Why are some people on here being so smug?

Sir_Humphrey

Leighthal wrote: »

If something goes wrong in your rented property then yes you don't have the hassle of sorting it out.But where do you think the LL gets the money to sort it out?I would think it would be from the rent money your paying.
Surely all you are avoiding is the hassle of finding a tradesman.

Of course not, it comes from his/her buildings insurance.

roguebrogue

Which they use the rent to pay?

PasturesNew

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

Of course not, it comes from his/her buildings insurance.

Not if it's run of the mill maintenance stuff.

So far my landlord's had to come and look at the washing machine, bring in a replacement one. Also turn up to look at the shower, buy a new head and pipe and fit those.

Not much, but it'd have been just as easy to have other problems, like leaks, or electrical failures. There's the potential the oven won't work, the microwave, the fridge. Or perhaps the cistern valve could go.

Larger the property, the more problems. Unblocking the gutters yearly for leaves? Painting the outside?

All sorts can go wrong that's nothing to do with insurance.

All time/money.

The hardest thing I found about owning property was finding WHO to call, getting them to turn up, getting them to give a reasonable quote (they quote silly high prices to women on their own) and then getting them to turn up and do the work.

Leighthal

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not if it's run of the mill maintenance stuff.

So far my landlord's had to come and look at the washing machine, bring in a replacement one. Also turn up to look at the shower, buy a new head and pipe and fit those.

Not much, but it'd have been just as easy to have other problems, like leaks, or electrical failures. There's the potential the oven won't work, the microwave, the fridge. Or perhaps the cistern valve could go.

Larger the property, the more problems. Unblocking the gutters yearly for leaves? Painting the outside?

All sorts can go wrong that's nothing to do with insurance.

All time/money.

The hardest thing I found about owning property was finding WHO to call, getting them to turn up, getting them to give a reasonable quote (they quote silly high prices to women on their own) and then getting them to turn up and do the work.

A savvy LL would probably price all this into the rental cost.And as for WHO to call,if they have been 'in the game' for along time then they will have contacts and regular tradesmen.Of course some LLs will dismiss minor complaints by tenants and string them along for as long as possible and when they do leave just get someone else in.
If we are heading for a recession then surely tradesmen are going to be easier to find and cheaper?

neverdespairgirl

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

In London I have a large room in a decent but unfashionable area. Including bills and council tax, this costs me around £350 PCM.

Where in London do you live?

neverdespairgirl

Captain_Mainwaring wrote: »

You could go the whole hog and eat swans,

I havea vague idea all swans belong to the Queen, and she'd rather you didn't eat them.

PasturesNew

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I havea vague idea all swans belong to the Queen, and she'd rather you didn't eat them.

They do. Only the Queen can eat them and there is one banquet every year at St John's College, Cambridge where swan is served. That is the only time other people are allowed to eat swan, if they can work in the kitchen at that College and nick a bit.

WTF?_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

They do. Only the Queen can eat them and there is one banquet every year at Queens' College, Cambridge where swan is served. That is the only time other people are allowed to eat swan, if they can work in the kitchen at that College and nick a bit.

Only mute swans are actually owned by the reigning monarch. Thanks go to QI there......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_QI_episodes_(E_series)

PasturesNew

Thanks, it was St John's, not Queens'. I've amended my entry.

St Johns ... another company that shafted me.... they told me what they wanted me to do and I did it. It was only afterwards that they told me (when making me redundant) that they'd hired me to fail. I was expected to fail. It wasn't supposed to be possible to turn a part of their business round into profit-making... and they were only doing it so they could be SEEN to be making best efforts.

Bugg4hs.



If they'd TOLD me that I could have made it look like work and sat around amusing myself instead!

Sir_Humphrey

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not if it's run of the mill maintenance stuff.

So far my landlord's had to come and look at the washing machine, bring in a replacement one. Also turn up to look at the shower, buy a new head and pipe and fit those.

Quite right, I was thinking of the Izzy who mentioned flooding.

Minor stuff is all included in the rental price. That is part of what I was getting at with the "real rent" post.

If you are comparing rental to mortgage costs, you need to consider these extra costs of owning, which tip the financial argument towards renting.

If (for argument's sake) you buy a flat that appreciates by 5k over a year, but you have a service charge of 2-3k (not unusual), plus say 2k in extra costs which would otherwise be paying in rent, then in fact you could still end off better financially by renting even if prices rose.

I know someone who has a flat in a well known block in Balham. His annual service charge is almost as much as my annual rent, and that does not include an extra several grand one-off for lift repairs.

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Where in London do you live?

South of Streatham Common station. Not exactly pretty (pebbledash everywhere), but cheap, convenient, no more unsafe than anywhere else in zone 3 (very low burglary rate) and friendly (never had neighbour problems). Not a place to live if you are a snob (which I know you are not).

1930s pebbledash isn't pretty, but it is good value and tends to have large rooms. Also, they have pitched roofs so don't leak. Personally, I still prefer Edwardian though.