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Removal men and tipping
Is it the done thing? We're breaking our arms and legs paying for these guys and adding a tip on top of that might be the straw and the camels back... We were going to give them endless cups of tea, biscuits and cake, should we tip them as well?
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Trying to sell flat but being advised to extend lease prior to this....is this right?
Hi guys, First time posting on here, so be gentle! Our flat has been on the market for the past year with an agent, it didn't sell so we now have it on with another. They've advised that it is worth trying to extend our lease with our leaseholder. I've so far had quite confused information from our leaseholder but it…
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How Long For Deposit Refund?
Hi, How long do landlords have to refund a deposit? I used to live in Norwich for a couple of months and i gave the landlord a £400 deposit. I moved out the property 2 months ago and gave the land lord my notice of leaving. I have been asking her to refund me my deposit but she seems to keep making an excuse and now no…
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"An Englishman's home is his castle" and other similar matters
We've probably all heard of the phrase, "an Englishman's home is his castle". That means if you have a home somewhere, whether by owning it outright, via a mortgage, or on a lease (from a 999 year lease to a 6 month lease) the rest of the world, including the police and any landlord, can't just barge in. I came across the…
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House prices
Hi all. Not sure if this has been asked before, sorry if it has. I keep hearing people say house prices currently are at 2009 prices, or 2007 levels etc. As a FTB that has only just recently taken an interest in the market, I'm not sure what these levels are. I'm guessing 2009 prices were low, was 2007 prices lower than…
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Advance Rent or Deposit?? Letting Agent from Hell!
Hello All, Hope someone can point us in the right direction. Having had our home repossessed in 2008 we have been renting ever since. To get our 1st rental with no decent credit history we paid 6 months up front. After 6 months we were allowed to go to 3 mths up front. Now two years down the line and having moved once our…
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Is my freehold worth £1000?
Hi All, Just bought a mid-terrace house on a 999 year lease (dated from 1964). I've tracked down the owner of the freehold, who is willing to sell. All in (legal fees, VAT, land registry), it will cost just about £1000 to buy, is it worth it? Land rent is negligible (£10 year), but owning the freehold might be make the…
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Should one wait for a higher rival bid to be accepted on sale before offering higher?
Hi there, First post here. We are in the process of buying a house and had our second offer on the place accepted (although we have never received written confirmation of this accepted figure). One day before the mortgage valuation survey a rival "cash buyer" put in a higher offer. The estate agents came back to us and…
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Damp in rented property
I'm posting on behalf of my mum who lives in a rented cottage. It's a very old stone cottage, probably a few hundred years old. There is a big problem with damp, with it being present on thew walls in most of the rooms. She has contacted the letting agents who own several cottages in the same village. They have told her…
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How long on average??
We have had an offer agreed on a house yesterday (HOORAY!). Does anybody know how long it usually takes to complete? we are first time buyers.....
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Broken Shower
Ok, I rent from a private landlord through Remax (Estate agent). It is a new build flat which is less than 2 years old. I have had 2 major problems which have never been fixed and i want to know my rights. 1st problem happened 5 weeks ago now. The shower in my en-suite stopped working. I called remax and they said they…
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Advice gratefully appreciated. Potential homelessness
I cant beleive Im having to post again about our housing situation..I must be the unluckiest person around:( In May 2009..due to a crippling mortgage and escalating debts we sold our home to clear debts..we were very unhappy to do so but the advice we received at the time pointed to that being the only soloution..we were…
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Buying a newbuild
I'm buying a new build, only the foundations have been laid - its the last on the plot, so will not be ready till next spring (March 2011 approx). I'm guessing that the procedure is much like any other property purchase with one difference - the time between exchange of contract and completion. I presume once agreement has…
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Sigh... Me Again
Hello... again! For some background info I have posted these two threads previously: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2457131 http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2553159 So, quick summary, my friend and I rented a flat from 1st February, I moved out on 31st July but my flatmate stayed…
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Newbuild vs 2yr Old House
Is there typically a premium that is paid for a new build as opposed to house which has been lived in for a couple or few years? Obviously new builds fetch more than a 60's/70's build in most cases but does this premium last?
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Renting to relatives
We have a BTL property that we would like to rent to our son and his fiance (and her young son).. they both work and can pay the rent but we were worried that if our son lost his job (who knows in the current climate) would he get help to pay the rent through housing benefit? We are not sure as he would be a relative of…
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Leasehold Land?
My parents-in-law recently bought a bungalow and were offered the chance to buy a piece of adjacent land for £4,000 which would have trebled the size of their garden. Now it turns out the seller only owns a 36 year lease on the land, and the freehold is owned by a London company, so their solicitor has put the purchase on…
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House Exchange..Where to Look??
Related to another thread There doesn't seem to be anywhere for homeowners to trade up or down....without an Estate Agent. I have a very simplistic attitude to life. I can't afford to live in my home. I'm prepared to trade down for a cash settlement.With all the power of the net I can't see anywhere that caters for this…
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cash buyer looking for advice
hi all... we bought our first house 8 years ago, everything went through the mortgage company and their solicitors so we had practically no involvement other than to make an offer. we're now in a position to buy for cash, all be it a very small amount, and have put in an offer for a property. Thing is we don't know what…
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Am i near the finishing line......
Good Morning , I'm selling a house for the 1st time. {two previous attempts fell thru at early stages} Here's where i am... Viewing carried out by an investor. {They have used my estate agent when purchasing before.} 1st offer made by investor and rejected. 2nd offer made by investor and accepted. Both sets of solicitors…