Retirement flat

It sounds as though you’ve made your mind up!
The service charges will only go up, and you will have to find one that takes pets.
I think though that some places let you put off paying the service charges until the apartment is sold ( presumably when you die or need to sell to go into a nursing home) , bear in mind that they are sometimes difficult to sell for a good price.
Apart from that good luck!

There are lots of things to consider here. Firstly, do you live on the Welsh coast? Do you have family and friends nearby? Although lovely in the summer, it can be very rainy and cold the rest of the year. Secondly, are you looking for a flat with a warden? Do you want one with a resident’s lounge? Communal gardens? Is reselling important to you? Sometimes it is difficult to sell retirement flats. Are you looking at properties with amenities within walking distance- shops, doctors, cinema? What is the public transport like? Will the flats accept pets? What are the service charges, and what do they cover? Since you have already sold, perhaps you could try identifying where you want to live, and renting first to see if you would be happy in the area.

I would definitely agree with the advice to rent first if you are moving to an area you haven't lived in before.
Some Retirement properties do have rentals available so it may be possible to try before you buy.

Thanks for the good advice, I live in nottingham so it’s a big move but I have poorly lungs and being near the sea may help.
My husband died 7 years ago so another reason to move is I’m moving nearer my family. I don’t drive so looking for amenities nearby and have identified a few retirement complexes and just normal flats. My main concern is my terrier I need ground floor so he can go out and some seem to have little patio areas I may be able to put a small fence round.

As you've already sold you're in a strong position and don't need to be hurried so can choose well.

I live in London in a ground floor flat with a private walled garden - it's an ordinary flat not a retirement complex (perish the thought!)

I'm not sure a wet and windy coastline is any better for your lungs. I live next to the river so do understand wanting to be near water - it's mentally very therapeutic.

Definitely rent first in your chosen area. Consider buying a normal flat rather than a retirement one. If you need to move again in the future, a normal flat will sell or rent very easily. A retirement flat could become a (very expensive) ball and chain.

i Think I will rent first. I don’t want to be stuck somewhere with high service charges and be afraid to go out in case my dog barks and causes a nuisance. I’m not sure how he will react in a flat he is really good in my house and just goes in his basket to sleep. But if he can hear a lot of noises it may be different

I guess it does make a difference which part of the Welsh coast you are looking at. Some bays are sheltered and delightful. Like you, I would want somewhere I could keep a pet safely and walk along the beach.

Unless you fear for your safety or are very frail, I would not be looking at retirement flats.
Can your family help you to look for somewhere?

Your dog seems to be your biggest concern, so do make sure any flat/retirement apartment will work well for you and your pet. There may be rules about erecting fences, for instance. Perhaps a small house would be better?

I agree that a cottage may be nicer. You won't have the (possible) problem of noise from above. My neighbour moved into a ground floor flat and was happy - until a family with small children moved in upstairs. They have laminate flooring and the kids run around all the time!

I worked for a retirement builder before I retired and they did allow dogs on the developments when the apartments where purchased on the understanding that when the dog came to the end of its life it was not replaced again.
When you come to selling retirement properties they do take longer to sell as it is a specialised market you are far better looking for a garden flat make friends with neighbours and tell them to let you know if ever your dog disturbes them,makes for good relations all around.

There was a recent thread on the same topic if u do a search

Saw the other thread there are a lot of pitfalls to retirement flats although I have poorly lungs I’m not frail. I had a major operation late 2018 with various complications but slowly getting better. Having a dog is forcing me to walk more and selling my house will give me the opportunity to downsize to something future proof.

Go on something like Rightmove and key in areas/postcodes that you're interested in to see what's available and what you'll get for your money.

I would do as other suggest. Rent or buy a 'normal' flat and then when the time comes you no longer have a dog then think about retiremnt flats. By then you would know the area, hopefully made friends and heard on the grapevine about retirement flats in your chosen area and be in a better position to make the right choice.

My cousin, who lives overseas, eventually sold his large family house, about 3 years after his beloved wife’s death.
He looked at retirement complexes and eventually chose one which has a gym, a coffee shop and restaurant on site.

However, he chose to rent in this complex rather than buy, as having weighed up all the options, including resale value, renting is the best economic option for him.
He was also reassured by the fact that as he is renting he could easily move elsewhere, if this didn’t work for him.

He’s been there for a couple of years and is thriving. He’s also met a very nice woman there and they’re having a holiday together!

If you are moving somewhere a long way from your current location, then please rent before you buy. A friend retired to somewhere she had lived and worked thirty years previously and had been very happy.

Despite everyone's advice to rent first she just raced out and bought a home - and it proved a disaster, Working somewhere is not the same as retiring somewhere, she couldn't afford a house like that she was leaving and hated the area she ended up in and having used her money up on moving could not afford to move back. Without a doubt it hastened her death, 5 years later.

It can be done. I did it at the beginning of January. However, you need to understand what you want and may spend quite a bit of time looking for it. The flats I am in do not have a residents lounge, a laundry or a rentable spare flat, for example. This is exactly what I wanted but might not suit everyone. I do have a patio area/boarders outside which I can treat as my own (it isn't). This is rare in my experience.

I cannot imagine the services charges being left until the sale and yes, they are only going to go up.

You will also have to pay into a sinking or sink fund for future updating and repair to the building. This is sometimes a percentage of what you pay to buy and due on sale price when you leave. Sometimes it's annual.

I have moved back to where I have lived in the past but it's only three miles from where I was living. There is a good bus service for the future and it's a ten-minute walk to each of two supermarkets (in different directions). Make a list and remember, it's a bit like looking for schools for your children. You need the list but the feel and atmosphere are likely to be the deciding factor.

Having said all that, the Welsh coast is gorgeous. And not at all cold!

Beautiful place..and relatively inexpensive.

Comments on moving out of area to be near family I have a chance at a ground floor flat closer to my family I dislike the sheltered accommodation I took up and have been stuck here 5 years it is depressing to say the least and don’t like age related housing the new flat it’s in a mixed block the place I am in now has some benefits as is buzzing part of London with lots of green space and shops nearby the new place where I would be moving to is countryside a 15 minute walk from town centre and trains into London taking one hour and bonus and get to see my son and grandson more often as we are two hours apart now has anyone made this move

This is a very old thread

But a current topic...
I am thinking of selling our house in London and moving to the south coast.
But my DH is not well at the moment and I am not in the mood for a move.
My DD has bought a place near Brighton. But I am not going to let her run my life any more.
We have done our bit for the grandchildren and now just want to lead a quiet life.
Sometimes doing nothing is the best plan. I will see what this year brings.
Sometimes young people don't understand how one feels.

As it is such an old thread, I wonder what decision Cherylg came to.

I started reading it this morning found it very interesting