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Landlord refuses to give back deposit
My grandad was renting a 1 bed flat in a retirement complex, he paid one month upfront and a £1500 deposit, shortly after he moved in he was admitted to hospital. Whilst in hospital he continued to pay his rent, then in January he was moved into a nursing home, made the landlord aware and carried on paying his rent. He has…
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Do I need to pay for an extra survey in addtion to searches & valuation?
Hello, first time buyer here! I am in the process of buying a house and have recieved back the searches. Nothing is screaming out that it is a problem but my solitor has advised that all clients should get addtion surveys carried out..? The house is a 1900's terraced style with no obivious issues but wondering what the…
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Proof of funds for solicitors
Hi all Our solicitors have asked us for proof of funds for our purchase. We have the 10% deposit (approx £30k) and they’ve asked separately for the rest. Naively I thought we’ll have all that ready for date of completion so no issue. However they obviously want to see it now. I get paid more each month than what the…
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Stamp duty when I don't currently own a property
Looking for a bit of advice on paying stamp duty. I previously owned a house with my Dad but I am no longer on the deeds and have transferred my equity across to him. I'm currently renting but in the process of buying a property. I appreciate I'm not a first time buyer but does that mean I pay the full amount of stamp…
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Conveyancer Errors
To keep it brief, my experiences with conveyancers have been rather frustrating. Years ago, I purchased a leasehold property with the assistance of Conveyancer A. Recently, I sold this property using Conveyancer B, and during the sales process, it became clear that Conveyancer A had failed to properly review the lease.…
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Lease premium? Shared ownership stamp duty
I am trying to work out what the potential stamp duty cost will be on a shared ownership property post April 2025 (I am NOT a first time buyer). I have tried to do a calculation on the Government website but there is a question I am stuck on: * Total lease premium payable? (Find this in your lease) - How I can work out…
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Leasehold service charge proportion payments unclear/discrepancies
I have reviewed a friend's service charges and lease and it appears their lease quotes two proportions for internal block costs as 1/xxx and external costs as 1/xxx. In their service charge demands (over 10 years worth) with the same managing agent, there is a table of 7 components/charges constituting the annual service…
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Halifax mortgage lending experiences
Hi everyone, I’m only asking out of curiosity and I appreciate everyone’s situations are different so does not guarantee in any way that the same would apply to me, however I’m looking to understand people’s experiences with applying for a mortgage with Halifax. We’re FTB, 10% deposit, combined salary of £96k, looking to…
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Advice needed management company
trying to keep a long story short. We live in a small new build development built by Bellway in 2020. The management company they used for the site has been taken over twice and is now First Port. Bellway have failed to hand over the site to the Shadow Board and First Port are truly terrible. At best they are charging…
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Payment arrangement for property transaction
I am writing to seek your advice on a potential payment arrangement I am considering as I'm selling my flat (agreed price 400,000£). The buyer is struggling to get a mortgage, as their bank requests a FRAEW (Fire Risk Assessment External Walls) report, that my building doesn't have; however they would be available to pay…
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Cooparenting - council tax
Hello dear MSE Community, I was wondering if someone would be able to help me. Basically I am in a relationship but don't live permanently with my partner. He owns his place outside London and I rent mine in London. I wont get into why etc but mostly for work related reasons i need a base in London. Of course we 'share'…
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How to reduce time to completion?
We've had an offer accepted and have one eye on the stamp duty changes from April 1st* so I'm wondering what advice you all might have for speeding the process along? Obviously I can't control every factor, but for example what questions can we ask potential conveyancers to try and gauge if they're likely to move quickly,…
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Need to request planning permission for a house change of use - can it be DIY'd?
I am moving out of my house and want to rent it out, but I live in a location with an article 4 that requires planning permission to change the house from C3 to C4. I was quoted £840 by a company to submit this on my behalf. Is this something that I should definitely get an expert to do, or is it possible to do it myself?…
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S/O Staircase, Remortgage, Cancer
Im a shared owner at 75% and was hoping to staircase to 100% when my current deal ends in august..yesterday i was diagnosed with s2 cancer and so my logic is....do i stay where i am or do i still try for the 100%. In the event of my death, my partner could sell the whole flat or do i leave it and let them take over the 25%…
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Estate Agent(s) Fee Clause - 'Ready Willing and Able Purchaser'
Hello We are looking to sell our house shortly for the first time in many years and have had a few estate agents round to give us a valuation and their terms of business. They all seem to have the same clause in their terms - which generally reads 'You will liable to pay our fee or any costs and charges agreed if we find a…
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Renting house to family on universal credit - asking for 2 contracts?
Wonder if someone can share some advice. The family seem nice / should look after the place. But have asked for 2 contracts - eldest son to claim for one room and the rest of the rooms the family will claim. I can’t get my head around if this is normal or something dodgy. I know housing benefit is reduced for every non…
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Selling inherited property to a sibling and transfer of ownership
Hi I’ve jointly inherited with my sibling a deceased parent’s property where they were the sole owner. The sibling wants to buy my share of the property but is insisting transfer of ownership is passed to us both before purchasing my share. Does transfer of ownership have to take place before buying my share. I do not…
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Using a LISA as part of cash for auction
Hi! I’m looking to buy my first home through auction but I don’t want to lose the benefits from my LISA as I have a good chunk of money saved in there. Is it possible to use a Nutmeg sticks and shares LISA as part of the cash sum needed to complete the purchase? Any info or advice available would be appreciated!
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Advice for renting out a flat we have just inherited please
Hello, My husband has just inherited a 2 bed flat which is has been rented out with a tenancy company for years. We would like to continue with this and take over the rental but I have a query about the tax and income side of things. Hopefully it will be straightforward? My husband works full time and we are housed in a…
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Consent to alteration
Hi "I am in the process of purchasing a leasehold property in london and have asked my solicitor to confirm with the freeholder whether I can replace part or all of the carpet with wood flooring (a change prohibited by the terms of the lease). The freeholder is requesting £300 plus VAT to grant consent for this change. My…
