5 ms·

I prefer older houses, they're usually better soundproofed for starters and have higher ceilings and sash windows which provide better ventilation. The high cos

by barking 14y ago

I prefer older houses, they're usually better soundproofed for starters and have higher ceilings and sash windows which provide better ventilation. The high cost in London is simply because of the demand.

anovikov 14y ago
I am not complaining about the costs, that is okay. But overwhelming majority of housing is in really terrible condition, the one that covers almost all of the market except the very top. Other places i used to live in, those with 20-50% of U.K.'s per capita GDP, have much better housing, new and old one.
- barking 14y ago
  Well if you can afford housing in London then maybe you were at the very top of the market in other countries? I left London partly so I could afford to live in a nicer house. I'd imagine it's a similar story in places like Hong Kong, Singapore, New York.
- NickPollard 14y ago
  As someone living in London, I would generally agree with this - compared to a lot of places, London does seem to have a lot of housing in quite bad repair. To take a wild guess why, I would suggest two factors: 1) The housing stock is old compared to a lot of places, so much of it needs modernization and renovation 2) The lack of space to expand (plus restrictions on greenfield developments) means new housing is limited, so there is not much competition to existing landlords. Why spend thousands of £ on upgrading your property if you can leave it as it is and still charge high rents?
  - anovikov 14y ago
    Yes probably something about that - restrictions on new development and a lot of other red tape which all but prohibits complete renovations of entire houses and/or new construction. Because otherwise, in a country with that much fluid capital, you would have a lot of good housing (and land isn't a problem, as most of those houses are just 3-5 storeys, and public transportation is in perfect shape meaning you could squeeze in a lot more people). Even the very center, places like Knightsbridge, are almost entirely old, rotten shit.
    - justincormack 14y ago
      We like those old houses. We do not consider them shit. The entire character of the city comes from its history embodied in its buildings. Most of the new homes are total shit, and won't last nearly as long as the old stuff.
justincormack 14y ago
Indeed, but the OP is foreign and I have noticed that people from many countries hate old houses, eg Polish friends of mine think we are weird living in old places. Rather glad we haven't knocked London down and turned it into Barratt homes myself.

by barking 14y ago

anovikov 14y ago

I am not complaining about the costs, that is okay. But overwhelming majority of housing is in really terrible condition, the one that covers almost all of the market except the very top. Other places i used to live in, those with 20-50% of U.K.'s per capita GDP, have much better housing, new and old one.

barking 14y ago
Well if you can afford housing in London then maybe you were at the very top of the market in other countries? I left London partly so I could afford to live in a nicer house. I'd imagine it's a similar story in places like Hong Kong, Singapore, New York.
NickPollard 14y ago
As someone living in London, I would generally agree with this - compared to a lot of places, London does seem to have a lot of housing in quite bad repair. To take a wild guess why, I would suggest two factors: 1) The housing stock is old compared to a lot of places, so much of it needs modernization and renovation 2) The lack of space to expand (plus restrictions on greenfield developments) means new housing is limited, so there is not much competition to existing landlords. Why spend thousands of £ on upgrading your property if you can leave it as it is and still charge high rents?
- anovikov 14y ago
  Yes probably something about that - restrictions on new development and a lot of other red tape which all but prohibits complete renovations of entire houses and/or new construction. Because otherwise, in a country with that much fluid capital, you would have a lot of good housing (and land isn't a problem, as most of those houses are just 3-5 storeys, and public transportation is in perfect shape meaning you could squeeze in a lot more people). Even the very center, places like Knightsbridge, are almost entirely old, rotten shit.
  - justincormack 14y ago
    We like those old houses. We do not consider them shit. The entire character of the city comes from its history embodied in its buildings. Most of the new homes are total shit, and won't last nearly as long as the old stuff.

justincormack 14y ago

Indeed, but the OP is foreign and I have noticed that people from many countries hate old houses, eg Polish friends of mine think we are weird living in old places. Rather glad we haven't knocked London down and turned it into Barratt homes myself.