House-Hunting and Flat-Hunting Overseas - Which One Should You Take?

Balcony in Singapore with protective rail. Somebody overhead has hung something to dry in the breeze. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

A bird comes to perch on a plant on the high-rise condo's balcony. The plant is aloe vera. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

Problem
What are the advantages of ground floor, middle floors and top floors?

Answers
Stairs
I hate stairs. I fell down stairs as a toddler. My mother moved from a semi-detached house with steep stairs to one with a U shape staircase, then a house with a U shape staircase, on to a bungalow, finally a flat. Elderly people tend to prefer bungalows (Americans call them ranch houses) or flats.

In England a flat is simply a one level dwelling, which estate agents (called property agents in the USA) describe as apartments to sound grand. However, in the USA and Singapore, words have more specific meanings.

Studio Flats and Small Flats
A studio flat is a flat with a living room and an attached kitichenA flat is a simple one level dwelling or residence in a multi-storey complex, usually with a kiopen plan or galley kitchen and a separate bathroom. Disadvantage of a bedsitter, with a bed converting into a sofa, is that you don't have a confortable sitting area. Your visit is on a bed and you have to hid away the bedding and make up the bed at night. You have to by tidy. In Victorian times you had a living room ns a spearate sparse dining room or parlour where you could show visitors. No clutter and nothing to steal. Any display was in a locked glass cabinet.

This plain window gap is found in both public (HDB) and private apartment blocks, in the common areas. Here a guard rail has been added. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Apartments
An apartment has more facilities, such as two or more bathrooms or shower rooms, one or more of which might be en suite.

Condos
Condos have gyms and pools. A taxi driver told me that as a PR I could rent an HDB more cheaply. As a PR I can't buy an HDB, but he thought I could rent.

Fire Escape?
What about living high? First question, is there a fire exit? Has the owner blocked it? Have you blocked it. Is the key handy.

Fire Extinguisher and Smoke Detector
In the UK we have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in our own home, and any home we rent out.

When renting, do you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen? Smoke detector or smoke alarms?

Bargaining and Insisting
If you are a CEO taking a job abroad and are in a bargaining position, you should demand all these safety features. If you get told 'it isn't necessary' just tell them, 'It is necessary for me, because my insurance company demands it. They won't pay out if I am not covered by a fire alarm.'

Tell The Agent
If you see a lovely apartment and then find it has no sprinklers, it's hard to turn it down. Easier to specify that you want to be in a modern block with sprinklers.

If you are arranging accomodation for staff, building accommodation, or renovating accommodation, consider making sprinklers mandatory.

You will also want fire extinguishers, fire blankets and carbon monoxide detectors. These should be checked every year to see they are still in date. For more information, check the government's regulations of the country you are in, and the fire services, landlord associations and other sources of advice.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.