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MSE Team Blog: Tricks to boost storage and improve the look of your home
Want to save on space and spruce up your house or flat? There are lots of nifty MoneySaving tricks to 'pimp your home' for less, from low-cost ways to make your bathroom sparkle to raising your bed to create storage space underneath. Folk at MSE Towers know a thing or two about making the most of a smaller pad - after all,…
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Buildings Insurance but Dad's now in a care home
So my father is in a care home due to dementia and his home insurance has expired , his partner (not married) still lives in his home, she can't get building insurance because she doesn't own the home , he obviously doesn't live there and we don't have power of attorney and because of his mental state it will take at least…
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RICS Survey Question
Hi all. House we are in process of buying we are looking to get a survey done. I have done quotes with a couple of somewhat local firms with good reviews. One has come back with a price for what I asked for (L2 survey), the other has come back to me recommending a level 3. For context its a 1950 2bed end of terrace. They…
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Rent to buy.
hello. Im looking at doing a rent to buy. But i really havnt a clue what im doing. I understand the basics - pay rent - save deposit - buy home at end of term. But is there more to it? what questions should i be asking? It feels odd as im committing to a house that i wont have a survey or reports done on. i feel like im…
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Selling part of flat to my mum without conveyancer.
My husband bought a flat for my mum so she could move nearer us before she sold her own flat which was difficult to sell. My mum has been living in the flat near us for a year and now she has sold her flat she is keen to buy 50% from my husband which has been the plan from the start. In hindsight we should have asked the…
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Neighbour's extension - boundary window
I live in Milton Keynes, England. My neighbour has a planning application in for a single-storey extension, which includes a window (red circle) right on the boundary with my property (red line). My concern is twofold: privacy (direct overlooking into our front garden/property) and the risk that a boundary window could…
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Conveyancing and water pipes
I'm in the process of selling my parent's house which has been in their possession for over 50 years. All searches have been done and the buyers solicitor has come back with this: “We cannot see the title refers to any rights for the benefit of the Property to connect to, use and access the mains water pipe in the adjacent…
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Land Transaction Tax (second property)
Hi, I have a slightly more complicated situation and hope someone may have some insight as I can't find the answers online. I currently own a property with a family member that we lived in for 3 years after buying the property. I then purchased my family home and paid stamp duty land tax on the new property. The family…
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'Instant' property buying companies - has anyone had a good experience?
I have had a nightmare of an 18 months of legal difficulties that my late parent left behind. The final thing that will need sorting is the disposal of a rental property, which has not been looked after, and when the tenants finally go, it will probably be down to bailiffs and it's likely they'll leave it in even more of a…
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Adding Wife To Title Deeds
Hi, what would be the process for adding my wife to the title deeds of my house? Can I DIY using forms from Land Registry or would it be better to pay a conveyancing solicitor? We would be tenants in common and it may not be a 50/50 split.
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Service charge falsely advertised
I had an offer accepted on a flat in November 2025, with an advertised service charge of £1400/year. Today I have received the documentation from my solicitor including details of the service charge, which is shown as £1800/year. This is the first time I have seen this figure and this has not been mentioned to me at any…
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Gas leak and Housing association issue.
Was not sure where to put this post so hope i have put it in the right place. We live in a Housing association flat and on Friday they came to do the yearly Gas safety check and during that check they found we had a gas leak in one of the wall cavity so they capped the gas so we have not had any gas since friday for our…
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Possible purchase of garage should I add to deeds
In looking at buying a garage very close, within view of my property. I was trying to work out how much it will be including any insurance etc. My insurer has started it could be included in my home insurance if I added it to my deeds. My home is mortgaged (15 years remaining) and I'm looking at possibly buying the garage…
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Shared ownership & staircasing assistance!
Good morning all, new here and have read a fair few posts in regard to staircasing stamp duty! I think I may have got my maths correct but not 100% and its driving me round the bend so a little confirmation would be massively helpful! I bought my property at a 50% share for £112475 in 2021 during the covid Stamp duty…
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Change of address when between homes for months or years?
Hi, I have sold my house, and I have a temporary address (friends). However, changing my address has got complicated. DVLA - they say you don't need to if you are temporarily away eg Uni, but not about being between homes. If I change DVLA, then I will need to change vehicle insurance - and vice versa. I am currently…
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Aggressive buyer Exchange issue
Please advise. My first sale fell through 2 months ago, was for the full asking price and no post survey quibbles. Then down the chain collapsed. New buyer immediately offered a big whack under asking. EA pointed out unreasonable in the circumstances and so raised it a bit. This 2nd survey said roof old but not leaking.…
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Plumber charging £225 for blocked toilet
we told our landlord the toilet was blocked so he called a plumber who is charging £225. There was a large lump of toilet roll stuck in the toilet and excrement. We have received another quote of £150 + VAT. Are we liable to pay the whole £225? We didn’t choose the plumber nor did our landlord try to minimise costs by…
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Reclaiming mortgage early repayment fees
hello, I hope someone can help me, and I hope that this is in the right forum. Recently, whilst moving home I wanted to port my mortgage over to my new house. I was aware that my solicitor had to be on my banks panel, so emailed a solicitor asking if they were on the panel. They replied saying they were, and so I…
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Should estate agent have done checks?
My FIL is buying a flat that is currently rented out but the seller said that the tenant is moving out soon as his contract ends at the end of May but he wants to move out earlier. I used to be a landlord so I know all the risks associated with this. We have found out through the TA6 forms and the survey report that the…
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Responsibilities of being a director of a freehold
So still considering buying freehold for our leasehold block of flats, still worth it with new legislation? Regarding directors, we need two. What are the responsibilities of the role?
