7 Drawbacks Of Top-Floor Apartments People Forget (Explained)

There are many advantages to living in a top-floor apartment, so they can be in high demand in the real estate market.

Many people love to live on the top floor because of the views. Whether you’re in the city, in a coastal area, or on the mountainside, it doesn’t matter. A top-floor apartment usually always gets the best views.

However, living in a top-floor apartment is not always great. Like all types of apartments, top-floor apartments have some disadvantages that people don’t often realize.

1. Top-Floor Apartments Are Not the Safest in an Emergency

A top-floor apartment may be safe from burglary because they’re not easily accessible from the streets, but it is not the safest to live in case of an emergency or natural calamity.

If there’s an emergency or natural calamity, getting out of the building would be difficult if you live on the top floor, especially since elevators often get shut off.

If there’s a fire in the building or an earthquake, people living on the top floor or higher-floor apartments would have difficulty getting out and evacuating to somewhere safe. They would have to use the emergency exit, which involves climbing several flights of stairs just to get out.

This is one major drawback of top-floor apartments that people tend to forget.

2. Top-Floor Apartments Are Not Easily Accessible

Climbing too many stairs can get exhausting, especially if you have cardiovascular health issues. It can also get fatiguing on your leg muscles.

If you live in a high-rise apartment building with an elevator, you may have to wait a few minutes for an elevator to become available before you get home.

During busy hours of the day, especially in the morning, elevators can get quite busy, which means you have to leave your unit extra early and allot several minutes for some elevator waiting time.

In addition, because they’re not too accessible, top-floor apartments are not ideal for people with disabilities or mobility issues, as it may be difficult for them to navigate the stairs or elevators.

The same applies if you have little kids in the household because they may not yet be physically capable of climbing up and down the stairs. They would get quickly exhausted, and you’d have no choice but to carry them all the way to your apartment.

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3. It’s Difficult to Carry Heavy Items in and Out

Whether moving out or into a top-floor apartment, carrying furniture and other items to and from the unit can be time-consuming because you have to go up several floors.

Sure, you can use the elevator, but some items may be too big to fit in them. You can also hire a moving service, but they usually charge more if you live in a top-floor apartment due to the extra effort.

You’d realize how difficult it is to carry items in and out of your apartment whenever you do grocery shipping or furniture shopping.

Then it becomes even more challenging if you have to take multiple trips because you can’t carry everything in one go.

4. Top-Floor Apartments Are Prone to Temperature Fluctuation

Because of their high level, top-floor apartments tend to experience more temperature fluctuations, especially during extreme weather conditions.

During summer, top-floor apartments tend to be hotter than normal. That’s because they get more exposure to direct sunlight.

With no floors above it, a top-floor apartment can get really hot, especially during warmer months. Still, the amount of heat can depend on how well-insulated the unit is, but generally, top-floor apartments get warmer temperatures compared to those on lower floors.

This means that people living in top-floor apartments would need to turn up their air-conditioning equipment to cool the apartment, leading to higher electricity bills in the summer.

5. Top-Floor Apartments Are Not Pet-Friendly

While some people with pets can live in top-floor apartments, they are not exactly the best places to live if you have a pet. In general, top-floor apartments are not ideal for pet owners.

If the apartment has a balcony or large windows, pets can risk falling off them, especially if it doesn’t have any safety features such as guards or safety screens.

A lot of top-floor apartments can only be accessed by climbing the stairs. So if you have a dog, it can be difficult for them to climb up and down the stairs whenever you take them out for walks.

This applies especially to large breeds since it becomes difficult to carry them once they’re fully grown.

Some top-floor apartments may have elevators, but not all of them are pet-friendly. Some elevators may be too small to accommodate large pets with other building occupants on them.

Dog owners living in top-floor apartments would realize this drawback when their dog really needs to go, and they have to climb down several flights of stairs or wait for an available elevator just to bring their dog outside.

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6. Top-Floor Apartments Can Be Next to the Building’s Mechanical Systems

While top-floor apartments don’t get exposed to noise coming from the streets, if their unit is close to the building’s mechanical systems, they might hear the air-conditioning and ventilation systems.

This can still depend on how the building is designed and how thick the walls are.

Well-constructed apartments would not have this issue because they’d have thick walls that can block any outside noise. But of course, the rent in these apartments tends to be more expensive.

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7. Top-Floor Apartments Don’t Have Easy Access to Amenities

Most apartment building amenities, such as the mail room, gym, laundry area, co-working space, and other shared spaces, are located on the ground floor or lower floors.

If people living on the top floor have to use these amenities frequently, it can be a hassle to go down several floors.

Even something as simple as doing your laundry in the laundry room or checking your mailbox in the mail room can be time-consuming, especially if the building doesn’t have an elevator.

Sources:

9 Disadvantages Of A Top-Floor Apartment

Pros & Cons Of Flats On The Topmost Floor

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Buying A Top Floor Flat?