New "Have a Look at This" thread

Skiddaw1

Patr100 said:

This is just awful in so many ways :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr5557k80o

I was just reading that story. Poor family- I do feel for them.

robatwork

Patr100 said:

Good view for some by might be a bit noisy at times.
https://www.allendavies.co.uk/property-for-sale-buckingham-road-leyton-london-pi-alen3762.htm

Probably very good neighbours - better than a Primary school!

Of little interest but the name of the EA amused me. Despite being a massive Gooner, Alan Davies has a soft spot for the Os and would like the flat. 

RHemmings

Patr100 said:

This is just awful in so many ways :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr5557k80o

A whole lot of soil appeared at my allotment for anyone to use. I wonder if it came from a property such as this. 

More seriously, I thought they grew cannibis in cannibis houses using hydroponics. If they're switching to soil, that's going to cause even more damage. 

FreeBear

RHemmings said:

Patr100 said:

This is just awful in so many ways :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr5557k80o

A whole lot of soil appeared at my allotment for anyone to use. I wonder if it came from a property such as this. 

More seriously, I thought they grew cannibis in cannibis houses using hydroponics. If they're switching to soil, that's going to cause even more damage. 

Large compost filled pots are cheaper and easier to set up.

Having looked at the photos in that BBC piece, the soil looks to be around 12-18 inches deep. Quite a bit short of 3ft.

Patr100

Skiddaw1 said:

Patr100 said:

This is just awful in so many ways :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr5557k80o

I was just reading that story. Poor family- I do feel for them.

Smart meters I  believe have anti-tamper   precautions built in , surely they could alert the energy company
of unauthorised action. Though maybe they bypass that as well.
Not suggesting they had one in this case.

BikingBud

Patr100 said:

This is just awful in so many ways :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr5557k80o

Whilst I have some sympathy look on the flip side, what due diligence did they carry out? 

The Reeves family had advertised their property online as they prepared to work abroad. They were approached by an estate agent who discovered they would be away for an extended period. The agent promised them a family of tenants, supposedly working for a City firm and with children.

How did they look to protect their asset? 

The emotional toll on the family, from both the rental fraud and the damage caused to their home, has been immense.
Mr Reeves's wife Julia said: "When you're dealing with property, particularly a home that you're in for nearly 20 years, and raising your child in... It was pretty horrific to feel that you got attacked at the core, that inner sanctum, that place of comfort, that we'd rely on in the city, it's our home - very emotional."

If they really relied upon it why did they let it out?

Was it mortgaged, consent to let acquired, insured to let?

What was the tax position?

Did they do any of the things house owners should do before letting? Why did they trust the EA?

None so easy to part from their cash than those that think something might make them some easy money?

"If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Mr Morgan warns. "If somebody turns up offering to pay cash because they've been let down and they need to move in immediately, then alarm bells should start to ring."

Same old, same old.

Surprised they didn't claim "Accidental Landlord!"

mark_cycling00

Journalists can be very selective about which quotes they use and can try to create an agenda or exaggerate, cause shock or just try to create entertainment and an article that will be shared 

The people probably talked for 30+ mins and then the journalist picks a couple of quotes to use without relevant context. 

The BBC is never going to portray landlords as victims, so the "greedy landlords learn their lesson" is probably what the news editor went with.

Ditzy_Mitzy

RHemmings said:

Dandie89 said:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149467760  Interesting place. Apart from the wood panelling, the fire place in the bay window, the avocado suite, the home bar, you have a hodge podge of glass internal doors to admire.

I sort of feel that the carport is over-engineered. 

How come?  A house like that needs to have parking for the homeowner's Granada GXL, the homeowner's secretary's MG, sundry local councillors' Van Den Plas thing-a-majigs and the vicar's bicycle.  The house also needs somewhere to keep a large bowl of fruit...  

RHemmings

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

RHemmings said:

Dandie89 said:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149467760  Interesting place. Apart from the wood panelling, the fire place in the bay window, the avocado suite, the home bar, you have a hodge podge of glass internal doors to admire.

I sort of feel that the carport is over-engineered. 

How come?  A house like that needs to have parking for the homeowner's Granada GXL, the homeowner's secretary's MG, sundry local councillors' Van Den Plas thing-a-majigs and the vicar's bicycle.  The house also needs somewhere to keep a large bowl of fruit...  

I'm not sure how serious you are, but I think that the carport doesn't need to be made out of what appears to be stone. 

BarelySentientAI

RHemmings said:

Patr100 said:

This is just awful in so many ways :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr5557k80o

A whole lot of soil appeared at my allotment for anyone to use. I wonder if it came from a property such as this. 

More seriously, I thought they grew cannibis in cannibis houses using hydroponics. If they're switching to soil, that's going to cause even more damage. 

Almost always soil.  I see many many properties looking very similar to the one in the article.

mark_cycling00 said:

Journalists can be very selective about which quotes they use and can try to create an agenda or exaggerate, cause shock or just try to create entertainment and an article that will be shared 

The people probably talked for 30+ mins and then the journalist picks a couple of quotes to use without relevant context. 

The BBC is never going to portray landlords as victims, so the "greedy landlords learn their lesson" is probably what the news editor went with.

Some that I see are clearly dodgy or don't care - I remember one where turning up to meet me was the first time the landlord had ever seen the property in person, having bought at online auction and then been paid 6 months rent up front in cash by the tenant's ex girlfriend in a KFC car park 100 miles away.

Many, however, are guilty of nothing more than trusting a less-than-squeaky agent and shouldn't bear much blame at all.