Should I accept an HA offer of a studio flat or wait for a one-bedroom?

August 2, 2015 8:00 PM

In the coming months I'll be moving from a co-habiting living situation to being solo, due to the end of a relationship. Actually the relationship ended quite some time ago, but my ex is disabled, so I stayed waiting for professional carers (paid by the local council - they have awarded her 15 hours of care a week and her Mum is also her carer in the same apartment).

I'll be moving into social housing, but a high proportion of people here in Glasgow (Scotland) live in social housing from housing associations so there is some provision. A small HA which I applied to got back initially to say I was 18th in line for a studio flat and 82nd for a one-bedroom. The more desirable properties go to those with the highest points score based on criteria such as escaping abuse, living on the streets, being a single mother as higher priorities than me.

Then on Tuesday they said that they had a small studio flat available less than 1km from where I am now, and was I interested? The area this HA covers is quite handy for being nearby to places and people I am familiar with. Since it'll be just me and I'm not a parent my feeling is that a studio in an area I like would be just as good or better than a one-bedroom where I like the area less. I have a couple of questions though for people who have lived in studio flats either now or in the past, see below the fold :-

It seems likely the HA making me the first offer are only going to offer me studios, but some could be in quite acceptable and safe areas. The other HA I applied to actually came to my house (where I am a guest of the flat owner, my ex-partner's mother, while I am helping out with carer duties) and interviewed me before coming up with a points score. They view me as suitable for 1-bedroom properties and I have a medium score, but I know earlier in the year they had some properties that I would have been offered. These were in areas further away such as Cardonald which I had never been to, they lack amenities which might not be an issue, but I have a bit of a fear of the unknown and I'm unsure of if I would feel safe at night walking from the bus stop or train station to my flat if I went out. So I am deciding should I take the offer of the next studio flat that comes up with my local HA, or wait and see how I feel about a one-bedroom in an area with more feelings of anxiety at night, even though crime is still relatively low in Glasgow compared to American city standards, especially as gun crime is quite unusual here.

I do feel the safe location is very important to me if I can make living in a small studio work. I have a few considerations to ask about.

1) Is there room for both a single bed and a sofa in a typical studio, or do most people use futons or sofa-beds (so they have a double bed space to sleep in, if not the comfort of a proper bed)? I would need a bit of space to have a desk for studying/ laptop and external monitor etc. I am undecided if I want a TV or not, it might just be a time suck, so not having one could potentially save some space. I would hopefully be going out to Spanish language Meetups or
maybe volunteering or meeting friends too, but I don't know how to cook so won't be hosting dinner parties or parties in general so don't need space for that e.g. extra chairs. If anyone can recommend a futon or particular sofa-bed from Ikea (i.e. the product name) that would be the best as I could pay them to assemble it rather than impose on my brother-in-law who lives 50 miles away. Doesn't have to be the cheapest one if it gives a better quality of sleep

2) I am not sure what size the typical kitchen area would be, is there usually enough room in a studio to plumb in a standard-sized washing machine? I don't mind paying for a regular one even though I will just have small amounts will just have small amounts to do, but I would consider a portable kind if those are what most people in studios use. Seems like you
can get a John Lewis (popular department store) regular machine for £220 plus £25 to install,
or a portable one from Amazon will do 5kg loads for £110 or so. I have never used a portable washing machine before, is there a lot of manual labour involved? The plus of a portable one would be if I had to move flats, as I have no idea what or who I would employ to unplumb the washing machine from the old place and plumb it into the new one, might be cheaper just getting a new machine that paying for the extra labour costs? I am only familiar with handyman firms who are £70 an hour with a one hour minimum call-out charge. Assume I have no DIY skills above changing a lightbulb and you won't be far wrong.

3) For people who have lived in both studios and one-bed social housing, in your experience has their been any noticeable difference in the demographics of your neighbours? I just had the passing thought that studios might be used more to house people with alcohol or drug problems, and of course I have sympathy for both categories and know they need housing, but as someone who couldn't punch his way out of a paper bag I might feel intimated by certain kinds of neighbours. Of course it could be that studios are used for housing widowed OAP's, I have no idea either way, I'm just asking in case it's a factor I should consider. No offence meant to anyone going through alcohol or drug issues - sometimes I feel I am addicted to
sugar and just trying to beat that I am finding challenging enough, so I am sure other substances are ten times harder.

I am sure I will have other questions some other time but if anyone can shed light on any or all of these three I'd be most grateful! In general I am looking for tips on storage or space solutions whereby I could still have plenty of books even in a bedsit (though I could throw away about $1500/ £1000 of paperbacks and only buy the Kindle equivalents as and when I was going to read them, instead of ahead of time.

Once again I'm hoping the green will have some good thoughts or opinions (even negative opinions such as someone saying they hated studios and only like a one-bedroom would still be useful input. Thanks in advance for any help you are able to give.

posted by AuroraSky to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Best answer: I lived in a studio when I was younger -- I actually lived in it with a boyfriend. It was a tight fit for two people, but still worked out okay. I definitely wouldn't have minded it if I was on my own. Ours had space for a double bed and a sofa, but I don't know how typical that is. Is it possible to view the apartment before accepting/rejecting the offer? I would be very hesitant to accept anything sight unseen! This would also allow you to get some sense of the neighbors and whether they're people you feel comfortable around or not.
posted by rainbowbrite at 8:20 PM on August 2, 2015

Best answer: 1) Depends entirely on the size and layout. Not sure about Glasgow, but I've seen studios in the US that are barely over 100 sq ft, and palatial ones that are nearly 900.

3) This depends a lot on your neighborhood. There's no general pattern that studios house alcoholics! Manhattan has fairly wealthy yuppies living in studios. Graduate students in US college towns who want to live alone can usually only afford studios. Etc. Also, many buildings have a mix of studios and n-bed apartments.
posted by redlines at 8:21 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think broadly speaking, especially when its for one person only, a studio in a great location is a better choice than a one bedroom in a less good location. You'll still be able to set it up nicely for your comfort but you'll be more inclined to go out and about in a good neighbourhood and I think that's a good trade off for space.

It's really hard to answer the questions about what can fit in as studios can vary wildly in size. Will the housing association provide any further details? In my studio I had a double-bed and no sofa. If I did it again I'd probably go with a bed like this which I found quite comfy.

Books can always be stored under your bed. You won't have to get rid of those but a thorough decluttering will do wonders for the comfort of a studio.

The block of studios I lived in was full of all the old men of my neighbourhood that I would've thought were homeless had I not been their neighbours. And I was an 18 year old girl. But they were fine! It actually made me less intimidated because I realised for all their scruffyness they were just regular people.
posted by kitten magic at 8:24 PM on August 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I should add, my place wasn't social housing - it was just an apartment block that happened to be all bedsits so was cheaper than one bed places and so good for people on very low incomes. I've also lived in a boarding house. Frankly, the neighbours in both those places were way more considerate than I've had in more upscale buildings.
posted by kitten magic at 8:27 PM on August 2, 2015

Best answer: I'm an American, but I lived in a studio for two years in college because I could get a studio in a much nicer neighborhood than a one bedroom. My studio would have had room for both a sofa and a bed, but I had a daybed I liked quite a lot. I just used a twin bed, but if I was living there again, I'd get something like the IKEA Hemnes. My building was almost entirely college students in a mix of studios, 1BR, and 2BR apartments, but there were a few single women living there and one single man who I believe had full time jobs.

If you know you like the neighborhood, I'd ask to tour the studio and take it if you like it.
posted by notjustthefish at 8:32 PM on August 2, 2015

Best answer: As a college student in Texas, I lived for about a semester in an older apartment building in a studio with a murphy bed which solved the bed and space problem for me. I loved it, but I was also spending a lot of time at school, so I wasn't in it to feel claustrophobic a lot of the time. Since it was an older place, there was no room for a washer/dryer in the kitchen; I did my laundry either on premises or at school. (Or at home, since I was at school in the same town as my parents and it was free there.)
posted by immlass at 8:35 PM on August 2, 2015

Best answer: When we bought white wear for our rented flat we used ao.com - it worked out much cheaper than John Lewis.

If you have a smart phone you could use the Amazon app to scan your books and see which ones they'll buy back (in exchange for vouchers). I've done this quite a bit, it's an easy process and shipping is free.

I lived in a studio by myself for a year and loved it (was in my mid twenties). My only advice would be go get a proper bed if you're in it for the long haul. A futon ruined my back.
posted by teststrip at 9:16 PM on August 2, 2015

Best answer: I'm commenting based on how it works in Denmark, so may well not apply, but perhaps worth looking into: when getting housing through an HA there they often will treat internal applicants/transfers before outsiders, and so I wonder if you take the studio you'd get an advantage in moving to another property within the HA later on (in which case you could see the studio as a temporary stepping stone)?
posted by AwkwardPause at 10:11 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've live in a 425 sq ft studio for 9 years, the last two of which with my husband! I love it. And there's less space to clean :). It is enough space for us--we even fit about 15 people in here for my last birthday.
posted by bookworm4125 at 5:04 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Lived in two studios (and my current apartment isn't much bigger). I would definitely take smaller space in a better location over larger space in not good location, assuming the smaller space fits your basic needs.

Bed: My usual solution has been a regular bed (or at least something always in 'bed' position: my current one is actually a futon frame) and the ability to easily make it into more of a daybed sitting space if I ever have anyone over. (Big sofa/floor pillows, ability to put bedding away easily, etc.)

If you either don't have people over much, or only have people where you don't care that they know your bed is a bed, this is even less of a big deal. If you do care, having something that you can make into a couch is a good compromise. (I've always found murphy beds or anything else that requires remaking the bed every night way too much work. Your mileage may vary.) The key with IKEA is to get a good quality mattress - it's worth spending a bit extra money to get one of the higher quality ones.

Depending on the layout of the space, you should definitely have space for a desk, and you might have room for a couch or a big cozy chair or something like that. Usually this depends on things like locations of windows and doors, so it makes sense to wait until you can see the actual apartment and measure.

Washer: In the US, it varies a lot, but usually in a studio kitchen, there's a smaller than usual fridge, oven, and stovetop, very little counter space, and very little floor space. Being able to put in (or store when not in use) a washing machine would be tricky at best.

Here, buildings will often have some machines, number proportionate to the number of people living in the building, and some people take their laundry to a laundromat or use a laundry service. It's a question you can ask the housing agency.

Books: Books are a pain to move. I recommend getting rid of anything you know you can/want to replace in ebook versions before you move. For storage, again, it's going to depend a lot on the configuration of your particular space. Anything you can do to increase storage - underbed space, double stacking books you don't use as often, things like a footstool or trunk that gives you a bit more storage, etc. is all going to help.

One common solution is putting a set of bookshelves in your closet, depending on the closet and your clothing storage needs. The IKEA Kallax shelves come in various configurations and the 1x4 and 2x4 ones will often fit under a window or in a small space where something bigger wouldn't.
posted by modernhypatia at 10:42 AM on August 3, 2015

Best answer: Things that jump out at me from your post:
- you say you need a laptop with external monitor, but aren't sure if you want a TV. The TV in my house is also the computer monitor, so it is possible to combine the space this way.
- plumbing in a washing machine is really not scary! I've done it in three flats/houses now, the way it works is: there is a tap with a special fitting on the end of it (and a little blue lever rather than a ... normal tap like a kitchen tap). There is a bit of plastic pipe with matching blue fittings. You screw one end of the pipe onto the washing machine, and one onto the tap. There is a drain hose attached to the washing machine. You poke it in to the drain pipe. You plug the machine in, switch it on, and turn on the blue tap on the cold water feed. The trickiest bit is then shoving the damn thing back under the counter so it's not taking up the entire kitchen.
- that said, I've lived in two flats that didn't have space for a washing machine (in one case it was a choice betwen washing machine and freezer, and 24 hour access to icecream won out). In one flat I had access to a relative's washing machine, but in the other I needed to use a commerical laundrette instead. Maybe in Glasgow there are cheaper options, but in the Southern English city I was living in, there was only one chain of laundrettes and it was so expensive and annoying to wash and dry stuff that it was both cheaper and less hassle to get most things done as a service wash - I wouldn't have done it for underwear or any clothes I likes, but it's IDEAL for e.g. bed linen. If you have access to a Student Union, they may provide laundry facilities significantly cheaper than any commercial places.

And the main thing? Yes absolutely, take a flat of whatever size in a place you feel safe.
posted by Lebannen at 10:53 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]