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House buying, renting & selling

For all questions to do with buying, selling, renting and letting homes.

Problems with lodger
I got a new lodger (to earn extra cash). She brought someone at 1am without asking for my permission. She stayed with him in her room for about ten minutes and then they both left. She said that he is her partner, but she knows only his first initial and a phone number. She claims to have known him for four months. She…
NEW & DIFFERING RULES ABOUT DOUBLING OF COUNCIL TAX FOR SO CALLED EMPTY PROPERTIES
The rules regarding the above matter seem to be a bit variable on a Council by Council basis. Whilst there is 'national legislation' - the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 - the rules (based on seemingly subjective discretion available to Councils) seem to be somewhat all over the place. I had made a post regarding…
Assent to only one sibling?
Hi, so my mum has left a will that she made before my dad died. It seems like it collapses down to everything (apart from specific jewellery items) being shared equally between me and my sister. Her house isn't specifically mentioned. My sister wants to keep the house. Can we assent the house to her and then give me a…
Buyer wants me to drop the price to account for windows
I'm waiting to exchange but my buyer wants me to drop the price to account for 2k new windows. What do I do? I dropped the price off their asking price by 8K to account for it being a victorian property.
Septic tank (shared) upgrade - what would you do?
Hi all, I have belatedly learnt about septic tank regs - I should have known about them when I bought my house in 2021, but my solicitor didn’t flag up any potentially illegal water discharge (my survey did suggest a septic tank specialist survey, which I didn’t do, silly me!). I am surprised by this, as I thought that’s…
Mis-representation after house purchase - anyone ever had any luck?
Yes I know to a certain extent its a case of Caveat Emptor and you are relying a LOT on the seller actually being a decent human being........ The house we sold I fixed all little things and cleaned the house from top to bottom. The one we moved into looked like pigs had been living there. But thats by the by. The issues…
Share of freehold TR1
Hello folks, I am several months into the selling process and I have finally reached the point at which we might exchange contracts. However, we have encountered a problem. we live in a block of four flats, where as original freeholders we all had an equal share in our personal names. Last September the lady above me sold…
Selling shareownership property
Hi all, I am selling my shared ownership property. It is with midland heart. I have paid admin fees to sell. I am now being told I have to pay £450 upfront for the management fees ( £650 for a quicker processing) I don't have 450 just sitting in my bank account. The whole reason I am selling is because I can no longer…
Proof Of Deposit
Apologies if this is something obvious, however this is my first time selling a house, so please bear with me. I am in the process of selling my first house and buying another house. I have accepted an offer on my house and the ball is rolling with that sale. I have a solicitor and have just completed the initial forms…
Selling/renting my property
Hello i currently have a flat with mortgage but will be buying a property with my boyfriend. If I sell it for £25k more than I bought it how much capital gains tax will I pay? Also if I don’t sell my flat but rent it how does this affect my income?
Not sure whether to continue
We put an offer on a house on 13th Feb. We are cash buyers. When we made the offer we were told the vendor had put an offer on a property, and that the seller of said property "had somewhere to go" so we could aim for a quick completion. Our conveyancing solicitior has steamed ahead and been brilliant, we are in a position…
Stamp duty refund?
Timeline May 1998 – xdh and I bought house in joint names July 2019 – xdh threw me out of the house May 2020 – divorce finalised October 2022 – I bought a house for me to live in (in my name only) May 2023 – xdh had marital home repossessed as he “forgot” to pay the mortgage (could afford to buy his fiancée an expensive…
Garage Rental - Help
Hi - So we have been renting a garage through a letting agent for 18 months. We haven’t been using it a lot for the past few months as our car has been in for repairs. We went up there over the weekend and found that the locks had been changed. Upon asking neighbours, long story short, it turns out that it’s someone else’s…
We have a cash buyer for our property. Should we sell and rent until we can buy?
We have been on the market for nearly a year but now have a buyer who wishes to proceed quickly. The rental market looks very expensive but if we sell and rent short term what sort of return could we possibly expect on approximately £500k? This is a dilemma so any advice would be appreciated. Thank You
Section 20 request out of the blue
I just wanted to say a big thank you to this forum. I used previous comments and responses from a number of people to aid me in my dilemma and most importantly, someone advised having a phonecall with the Leasehold Advisory Service about Section 20's and how to challenge them. Foloowing their advice I was able to…
Lease extension
Hello, my 87 year old aunt lives 400 miles away from me on the IOW. She is in a leasehold flat and has just told me she wants to go into assisted living, which will involve selling her flat. I asked her how many years there are on her lease and she isn't sure - and thinks her solicitor holds her lease? I've had a look at…
Redeemed a mortgage without Solicitor
In the process of redeeming the mortgage. The bank gave me the option of using a solicitor or not. I want to do it myself. The bank has sent me 3 things now. DS1, TR1 and a power of attorney. The forms are all filled out and signed by the banks solicitors. I know I need to sign panel 12 (on tr1) Once this is done, I intend…
Electric Charge Point - Flat - Allocated Parking outside
Hi, I have an allocated parking space outside my block of flats (6 in total, over 3 floors, 2 on each floor), which is leasehold. I have enquired about the possibility of an electric charge point being installed at the end of my parking space (which I own on the deeds), to which I have been told I do not have the right to…
Neighbors running a repair business from home?
Hi all, Bit of a weird one. So we have lived in this property for about 14 years now, one of our direct neighbors (separated via fence) have always been a bit loud etc but never been terrible. They used to repair vehicles on their drives, small vans etc. They then sold or rented (it was up for sale for a week or two and…
Clearing mortgage
My husband and I are in the lucky position that we are able to clear our mortgage within the next couple of months. It has 29 years left to run and we are on a fixed term rate until May 2026. What do we need to do? We are with Halifax so I am assuming we need to contact them to get a settlement figure, but what happens…

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MSE News

Martin Lewis: How to call your bank with just three digits – as 'anti-scam' phone number called over a million times
One million calls have been made to the '159' anti-scam phone number since its launch in 2021, new figures reveal today (Wednesday 30 April). MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis – one of the well-known faces most used in scams – explains how to call your bank by dialling just these three numbers.
Revealed: Holland & Barrett's supposedly cheaper 'Subscribe & Save' often costs more – it's promised a review after our investigation
Holland & Barrett's 'Subscribe & Save' scheme claims to offer regular shoppers "the best value" – but it failed to do so in the majority of cases MoneySavingExpert.com checked over a five month period. The retailer has now promised to review the scheme after our research found it was often more expensive.
Don't get your passport by post – 360,000 paid more than needed last year
If your passport is due for renewal, apply online if you can – it'll save you £12.50. More than 7 million Brits did just that last year – but over 360,000 missed out on savings by using a paper form instead, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal.
Sainsbury’s Bank customer? NatWest takes over this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
Sainsbury's Bank's savings, credit cards and loans will be taken over by NatWest from Thursday 1 May. For most, this means little will change for now as the Sainsbury's Bank brand will remain, though it's expected to be phased out towards the end of this year. However, if you've over £85,000 saved across both banks, it's worth considering moving any excess elsewhere to ensure your cash remains protected.
Chase customer? Check if you can get its newly boosted 4.8% easy-access saver
If you've got a Chase account, check if you can boost your easy-access savings to 4.8% – made up of a 1.8% AER fixed six-month bonus plus its standard 3% variable rate. Chase says over 2 million customers can get the boost, which would top our normal savings tables if it were open to all, though it's beaten by the top easy-access cash ISAs.
NatWest to complete takeover of Sainsbury's Bank this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
Sainsbury's Bank's savings, credit cards and loans will be taken over by NatWest from Thursday 1 May. For most, this means little will change for now as the Sainsbury's Bank brand will remain, though it's expected to be phased out towards the end of this year. However, if you've over £85,000 saved across both banks, it's worth considering moving any excess elsewhere to ensure your cash remains protected.
Martin Lewis: Is the £20,000 cash ISA limit about to be killed off? What savers should be doing now
Plans to cut the £20,000 cash ISA limit later this year are being considered by the Government. In his latest video, MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis explains what's likely to happen, what the changes would mean for savers and what you should be doing now.
NatWest to complete takeover of Sainsbury's Bank this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
Sainsbury's Bank's savings, credit cards and loans will be taken over by NatWest from 1 May. For most, this means little change for now as the Sainsbury’s brand will remain, though it's expected to be phased out towards the end of this year. However, if you've over £85,000 saved across both banks, you'll need to move any excess elsewhere to ensure your cash remains protected.
NatWest to complete takeover of Sainsbury's Bank this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
From Thursday 1 May, Sainsbury's Bank credit cards, loans and savings accounts will be run by NatWest as part of a deal between the two banks. You'll be moved to NatWest in the future, likely towards the end of this year, but for now the Sainsbury's Bank brand will remain and you can continue to use its products and services as before.

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