House buying, renting & selling

Discussion List

• Response to alleged 'loopholes' in HIPS

  CLG's response to this alleged loophole today was this: 1. Define your bedroom as something else (e.g. a study) 2. Move the bed from the bedroom For the purposes of HIP duties, a four-bedroom home is one that is marketed as having four bedrooms. The average sale price for a four-bedroom home is around £120,000 more than…

• Has anybody sold their house by auction?

  Hi Has anybody sold their house by auction? How does it work? How quick is it? And the most important one is how much less money should you expect to get for your property as opposed to selling the old fashioned way? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

• Good House Surveyors in Somerset?

  Hi all We're going to be moving to Somerset from London in the next few months (just can't stand the pace anymore here) so just wondered if anyone knew of a good surveyor in the Burnham on Sea area. Just got a couple of quotes online at around £500 so I'm assuming it's roughly the same but would rather go with someone that…

• Now there's a turn up!!

  We put our home on the market 6 weeks ago and the EA has actually given us just one viewing. OH friend is the EA, and despite my protests that they werent the right EA for us he went with them (They work at the opposite end of the city to us and tend to deal with very expensive houses and land rather than £110,000 semis!)…

• stamp duty

  can someone please explain when tenants become liable for stampduty?

• Manc's - How much should i try and knock off the rent!?

  Hi all, Moving to Central Manchester in 2 months time to start a new job and want to be renting a flat in the city centre for the first year before i find somewhere to buy maybe out in the suburbs. I am looking at getting a 1 bed flat (studios a little bit small) right in the centre (10 min walk to arndale centre), i have…

• Complaints about Landlord

  Hey everyone, After moving into my rented student accomodation in September I, as well as my housemates, have been appalled by the conduct of our landlord. In the first term he would turn up unannounced once a week and his agents would let themselves into our property as and when they felt like it. To add to this he has…

• 5 yr fix at a high rate or 2 yr at a lower rate?

  Hi all, I'm a FTB and will be getting an 100% mortgage. I've got an mortgage in principle from a broker with northern rock which is fixed for 5 years at 6.79 then variable at 7.75 I've been quoted from another broker a fixed mortgage for 2 years at 6.19% then varible at 7.85. It hasn't been agreed in principle yet. Any…

• Drain Survey results - advice please

  We had a drain survey done on the house we are buying. It has come back that the gulleys to the kitchen and bathroom may have collapsed as they couldn't get their camera past a certain point and needs fixing. Apparently this will cost £750 :eek: The EA has just emailed me to say that the vendor has got someone around and…

• House Swapping

  Hello all My family is coming to the UK for approx 4 weeks and I was thinking of saving on accomodation costs by swapping their sea facing 3 bedroomed home in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with someone's here for the stay - Portsmouth is best. House swapping is quite popular in Europe so I don't know what people think? Its…

• Can GB bring house prices down

  So our new prime minister has made affordable housing a priority :j http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=422227&in_page_id=2&ct=5 If GB makes housing affordable again then that would put a lot of home owners into negative equity would it not :confused: as existing prices would need to come down to a…

• Unscrupulous Letting Agency - is there someone to report them to?

  Hi - just wondering if there is anywhere you can report dodgy letting agencies to, to prevent them trying the same scams on with other people? Posted recently about Homes 4 U letting agency - they were trying to get us to pay a 're-sign fee' of £189.18 despite them not actually managing the property anymore. Luckily am not…

• Ending a rental agreement - Dispute

  Hello Everyone, This is my first post, so please bear with me! My husband and I have been renting a house on a rolling (six months) short hold tenancy agrement for about three years now. We have decided to move house, to another rental property because I am pregnant and as I cannot work now we need to save a bit of money!…

• landlady is being unreasonable

  Hello all! please bare in mind this is my very 1st thread. My partner and I moved into a flat through agency X in september 2006 and signed a 12 month contract also we provided gurantors, for me it is my father as i am a student for my partner also a student who also works full time his fathers annual earnings were not…

• Assured Shorthold Tenancy - Expiry

  Hi, lookin for some advice? I am 15 months into renting a place and in the first instance received an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) for 12 months. This expired in April and I have never received a renewal - to be fair to the landlord as much on the basis I kind of know him so things were sort of on an informal basis. My…

• On-line estate agency?

  Hi, I'm looking for opinions on what buyers/sellers would be attracted to in an on-line estate agency. I am considering becoming self-employed to do this. I am a recently qualified agent but have been working in estate agency for five years. Even as someone involved in the industry, I do feel that the commissions paid by…

• Buyer messing around

  We accepted an offer on our house on the understanding it would be a quick sale as there was no chain - I was moving into my partners house and the buyer was in rented accomodation. The EA assured us they vet all their clients before an offer is put forward - they obviously didn't do a very goodjob here! We have just found…

• Tenancy Deposit Scheme

  Hi all I've put this question to the experts at Landlordzone.co.uk but thought someone here might have some words of wisdom too. The story so far: 1) Moved into property 1st June 2005 on 12 month AST, paying 1.5 month rent as deposit. 2) Renewed agreement (i.e. signed new agreement) starting 1st June 2006 for another 12…

• Swapping Properties

  My husband and I each own a property. I bought mine before we met and only my name appears on the deeds, never bothered to put him on. He subsequently bought another property on a buy to let mortgage in his name only. I have now given up work to be a full time Mum and therefore have no income. The rental property is not…

• Freehold landlord interfering in sale

  Can the landlord who owns the leasing details on my flat actively interfere in the attempts I am making to sell it? I have been informed that, following an advertisment for the sale of the property, he has directly approached the estate agent and has given his own details suggesting they should correct the advertisement to…