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Martin Lewis Blog: 'House offer accepted, now they want £20,000 more! What should I do?'
A passer-by stopped Martin in the street recently to ask his opinion on her house buying dilemma. You can check out his view in a video he posted: Martin Lewis: 'House offer accepted, now they want £20,000 more! What should I do?' What would you do? Stand your ground? Walk away? Pay the extra? Negotiate? Tell us your…
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New to the House Buying, Selling & Renting board? Start here
✅ This board is for... * Questions about buying or selling a home * Questions about renting a home * Questions about being a landlord 🚫 This board is not for.. * Debating the state of the economy * Debating house prices in general * Political debates Note: In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place…
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Tenancies in Eng/Wales: Guides for landlords and tenants
post 1 This thread is intended to provide information to both landlords and tenants relating to Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales. Updated April 2020 to include the Coronavirus Act 2020 and July 2020 to include the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020. Topics covered: Post 2: Repairing…
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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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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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Creation of Residents Management Company - Insight sought
Hi everyone, I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has set up or taken over a Residents' Management Company (RMC) specifically for a small private road. Our developer is ready to hand over the freehold of the road to us. I’m stepping up as a Director, but I want to make sure we aren’t being taken for a ride on the…
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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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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 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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Section 21
Hi, My daughter has rented a student house for the last 2 years. Her current AST is due to expire on 30th June. Can the landlord issue a section 21 on the 30th April and make them leave on 30th June, or will they be protected under the new rental rights bill? Thanks
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House wont sell other options
So i have been trying to sell my home for a few months. Valued by 3 agents between £220k and £230k. I would accept £220k but it is just not selling. No interest despite changing the photos to clear and uncluttered pictures. I desperately need to move areas. Should i just keep reducing the property to below market value and…
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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…
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Whopping stamp duty or wait it out?
is it normal to pay 50k stamp duty? Are people actually paying this? Seems hefty!!!! I want to buy a place to let out but 50k plus extra seems a bit much? Are people in UK actually paying this? Seems very dissuading. Or is it just me being tight!?
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Buying a leasehold flat has been the single worst experience of my life
I started this process in May 2025 when I had an offer accepted on my first flat I tried to buy. After 5 months of forms, waiting for packs and information, enquires, weeks of back and fourth with very little progress being made, I dropped the purchase. All because the seller didn't want to pay his own fee of a deed of…
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Manage the CGT on the sale of a rental property
Hi All, Please excuse my rambling, just trying to enter details that maybe relevant. My wife and I jointly own a rental property for 10 years, it has increased in value approx 50K in this time. I would like to sell and legally avoid/manage as much CGT as I can. I also own my main residence. On personnel note, I can…
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Parking outside own home in a 6 house cul-de-sac......?
Hello, FAO: MODS If this is in the wrong place, please move it. Background information - we have moved into my girlfriends childhood home that her mum lived in until she died 2 years ago. It is a small cul-de-sac with 6 houses on it in a L shape (see Picture 1). They were Council Houses, all 3 bedroom semi's. Number 1&2…
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Help with leasehold ; complicated?
The abridged story is that I purchases a SO property in 2011, and fully staircased 10 years later. The lease I signed in 2011 clearly states 99 years. So this is definitely the time to consider extending. Slightly bizarrely, my lease doesn't have a date on my hard copy. So I used an online tool called the Leasehold…
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Sheltered housing criteria
I currently own a home and would like to move to another area where my parents live. It is a more expensive area so buying is out of the question. They both live in sheltered accommodation and moved there 20 years ago. They previously owned a property, sold it and now pay rent. There is no warden. I also would not need a…
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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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FTB cash-only flat with short lease and major works pending
Hi all, I’m a first-time buyer and would really appreciate some guidance before I submit an offer on a flat I’ve viewed. The property is listed at £130k and is a probate, cash-buyer purchase due to the lease only having 54 years remaining. A neighbour on the building committee reportedly bought their share a few years ago…
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A niche SDLT question.
(posting for a colleague) A married couple A & B owned their own home. For historic reasons it was always in the sole name of A. They then decided to move to another part of the country, due to work commitments B moved first with the intention that A follows a few months later. B moves into a doer-upper. The property is in…
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Proving Source of Funds
I hope this is the correct place to post. My son is experiencing difficulties in proving the source of funds for the deposit on his first house. He was left an inheritance when he was 4 years old. This was held in trust until he was 18 when it transferred to his name i 2016. He is now 27. The Solicitors are insisting he…
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Shared ownership stamp duty for staricasing
Hello, I am new into this but I will try to be brief I read a previous thread but it was closed so I could not reply back. From reading , I understand these are the info you will need at the moment. I am considering staricasing and trying to figure out the cost of stump duty. Here are the facts that I know. - property…
