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1950 built semi
I viewed a 1950s three bed semi the house hasn't been lived in for the last few years the decoration is dated 1970s. The previous owner has passed away. The house has a sight musty smell inside. I didn't notice any damp when viewing the property What could be coursing this smell? I also notice air vents at ground level but…
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London housing bubble likely to burst: '30% price correction'
Haven't seen this covered elsewhere on this forum... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/house-prices/11963302/London-on-course-to-become-next-house-price-bubble-fatality-warns-UBS.html As someone who has just started the hunt for somewhere to buy in London (and committed mentally to the idea), this absolutely…
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Tax Advice on 3x BTL Properties (Rent Income & Deductions)?
We are looking to buy 3 newly built apartments at a very attractive bulk discount, they will be ready for tenants Jan16. The three apartments are £155k, £110k and £165k and will provide rental income of c£11k, £8.5k and £11k pa (before agency fees, maintenance and mortgage B2L mortgage repayments). Total income will be…
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Buying the basement below my house
Hi. I'm looking for any advice anyone might have on purchasing a basement from the freeholder. Here is the situation: * I own the ground floor flat and garden. * There are two flats above - both owned by the occupants * There is a deserted/derelict basement under the house which I want to buy * Freeholder is a company *…
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Sale fallen through due to freeholder not supplying buildings insurance
Hi, I wonder if anyone can advise. We are trying to sell our house and we accepted an offer early in August. The house is freehold and the garage is leasehold. The garage is in a row of 3 with a coach house/flat above. The garage has a 999 year lease with nil annual payment/rent. The buyers solicitor requires a copy of the…
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Received worrying house survey-any thoughts/experience?
We'd been waiting for what felt like forever to receive our home buyers survey and valuation from Colleys for our Halifax mortgage. Got it today and now I'm worried. Can anyone let me know what they think of this? MATTERS AFFECTING VALUE: -There is evidence of dampness to ground floor walls and timbers in contact may be…
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woodworm and damp - help!
Thinking of offering on an 18th Century cottage but survey says it has signs of woodworm, damp in one section and external windows and doors showing signs of rot or soft sections of wood. I know it sounds like a nightmare but am wondering how I can assess how bad the problem really is and how I can find out quickly to…
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FridaysMove - Conveyancing
FTB in Hertfordshire - Fridaysmove.com - any good? I'm looking for a conveyancing solicitor as a first time buyer, and they are quoting a fixed fee of £546 for all legal work on a no move no fee service. Has anyone used fridaysmove.com ? Any feedback would be appreciated. They are getting pretty good reviews on the web and…
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Buyer wants vacant possession before exchanging
Hi We recently put our flat on the market and it is tenanted. It went under offer within about 3 days. We were very pleased but the buyer is saying we must secure vacant possession before contracts are exchanged. Notice is 2 months and we are reluctant to do this as the buyer could withdraw their offer between now and the…
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Letting my house, tax, capital gains etc...
Hi First please excuse my lack of knowledge on everything I am asking about! Here goes... I bought a 3 bedroom house in Bristol 6 months ago, and have been living in it, with two friends living there for free, just paying bills. It's looking likely we are all moving out in a month or so. At first I considered keeping my…
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How much can estate agents share?
We are interested in a house, and will be making an offer but have been made aware of an offer being placed already. The estate agent has said she isnt allowed to tell us what that offer is, but can they tell us what position the other people are in ie. are the FTB's? I'm skeptical as to whether an offer has been made and…
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Is this too dodgy?
Hi folks. I'm normally more of a lurker but could do with some opinions on this please: My parents have viewed a couple of houses with the same estate agent. Recently this estate agent contacted them and said they have a house for sale; the vendor is looking for 200k for a quick sale (similar properties are between 210k…
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Granny annex wanted
Dear All I am in the process of building a granny annex on the side of our house, which is throwing up all sorts of questions, problems and head scratching? I would love to hear from anyone else thinking about building one or who is in the process of building one to swap hints and ideas? Will be grateful for any help…
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CGT Implications on a House with a Declaration of Trust in Place
In 1990 my in-laws (Mr & Mrs T) applied to buy their Council house and my husband and I (A & E) put up the deposit and paid the mortgage for them. We drew up a Declaration of Trust between both parties stating that Mr & Mrs T could remain at the property for as long as they wanted, A & E could not ask them to leave. It…
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Buy to let property website - legit or a scam?
I'm thinking of investing some money in property and I've come across a few sites which offer below market value properties with promises of rental income. The two I've spoken to are: Choices Acquisitions: I was put off them by their expensive fees - basically, you have to pay large amounts of money before you're even…
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Old house changing windows
Hi there. An area of the house siding at my 8-year old house is bulged. It only happens in this one area. I've observed it since I began residing in this house 5 years ago after my retirement. The bulge form remains the same throughout the year. There is a house right next to my own, so I think the possibility of any big…
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How to find distressed properties for sale?
Hello All, I was wondering if anyone can give me advice on where I can find distressed properties for sale? I'm hoping to buy my first investment property in the next few months. Ideally I'd like to find a property to refurbish so I can do some work to it, add value and sell on for a profit. (Yes I'll admit I probably do…
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Estate Agents have sold my details to a company without my permission
So I've just exchanged contracts to buy my first house (yipeeeeee) and completion is next week. Months ago when a sale was agreed I received a sales memorandum from the estate agents and within it stated they would give my details to a utility comparison company and a broadband comparison company. They also stated if I…
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Allowable expenses on Buy To Let
Hello everyone. I have rented my flat out that is still on a standard residential mortgage but with a consent to rent agreement. There was a cost of circa £300 for the consent to rent from my mortgage provider. Can this amount also be claimed as an allowable cost on my tax return like the interest can be claimed currently?…
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Renegotiating post-survey
Hi All, First time post here as haven't been able to find similar question anywhere... Basically, I'm in the process of buying a home that is part of a corporate sale and has been empty for a fair while. I had the homebuyer survey completed and they advised that the utilities (gas, electric etc) should have a service…
