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Buying a flat - do you focus on what you need "right now" or do you think about the future?
I've found a lovely flat which is ideal for what I need right now. Ideally placed for transport links, and doesn't need any renovation. It's right at the top of my price range, but everything else I can afford is either a studio, in need of some work, or outside the radius of where I'd ideally like to live. I generally…
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How to find a structural engineer
You'd think this would be easy but no. I went to the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and used their "find an engineer" function. There is apparently no engineer firms within 100 miles of my postcode (Dorset). I called them because I didn't think this could be right and the person on the phone says it is.…
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Funding new house
I currently own my own house, having been mortgage free for the past 10 years. Both my wife and I are retired with reasonable pensions and savings. I also have a Prudential drawdown pension that I payed a forces pension into. However, I haven't touched this yet. We are now considering moving closer to my daughter but…
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Wife left, Ordered to sell up, Neighbour wants me to split cost of fence
my neighbour spoke to me a year ago about possibly splitting the cost of a fence in the back yard. He mentioned they’d always just gone 50/50 with the neighbours for fences and walls as the deeds don’t make it clear who is responsible. Looking out at the yard this fence is on the right. I didn’t confirm i would agree to it…
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Recommendations for Unoccupied Property policy, please?
Hi. Anyone taken out such a policy? Any recommendations. I found Adrian Flux came up as recommended, and recall them from my classic car days... But the person who needs this reports the form is pretty involved - "Height above water course" and stuff like that. Is that typical? Any straightforward ones? Ta. Oops - asked…
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Advice Needed Please.
My husband died a few months ago and because I can no longer aford the rent on my own, I started looking for somewhere new to rent. I thought It would take months and my tenancy agreement doesn't end until July. However within a couple of months a council near where my son lives offered me a brand new flat. Obviously, I…
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HomeLet Referencing
Does anyone have any experience of tenant referencing with HomeLet? I’ve just viewed a new property and the agents use them for the checks. I have poor credit and a few bank loans but can afford the rent on the new property. From looking online I can see that HomeLet do ‘forensic affordability’ checks not just a soft…
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Lease extension on share of freehold - Struggling to find solicitor
I own a share of the freehold for my Flat. There are three other freeholder within the management company. We all own an equal share and have decided amongst ourselves to collectively extend all of the leases of our flats to 999 for a nill premium. As a result, we won’t pay an excess and the paperwork should be relatively…
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Leasehold flat, cost of replacement communal door seems excessive
I’d love to get some opinions. I’m in Kent, south east England, I know everything is expensive here. I own a 2 bed flat, ex council now owned by housing authority who have a habit of putting rather unsavoury characters in our building, and therefore, our front and back security doors get damaged frequently. I’ve received a…
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Verbal Offer agreed but changed at the last minute, what are my rights.
Good Morning, We were in the process of negotiating for the purchase of a new house. We were going to use the House builders part-exchange scheme. They offered us £290K for our house initially. We turned this down and they came back with a £295k offer. Again, we turned this down. Then they called and said that they could…
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Lease extensions - marriage value abolishment
When will Marriage value be abolished when renewing a lease and what is likely to be put in place instead ? Will it be cheaper then to renew a lease? open
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Leasehold residential tenant subject to asset protection train track boundary
Looking for specialist advice relating to asset protection orders on leasehold residential property. Very close proximity to overhead traintrack lines busy lines and freight train activity. Tenant of almost 10 years. Restrictions on title. Devaluation Extremely close brick to boundary fence 3 meters Unregistered land…
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Passing a Landlord Reference Check
Good afternoon, Does anyone know what information a prospective letting agent can see on a credit check for a new property. I am thinking of moving, earn enough with my partner to cover the rent and have good standing with my current letting agents. I do, however, have a very poor credit score due a currently running DMP,…
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How to get cash into current account?
We are buying a house for cash with the money sitting in various savings accounts, all sitting individually under the FSCS limit. In order to buy the house we will first have to transfer the money to our current account resulting in it being temporarily significantly over the FSCS protection limit. We are talking over £1…
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Possible tax on (briefly) owing two homes
Hi, My wife and I are keen to move house quickly. We’ve found one we like and we can just about afford to buy it before we sell our current one. But we’ve been warned about potential tax implications. Our current house is in my wife’s name. The new one would be in my name. Would that help us avoid the relevant tax? If I…
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Tenant refusing to pay rent
Dear all, I have a tenant living with partner and her son in my terraced house. They have been there for about 6 years. We now need to sell the house and we have send them all the right documentation to this regard, by post and email and they are not happy so they have not paid this month rent and they will probably not…
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Miscalculated rent arrears by housing association - how to escalate
Hi, I have been renting a flat in London under the Intermediate Market Rent (IMR) scheme since July 2023. I have an AST tenancy agreement which states that "the rent will increase in line with our policy on intermediate rents being an increase on 1 April each year by CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus 1% based on the figures…
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Parking outside own home in a 6 house cul-de-sac......?
Hello, FAO: MODS If this is in the wrong place, please move it. Background information - we have moved into my girlfriends childhood home that her mum lived in until she died 2 years ago. It is a small cul-de-sac with 6 houses on it in a L shape (see Picture 1). They were Council Houses, all 3 bedroom semi's. Number 1&2…
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Help needed please
Hello, I have very difficult issue and cannot find help, my wife bought a home in 1971 but she was on a low income so to get the mortage her freind put his name to the application, the mortgage went though, her friend did not pay any payments as he only put his name to it so my wife could get the house,He has never lived…
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Buy to let mortgage with main house protection.
hi All I have my home nearly paid off (15 percent left) and consider taking second mortgage to finanse much cheaper buy to let property. I have to be 100 percent sure about potential worst case scenario if things go wrong with the buy to let property and it has negative equity can i be chased by the bank on my main…
