Would you buy a flat or a terrace house?

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lxxmng@reddit

A terrace is usually better because you do not have anyone living above you. In a flat you are at the mercy of whoever is walking around on your ceiling at three in the morning. A mid terrace might have two neighbours but a flat usually has them on all sides including the floor and ceiling

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pluto_and_proserpina@reddit

Neighbours will keep you warm. I think you're over-worrying about noise.
In a flat, you'll likely be a leaseholder, and some lease owners treat leaseholders as cash cows.
Buying a house yes, flat maybe not.

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Space_Hunzo@reddit

We bought a terrace and its fine. We hear the neighbours on both sides but mostly just stairs and external doors. It doesnt really bother me that much, I kind of find it comforting to know other people are nearby. Never had bother with them and they've never had bother from us.

One side has kids and have apologised for the noise but I've had glastonbury on full blast on summer nights so its all chill. I can get how some people might tune into that and find it hard to live with but I've been pleasantly surprised.

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Federal-Mortgage7490@reddit

I find if you know, and ideally, like your neighbours you don't mind as much. my internal monologue becomes more like "oh Sylvias got some friends over" rather than "noisy bastards, STFU". Definitely more likely to know your neighbours in a terrace. The worse ones in a flat are those above you and you are not likely to know those.

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FeedingTheBadWolf@reddit

Oh the energy bills are a solid point 👍🏼

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Live-Negotiation3743@reddit

I went from a new build flat to a middle terrace and the terrace was awful for noise. I honestly hated going to bed every night. I had to move bedroom to the least noisy side and use white noise all night. I could hear everything and if I spoke the neighbours language that would have at least made it better because I could use the noise for entertainment. Both sides had kids who went to bed at 11/12pm (these were young kids).

The flat was in a block of 12 and I only had someone above me (staircase was one side and front of the property was the other). Probably quite lucky. I’d hear the upstairs neighbours washing machine and sometimes loud footsteps but could not hear them speak.

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Lonely-Job484@reddit

Obviously a detached house is better in most ways, all else being equal. Like many (most?) people though I've done my years in flats/terrace houses before I was in a position to buy something detached.

Ultimately I would be very unlikely to put myself back in that position voluntarily, but in the event of some catastrophe that meant I didn't have the means I'd obviously do the best I could with what I had - and if that's a terrace then so be it.

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b135702@reddit

"never thought about buying a terrace" in the UK?!

What a privilege that must be!!

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Useful-Risk-4340@reddit

In the UK, the amount of people living in a Flat - 20%. Semi - 30%. Terrace - 25%. Detached - 25%.

If not in a city, terrace housing may not be very common. It wouldn't be unusual to not have experience living in one or know many people who have.

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ThePineappleSeahorse@reddit

I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a privilege. They aren’t very common in some areas. I haven’t contemplated it in any real depth either because they aren’t that common here though I’ve recently chosen to make the move from a house to a flat and I’d personally prefer a flat over a terrace but if you have good soundproofing then a terrace might be preferable.

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SpatulaWholesale@reddit

Right?

I've over 50. I grew up in a terraced. So did all my friends. My first rentals were terraced. My siblings first, and current houses are terraced. Their kids live in terraced (a few in flats).

Through all this, none. None. Have had nightmare neighbours. It can happen, sure, and you'll hear anecdotes here on reddit, but me and mine have never had those issues.

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broken-runner-26@reddit

I'm staying in a ground floor flat as I type. I hear every time someone comes in the communal front entrance. 3 different groups of people at various times climbing the wooden stairs. Noises from above. I'm sure there would be noise from below if it was a mid floor flat. End terrace sounds a better option. Only one neighbour plus a garden

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Cactus-Cat1@reddit

Mid floor here... I get you... Constant noise everywhere 🙃

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Cactus-Cat1@reddit

I think it depends on the age of the building. Ive lived in old council flats, with solid walls and concrete floors, and they are extremely soundproof. I currently live in an old victorian house, 3 floors, divided into 6 flats.... I can hear my downstairs neighbours cough, singing in the shower, having hanky panky, and my upstairs neighbour sounds like they have concrete slippers. I've lived in new build flats to, which are the same... Is it called plasterboard walls? And wooden floors... I hear every step from upstairs 😒

In refards to noise, I'd go with older terraced houses, or an older block of flats (not an old house that's been converted)... As they divvy it up with paper walls and flimsy wooden floors. No one above you will make a big difference in a flat though.

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moonbug22@reddit

no. yes.

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cosmic_monsters_inc@reddit

Well, I did, so, yeah.

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originallyale@reddit

Lived in a terraced house for 16 years and it’s fine honestly. My neighbours are renovating and that’s annoying but generally no issues. Lived in a flat for 2 years and it was awful, having someone noisy upstairs bang around above your head all night, it’s a no from me.

In an ideal world I’d like to live in a detached house in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours for miles though!

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Any_Preference_4147@reddit

I'm in a mid terrace built in 1890 and I only hear my neighbours if they're doing DIY. My friend is in a new build terrace and she hears everything.

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Lynvor@reddit

I'm a single guy by myself, yeah I would tbf.

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Drwynyllo@reddit

I've lived in flats/bedsits (i.e. with multiple neighbours, horizontally and vertically) and houses (terraced and detached), and how good/bad they are is entirely on the people in the neighbouring properties.

If you're lucky, a flat or terraced house is absolutely fine. But if you're unlucky they can be intolerable.

So, on that basis, minimising the neighbouring properties would be the aim -- so, detached house, semi-detached or end-terrace, top floor flat, mid-terrace, or mid-floor flat, in about that order.

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imnotabotimafreeman@reddit

i started over again at 44 after a divorce and bought a modern 2 bed apartment over a 2 bed terrace house and never regretted it. All on one level without losing space with a staircase, modern light and spacous open plan kitchen/lounge with french windows

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

A flat could have 4 noisy neighbours. Either side, above, AND below.

I lived in flats for 12 years total.

First one, a first floor flat, had no noisy neighbours, but one complained that we left the fan on in the bathroom 24/7 and that it kept him awake (no windows, so lease stated we must leave it running). Never had to have the heating on in the winter, but it was a sweatbox in the summer.

Second one didn't have any adjacent neighbours, just one upstairs. He was normally quiet as a mouse, except once a month or so he'd have a mental health break and spend the entire night screaming at himself.

Also lived with in-laws for a while in a terrace. No noise inside the house, but the garden was unusable in the summer due to the smell of binbags (no room for wheelie bins in some terraced houses) and screaming children from neighbouring gardens.

Basically it can be shit anywhere. Best bet is to knock of the door of your potential neighbours before you buy and talk to them about the area.

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Certain-Donut-9175@reddit

Depends much more on the build quality and neighbours than the property type (unless its detached obviously). Both can cause noise issues, but a terrace is only from one side, both if youre very very unlucky. If neighbours are being noisy downstairs, go upstairs and vice versa. In flats noise can come from any and all directions and is harder to escape. Add on maintenance and service fees and terrace all day long.

I lived in a victorian terrace in my 20s. Never had an issue with noise. Moved into a very solidly built 1930s ex council semi in 2010 and those neighbours almost drove me to murder. Kids screaming, dogs barking 24/7, house parties.

I vowed never to be attached to anyone again. Opted for detached when we moved. Could have had a bigger house without the detached but honestly best move I ever made. Never hear anyone else and even better, nobody can hear me. If I want to blast Metallica at 11pm, I can. The freedom is spectacular.

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Extra-Sound-1714@reddit

Lived in a terrace and it was fine.

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Mickleborough@reddit

Terrace. No huge, ever-increasing service charges or building maintenance costs (as determined by someone else).

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Real-Apricot-7889@reddit

We bought a terrace. Detached houses in my area are not common and cost over a million. I’m not really bothered by hearing neighbours.

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AdSlow973@reddit

I bought a well insulated flat and find it to be quieter than my friend’s terrace and more private in a way, lack of a garden is quite sad but I also live alone and couldn’t be arsed with the required maintenance of a house so it works out for me.

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mhoulden@reddit

House. If it is noisy, you've got fewer walls and more options for soundproofing. Even a book case or wardrobe can help.

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terryturbojr@reddit

I lived in a victorian terrace for years and never heard the neighbours.

Not sure the soundproofing is as good on all modern terraces though.

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kitknit81@reddit

I live in the middle of a terrace and barely hear anything from either side. It’s also a new build which many expect to have walls like paper but these are built well and we don’t hear anything unless someone royally slams a door. I’ve also been in flats and found those worse, noise between floors was horrendous and could hear every footstep, the neighbours phone conversations and even their dog snoring when sleeping on the floor.

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Even-Wasabi7183@reddit (OP)

Can I ask where

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kitknit81@reddit

Central belt Scotland. My current terrace home is a Barrett build.

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cat_naps33@reddit

We have an end terrace but specifically went for one where most of the rooms are on the outside wall, we very rarely hear the neighbours, very occasionally hear their kid run up and down the stairs, but not often.

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imtiramisu2025@reddit

I live in a semi-detached and have new neighbours that are right twats. Never again would I buy a house thats attached to anyone. I have been looking at detached but means getting something much smaller

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Wales147@reddit

Same here I live semi detached and that's too much for me. When my kids are grown up il be getting a bungalow

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ImpactAffectionate86@reddit

Rented a terrace house a couple years ago. Never again.

Hated sitting in the living room and here my neighbours conversations on both sides.

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mamafish21@reddit

That's just the foundation of the house. Thin walls. I lived in a terrace house all my childhood, never heard the neighbours, thick walls

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oiseauvert989@reddit

Same. Were in a 1980s terrace and cant hear a thing. It's the wall construction that matters. The 3 yards of air between detached houses doesnt insulate from sound at all.

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peppermint_aero@reddit

Not everyone can afford a house, detached or otherwise

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FeedingTheBadWolf@reddit

To be fair all of my nightmare neighbours have been in nearby (often detached) properties... It totally depends on the insulation how much you can hear. I'm in a semi and I can't hear ANYTHING from next door. Nothing. And apparently they don't hear us either.

But both of us hear the fucker in the next street over playing drum and bass at 3am.

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Embot87@reddit

I live in a flat, more noise from the road than the neighbours and I generally don’t notice it anymore. My dog will occasionally bark at neighbour noise but not often. I once asked my neighbours if they’re bothered by any noise from my flat as I’m quite paranoid about it but they said neighbour noise comes with the territory of living in a flat. Luckily I’m on a very nice development with mostly nice people. I understand the situation could be very different if arseholes moved in.

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verybadgay@reddit

Terrace. Yes they can be noisy but it’s just from either side and you get used to it. When I lived in a flat I had noise from either side, from below and from above. I never got used to it. It was SO noisy, particularly the flat above.

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Over-Language2599@reddit

I just bought a flat... If I don't hear the upstairs neighbour I get worried, he's elderly and not well. Very reassuring to hear him on the rare occasions he moves.

Just hope he lasts a good few years, nobody else could be so quiet.

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Federal-Mortgage7490@reddit

Terrace - no service charge unlike a flat, no ground rent either if freehold.

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Princessdelrey@reddit

I’d rent one, I wouldn’t buy one. The thought of owning a place with noisy neighbours would do a number one me lol.

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RoutineAbroad3486@reddit

Just bought a new build end of terrace in an area I wouldn’t have thought I’d ever be able to afford. The whole road is old and respectable couples, but of course I’ve ended up attached to the young chav couple with dogs and kids. The noise is horrific, the dogs bark all day and they apparently rearrange furniture as hobby at night

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PreoccupiedParrot@reddit

Either can have good or bad sound proofing. I always thought I'd want a terrace as a minimum, but recently I've been coming around to the idea of a flat if it means living in a better neighborhood. At least a fairly modern purpose built one.

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FigTreeRest@reddit

Terrace house.

With the flat, you can also have noisy neighbours. But the house is more desirable typically. And you likely won’t have any other fees associated with it (think of lease charges, maintenance or ground fees).

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