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House buying, renting & selling

Archives for June 2013

Having a zero hrs contract
So what do ll's think of people on zero hr contracts? Currently I have a perm full time job as well as an agency job. When I move next year I aim to work for the agency (nursing) full time- 3-4 days a week, if I can't get perm work. I have spoken to many who manage to work this way full time but will I be able to secure a…
First Time Seller Query - Proof of sale
Sorry if this is a daft question but this is my first house sale. On completion of the sale will I get a document (from my conveyancer I'd guess) confirming: -the price of my sale - the money transferred from the sale money to the mortgage co., EA and conveyancer - the residual amount to be transferred to me? On writing…
in what order?
Hello, We accepted an offer on our house about 3 weeks ago. (This followed our previous sale falling through the week before and 2 other failed sales) so this is our 4th time of (hopefully) selling the house. Because of the previous 3 fall throughs we are very wary and I have very little confidence this one will go through…
Tree less than 4 metres from property I am Buying
There is a tree (type of Conifer, approx 50 foot in height ) within 4 metres of the property I am buying. The biggest cause of concern to me is that some of the roots have been sawn of by a neighbour to build his house extension, therefore I am unsure how stable this tree is. This has not been picked up by either the…
manhole in the garage
hi any advice would very much appreciated. I am thinking of purchasing a house with thought of extending later on however in the garage is a manhole cover, I have rang south Yorkshire water & they don't have anything on record, how do I go about finding out the purpose of the manhole & if it serves other houses & also if…
To Sell or Not To Sell That Is The Question
Hi All Im after a bit of useful advice please. In short: we have a private buyer (a friend) who would like to buy our home - so no estate agent fees. Our home will be sold for £180k. We have just over 45k debt. Our redemption figure on our mortgage is 115k. If we sold our home, cleared all our 45k debt (and obviously paid…
Rear garden backing onto an 'A' road - how much of a negative?
Hi , I would like to poll a bit of opinion about a house we viewed a few weeks back and are considering offering on. A 3-bed family house in a very quiet cul-de-sac and it is a nice area. However, the rear garden does back onto an A-road (40mph limit, going to 30mph a couple of hundreds yards further up and down the road),…
mydeposits certificate help
Hi, Having checked my deposit for my flat is registered with mydeposits.co.uk, can anyone tell me how I can see what date my deposit was registered with them? It says the deposit was collected from me on 10th Jan 2013, but it is protected 16th March 2013 until three months after the property is vacated (my AST contract…
Help! Need advise on breakup finances and house sale.
Hi Everyone, Thanks in advance for reading this, and offering any useful help. Quick version is I own a house with my ex (I wont be the last guy to be in this position in sure). We owned a house previous to this one and sold it to buy this place. We just had it valued as we want to sell, but we need to work out who owns…
checking drain situation
hi all proper ftb q i know but my surveyor has told me the area we are buying in has a lot of `unadopted drains` can anyone give me an idiots guide to this and should i tell my solicitor ? I assume if so , then i need to check my potential liabilty in the future ? I am assuming if the current neighbours wanted to they…
Memorandum of sale
I have had an offer accepted on a property however the estate agent hasnt sent me a memorandum of sale yet. Should i be worried about this ? The offer was accepted about 2 weeks ago :(
First time seller, flooring dilemma
My partner and I have just put down a deposit on a new build, so therefore looking to either rent out or preferably sell our current home. When we bought the house, it had bare, stained floorboards which looked quite tidy. Since then we have put various carpet/laminate down throughout, which looked OK but is now quite…
Communal Bins Advice Please
I'm not sure if anyone could offer some advice as I have tried all avenues. I really apologise for this being long, sorry!Thank you in advance. I moved in to a housing association property in March 2012. It was the best thing ever to happen to us as my son was being badly bullied, so for his own wellbeing I had no choice…
Exchange Deposit
Hi, Just doing a bit of reading... When you exchange, you have to pay 10%-20% of the purchase amount? How does this work if you are selling to buy a more expensive place? E.g We sell our place for £155k, we are buying for £230k. so need to remortgage in order to afford. Am I missing something or worry about nothing
Surveys: what level and provider
We have just had an offer accepted on our first house :j However it is top of the budget ++ and needs work. :eek: The mortgage is with Halifax and we would have to pay around for £400 for basic valuation or £700ish for their equivalent of a homebuyers. All via Colleys. When I asked Halifax how much a full building survey…
House Deposit
Hi All, Is there a good location to keep the deposit for a house before we transfer it to the solicitor? I think (hope) it only needs to be there for 1 month, needs quick access, not expecting any interest on the money. I don't want to keep in the our regular bank as want to keep thing separate from the normal account.…
New government schemes and shared ownership
I've seen a few threads on how the new government help to buy and mortgage guarantee schemes are likely to affect regular house prices but was just wondering whether people thought they would have any effect on the popularity current shared ownership schemes (part buy part rent). My personal circumstances mean that shared…
Stamp Duty - please explain
Hello I'd be really grateful if someone can please explain for me: I put in an offer of 130K on a house which was accepted. I applied for an 85% ltv mortgage which was approved. But then the mortgage company valued the house as only being worth 120K. The vendors had already gone ahead with their purchase and can't afford…
How do commuters get to their local railway station?
Hi all, I have been living in the UK for 5 years, renting, always in London, so do not know much what is “out there”. I know lots of places, but as a tourist. Now, the time to buy has come. Already got the approval from two lenders. The crucial question is where? I am used to the conveniences of London living, mainly…
Completing 4th July :)
Independence Day! Independence from renting anyway.. :) (hello to actually having to be responsible for things rather than phoning up a letting agency!) Offer was accepted on 7th May... so I make that 58 days in total. Now touching wood that nothing goes hideously wrong between now and then... Overall it hasn't been too…

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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.

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House buying, renting & selling

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