We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More » This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.

We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

House buying, renting & selling

Archives for April 2009

Homeless because of repossession
My son has just become aware that there is to be a possession order application made on 15th May for the privately rented flat he and his adult son live in. They have been there 3 years. His almost £1000 deposit was not ringfenced in any way and has certainly been spent and he paid £880 rent just last week. The landlord is…
Rental web sites
Hi, new to this forum and forums in general but thought this might be a good place to start. I'm a landlady and wish to let my property. Have had a bad experience with Agents and prefer to let my property myself, especially in this climat. I have seen and researched 3 letting sites and spoke to 2. I found Web Residential…
Questions to ask during a house viewing
Hello all, My fiance and I are now starting in earnest on the house hunting and have our first viewing coming up. It has been quite a while since either of us bought a place or viewed with the intention to buy. The questions I would want to ask may well be different to his! So basically What questions do you lot think we…
Choosing a solicitor
What is the best way to choose a solicitor to do conveyancing? Do I ring a few up and ask for quotes? What sort of questions do I need to ask? Do solicitors work on a no sale no fee basis? Also, at what stage of the buying/selling process do I need to get a solicitor involved? Sorry, I'm a bit clueless :confused: so any…
Selling 2 residential properties in England
does anyone know if you need a HIP for each one, I seem to recall someone saying that if your are selling multiple properties at the same time you do not need a HIP for each one, is this correct???
One of our tenants never moved in and now owes 9 months rent
Hi, I'm a student and I'm in a 5 bedroomed house, but there is only 4 of us. The 5th never moved in, and stopped paying rent soon after that. They've tried ringing her but they have no address for her so the letting agency have now asked us to pay under our joint tenancy agreement. We know we've got to pay, but they've…
Zoopla
For those who don't know - www.zoopla.co.uk What do people think of it? I've been using it to check out a few houses I'm visiting this weekend. Luckily, both were bought by the current owners fairly recently (one in July 2006, and the other in December 2002), so there's a recent price to go from, and I've collected quite a…
Land Registry "These price levels last seen in August 2004"
Land Registry with their usual time lag, confirm that house prices fell again in March 2009. Remember also that Land Registry do not take into account the selling prices from distressed sellers (repossessions, auctions). "The latest figures show that monthly house prices in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in March.…
RE: Buy to let mortgage choice and tax!
Right! Got some more questions if you don't mind ;) Below is not fact, its just how i see things so if i am wrong please tell me! I'm looking at BTL as an investment that one day i may move into myself....probably 5-10 yrs from now.... My BTL is on a repayment mortgage. Because of this the tax man will think i will make…
How much value does a sun room add to your house?
We were considering selling, but given current market we are thinking of just expanding the living space in our current house with the addition of a sun room. We got quoted £15K today for a 10x10 room which includes lighting heating and basically everything. Generally what % of this cost would you expect to add actual…
Would you offer this family a tenancy ?
hi everyone - i have never done a post like this before..... lets see both sides of the Landlord/Tenant views points here please .. As most of you know i house many benefit tenants, so i don't discriminate. A young woman aged 27, with a 3 year old and a 6 year old on benefits. She seems very committed and organised -…
Hiding for Nothing - viewing an over-priced over-budget house...
Ok, we are going for our first viewing (now we have completed on the sale of our own house, are chain free and renting) tomorrow. Yes, may be COMPLETELY nuts on so many levels: - I am sure that the market still has further to fall. - We are in a "bounce" (at least that is what I think) - so many vendors think that the…
Making an offer on house before selling yours?
Is this at all possible? We are putting ours on the market as soon as the HIP is completed (next week or so) and obviously have to wait until we have viewers and offers are made (hopefully) but my husband seems to think we should be making an offer on property we really love (well I am scared to fall in love with it…
can a landlord demand a guarentor once you have moved in and paid the rent twice ..
moved in two months ago and have paid rent for both months ll rings up yesterday demanding for the first time that we find a guarentor what can he do if we refuse?Dont have one? etc
House move time/ piece of string question
We've sold our house this week to a cash buyer, and had an offer accepted on the one we've had our eye on, which is empty. This is our first time selling a house, and we bought this place off a friend when we were renting and had to wait a while for their house to be built before it could all go through. What's the…
Risk when buying a home that has been repossessed
5 weeks ago we offered an amount for a flat that had been repossessed, which was accepted by the repossession company. We were however informed that if anyone came forward with a better offer they would get the flat, we accepted this risk. We are putting down a heafty deposit 74% of the total cost. The money has been ready…
Anyone know about Ownhome
Before everyone starts moaning about how much of a stupid idea equity loans are, I know how they work. So please save your time. At the end of the day if the house market does eventually go back up - i'll owe more but the house will be worth more. If it falls I will owe less and the house is worth less. Simple. I'm looking…
confused! rental agreement and giving notice
hello im sorry if this is a question thats been asked before:o iv read so much now, my heads swimming! i have rented a property since dec 07, with two six month contracts that have obviously now ceased dec 08, no other contract was drawn up........ i want to vacate the property and am in the process of buying my own house.…
HIP info
My partner is buying a property that is exempt from HIP as it has been on the market for so long although i have actually found the hip for the property. His solicitor has charged him £250 for searches. Arent these included in the HIP? Does anyone know which searches expire? This is my Virgin voyage on Forum- I hope…
OFT v Foxtons
Ages ago the OFT took Foxtons to court over renewal fees on tenancy agreements. The appeal is now being heard. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article6194619.ece

★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

View All

House buying, renting & selling

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free

House buying, renting & selling

Discussion List

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free