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My flat requires an HMO certificate.
I live on the ground floor of an Edwardian house in the LB Haringey which has been converted into 2 flats. Both flats are leasehold and were converted pre 1991. I am being told by the freeholder that both flats require HMO licences and have invoiced us £800 for each flat with a deadline to pay. Can someone please confirm…
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Moving and trying to avoid a chain
We're thinking about moving later this year (daughter will start school in 2027, so would be good to do this by end of 2026, as would be a different catchment area). We have a decent chunk left on our mortgage, but due to savings and inheritance have about enough to pay it off. Alternatively, we could use this cash as the…
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Selling House in Spain with squatters
looking for advice on behalf of my parents in their 60’s who have a house in Tortosa Delta de Ebro region of Spain in a rural area which is now in a sorry state after Squatters have taken residence. They have been there a while and the house is now a shell of what it once was. Wondering if there are any companies who…
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Auction Purchase Compliance question
So we purchased a property through an auction site in July 2025. The sale contract was extremely vague and obviously we were liable for extremely high additional costs. Which we did factor into our decision, however…… After extensive refurbishment, we are looking to sell the property through the same auction house.…
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Splitting CGT on property in sole maiden name
We are planning to sell the flat I bought pre marriage and have rented since marriage . We have always split the rental gain on our self assessments and wonder if we actually need to do a deed of assignment in order to split CGT liability on selling, given that HMRC have always allowed us to split the rental tax liability.…
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Options for insurance for probate house.
Hi. A relative has been granted probate for a late friend's estate which includes a house - the house was left to the executor, my relative. Up until now - whilst probate was being sought, and since being granted - the house was insured using an Unoccupied House policy. She now wishes to tidy the place up for ultimate…
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New boiler - no gas certificate
I had a new gas boiler fitted last year and the fitter made a really good job of it. I never did receive a (gas safe) certificate for it. He now seems to have vanished into thin air. I'm a little concerned about when we finally come to sell our property in a few years time. I'm not sure where to go from here and would like…
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Concluding missives in Scotland - how late is normal?
Although I've bought properties before, this is the first time I'm buying as part of the dreaded chain. Our solicitor encouraged us to agree a moving date with the other parties prior to conclusion of the missives, which wasn't the way round I would choose, but of course went with the expert's advice. Moving date is set…
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What tools did you use to track and manage your house or flat hunt?
I'm not great with organisation, especially with things I'm not particularly excited about. I'm currently looking for a new home and finding the whole process surprisingly hard to manage. When I start searching I end up with tabs open on Rightmove and Zoopla and can never remember which ones I've already looked at, or…
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Kitchen sink has detached. Should the surveyor have noticed issue?
Hi, For the house I recently bought, I had a Level 2 survey done, and this is their quote for the kitchen: "Fitments consist of kitchen and utility fittings to a modern good standard, the usual blemishes noted, although much storage noted also. However, no serious issues were noted and the usual maintenance is advised.…
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Overpriced house, offer rejected, what now?
Husband and I went to view a property on Sunday and we both really liked it however we think it is overpriced. It was put on the market in June 2025 for 850k, reduced 3 months later to 800k then taken off the market. It has recently been put back on at 775k and I still think it is really overpriced. The house has been…
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Estate agent overcharged commission fee
My estate agent has been overcharging me commission for their property management and tenant find service as a landlord client. I just noticed the discrepancy when filing invoices and comparing it to the signed terms and conditions. It stretches back to the first invoice in May 2024 when the first tenant moved into the…
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Paying balancing service charge
I live in a purpose-built block of retirement flats. As with all such properties, we pay an estimated service charge that requires a balancing fee at a later date when the accounts are completed. I have just received a bill for the balancing charge. I agree that the amount is payable in due course. The trouble is that for…
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Buying house with extension but no "improvement indicator" for council tax
We've recently put an offer in for a house that had an extension about 15 years ago, I have checked the local council website and have found the planning permission which was accepted. Despite this, when I check the government website the property does not show an improvement indicator but I can't see how this wouldn't…
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Potential to buy a share of Freehold in 2 flat property?
If one has a leasehold flat in a block of 2, where the freehold is owned by a housing association - with the other flat being rented out, are there any rights to get part ownership of the freehold? My understanding is not, but I don't know if changes might be in the pipeline. The interest is because we'd like to make some…
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Whether to Buy/Rent Advice Please
Hello, I’ve just returned to the UK from the Middle East for 8 years. I will start working in London but currently based in Manchester with family for the short-term (need to be in London 2-3 days/week). To reduce the commute the plan is probably to be based closer along the train line (Crewe, Stafford) either renting or…
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Chimney removal certificate
Hi all, I’m a first-time buyer and would really appreciate some real-world advice from people who’ve been in a similar situation. We’re in the process of buying a semi-detached house in London. A survey has just been carried out, and it’s confirmed that the chimney has been removed on all floors. The seller says this was…
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buy to let landlord tax saving scheme question
does anyone have any contacts for reputable tax advice for landlords and tax restructuring.? im looking for regulated professional companies only please , i had been in talks with property118 in recent months but they are very sales pushy and the fees are really high , whats confused me greatly is a recent article by dan…
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Guardianship Schemes?
Does anyone know anything about rental properties under guardianship schemes? We are considering a short term rental between houses and a couple have come up listed as guardianship properties. Rolling 28 days notice for both sides. This makes us a bit nervous. Typically how long can these tenancies last? Could we be faced…
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Selling a house for the first time - struggling!
We bought our first home in 2022, at peak pandemic price, when properties were selling like hot cakes. We had been renting for 7 years before, and we bought into the idea that we needed to get on the property ladder sooner rather than later. We bought a 2-bedroom semi, new build, with a surprisingly large, SE facing…
