasher, fridge-freezer or chest freezer?
Small kitchens can be unsafe and difficult to use, especially for families with children.
Is there enough space for families to eat together?
Kettles, toasters, microwaves and coffee makers should be at a safe height - with enough space to handle hot food and drink.
Each regularly used appliance should have a separate socket - it’s also useful to have one or two spare sockets.
Space for a dishwasher or washing machine should be near to the water supply and wastewater drains - they’ll be cheaper to install and the machines
will drain efficiently.

Bathrooms
Bathrooms need to be well arranged, especially when space is limited.

A hand basin too close to the bath can make it awkward to reach the bath taps.
You should be able to open the window without climbing into the bath!
Shaver sockets should be near the hand basin and mirror.
Cramped designs may not have space for you to bath a child or to help someone who's unwell or who has trouble getting into the bath.
A WC compartment separate from the bathroom is helpful for households with more than 3 people.

You'd probably prefer to have space for:

A linen basket
A chair or stool;
A towel rail near the bath - preferably over a radiator;
A pedal bin;
A toilet roll holder near the WC.

Storage

One of the most common complaints about homes is lack of storage space. As well as built-in storage you also need:

Space for freestanding furniture such as wardrobes and chests of drawers - with enough room to open doors or drawers!
Space for shelving and coat racks - and walls that are strong enough to support them.

It's important that storage is in the right place:

Near to where you want to use things - especially if they're in everyday use or they're heavy, awkward or messy to move around; and
Where perishables won't be affected by heat or damp.

Space for storage is particularly important if you don't have a spare room or a garage where would you store:

Clothes	Broom
Ironing board	Suitcases
Dirty laundry	Cleaning materials
Bed linen	Vacuum cleaner
Outdoor clothes	DIY tools
Sewing machine	Stepladder
Boots and shoes	Tins of paint
Frozen food	Fuel for an open fire
Fresh food	Sports equipment
Tinned food	Hobby equipment
Bulk-buy food	Bikes
Pet food, cat litter	Gardening tools
Crockery	Lawn mower
Pots and pans	Papers, bottles, cans for recycling
Umbrellas	CDs, tapes and videos
Toys	Books
Baby buggy/pram

Useful contacts

You might find it helpful to get in touch with some of the following organisations to help you make any decisions.

Consumers' Association
2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF
020 7830 6000

Energy Efficiency Office, Department of Energy
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE

Local authority planning departments
For guidance on alterations, restrictions in conservation areas and listed buildings, obtaining planning permission for change and new buildings.

Fire stations
For advice on fire safety.

National Energy Services
Davy Avenue, Knowhill, Milton Keynes
MK5 8NA
01908 672787

National House-Building Council
Buildmark House, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham,
Bucks HP6 5AP
01494 434477

National Home Improvement Council
Carlye House, 235 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London SW1V 1EJ
020 7828 8230

Police Crime Prevention Officers
Speak to your local station about any local problems and initiatives.

Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
12 Great George Street, Parliament Square,
London SW1P 3AD
020 7222 7000

Safe Neighbourhoods Advisory Service
2nd Floor, Cranmer House, 39 Brixton Road,
London SW9 6DZ

British Lung Foundation
London 020 7831 5831
Birmingham 0121 627 2260
Liverpool 0151 228 4723
Bristol 0117 925 5810
Newcastle 0191 263 0276

Find out more about the levels of air pollution in your chosen area particularly useful for asthma sufferers.