There is no way I'd agreed to live in a building that has only one lift.
Depends on your fitness level. Worst I did was live somewhere 4 flights up. You get used to it. 25 flights is.. what.. 50-75m or so of climbing? Is a floor 2 or 3 metres? That would take me (outside on a hiking path) about 10-15 mins and I would be sweaty. Is the stairwell air-conditioned? That would make a difference to my decision ... no aircon would be horrible. The other thing I would look at is the quality of the stairwell and stairs. Are they decent stairs with enough room to put a western foot on, or piddly little chinese stairs where you have to put your foot sideways? Is there a good, clean handrail? Are they wide enough to pass with groceries? Are there windows in the stairwell (a view helps with climbing) and if not, is it well lit (easy to fall down if dark). Some of the stairwells in buildings here are shocking ... it makes a difference!
But on the plus side, you'd save a fortune and a lot of time on trips to the gym....
Last edited by HK_Katherine; 19-08-2014 at 01:55 PM.
This happened in my old 22-floor building, the lifts were out for a month and I lived on the top floor. I had to walk up a pitch-black stairwell every night and only knew my climb was at an end when I stepped out onto the roof; then I had to backtrack one floor down to find my apartment.
Me: Reasonably fit but injuries to joints preclude 'mountain climbing'.
Him: Reasonably fit (at least in his mind ) but has had heart issues.
If either one of us had to be stretchered out, I'm sure neighbours would still try to squeeze into the lift, rather than wait. In fact I know they would. We have three lifts in our building and I was in the lift with a lady in a wheelchair and her helper. The lack of room didn't stop people trying to get squeeze in down the side.
Nov - Jan are the cooler months, but it is still a very LONG climb up everyday.
Try and get anything delivered and you'll get only laughs.
Ask for a bigger reduction in rent perhaps?
Don't forget to take a look at the stairs. Emergency stairways tend to be tall, narrow steps in a fairly tight formation so you feel like you're on a spiral staircase and with very little ventilation.
29 floors would kill me. I live on the 5th floor of a walk up, and I can do 6 floors, then my legs ache like crazy. It's easier now doing the 5 floors, but it's still a slog.