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I’m being asked to pay two solicitors
Strange situation - wanted to instruct a smallish firm of solicitors for purchase of leasehold flat. They advised they can’t deal with Building Safety Act aspect so would refer me to another. They took £270 on account over phone but now second form quoted me £2300 for purchase conveyancing and want £400 on account. i…
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Why don't we build more timber homes, like the US does?
We don't have hurricanes, serious floods, wild fires, extreme winds or anything. I don't understand why we don't build more timber homes? I'd love to one day own a really nice timber home, something like this would be amazing
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Paying for HC1 form
I need to order a copy of historic title deeds from 2003 for a client, by post using form HC1. As I don't have any bank accounts with a cheque book these days, is it OK to pay Land Registry with a postal order (old school I know!)? Any other options? I looked at various 'firms' online offering reseller options for this,…
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“Has anyone used an online ID1 form verification service in the UK?”
Hi everyone, I’m currently dealing with an ID1 form for a property-related matter and honestly finding the whole verification process a bit confusing. From what I understand, you usually have to go through a solicitor or similar professional, but getting appointments sorted is taking longer than expected. I’ve recently…
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RTM managing the building themselves
Hello, As a Director of a RTM of 23 flats and frustrated by the MA we are considering managing the building ourselves. What are the major things we need to take into consideration? We've already negotiated our own companies to provide services cheaper than MA eg our own accountant, our own broker for building's insurance…
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Solicitor requested release of funds without consent - now bank offer is valid for 28 days only
Hi all, hoping to get some advice on a situation that’s become quite stressful. My partner and I are in the process of buying our first home, which is a new build property. We have instructed one of the solicitor panelist, as per the developer advice, but we are having some major issues. We have reserved on the 9th of…
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Private CCTV in communal area
I would appreciate any advice regarding the use of private CCTV in a communal area. The situation involves a housing association property comprising six flats. A resident in one of the ground floor flats has installed a CCTV camera in his window, which appears to cover the front garden, entrance, and gate. My partner is…
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Stay as a landlord or sell?
I have a rental property that I decided to sell last year. House went on the market and has annoyingly and for no good reason fallen through twice .It is back on the market ,but the market seems to be very sluggish. I am toying with idea of giving myself some breathing space and renting it out again ( I don't need to sell)…
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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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Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay for repairs to my fiancé's house in return for joint ownership?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks… My fiancé lives mortgage-free in a house he inherited. It's in poor condition and needs £1,000s spent on repairs, but he has no savings to fund them. I currently rent a flat, but he wants us to live in the house together when we get married next year. He says if I pay for the…
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Service Charge Help / Advice
Hi All A person has died in our block (1 of 20 flats), has no heirs and the flat has been empty for some time, looks like going to be claimed by the Crown. Management company are still billing all of us for this flats service charges. Can they do this? Seems unfair because they are taking the unpaid service charges for…
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Selling via auction?
A friend has done the probate on his father's estate and he is selling the house. I was surprised when the house was listed for auction, thinking it would get a lower price. But Google seems to think it's normal to sell a house via auction after probate. The house does need updating and a little work, but is it just being…
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Maisonette insurance problem
Hello, I am haping to get some insights from anyone who has passed through something similar, or has some fact base based information.This is on building insurance for a maisonette. I am a first time buyer, trying to get a ground floor 1 bed maisonette, in a building with 3 other maisonettes. It is leasehold, building was…
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New Build in Scotland Disputes with Builder
Hi All, We bought a new build in May 2024 and we our windows and doors have not been water tight throughout the two years. The two years will end on may 2nd 2026. The builder has been out over 20 times and cannot fix the issue, its causing damage to our property. We have lodged this via NHBC and complained officially to…
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How can we ensure the management company take responsibility for replacing our roof?
We own a property in a private road where we pay a service charge to a management company for the shared areas. The management company is responsible for our flat roof which was replaced by their contractor 2 to 3 years ago. All of the properties in the road contributed to the roof by an increase in the service charge.…
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Best way to find a cost effective Coveyancer for Selling a Property
Hi All, I am actually surprised that within the Moneysavingexpert's selling guide there's no recommendations on the best way to find a cost effective well reviewed coveyancer. Therefore looking for recommendations of how to go about this rather than just randomly searching. Found a few websites that seem to do some…
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Auction fees
Hi, My daughter wants to buy a house which is advertised on Rightmove through William H Brown but advertised as an auction property with ‘I Am Sold’. However, it is not currently on as a lot in any of their advertised auctions. She has made an offer and has been told by a representative òf the auction house that she will…
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Getting a UK mortgage with foreign income.
We have been looking for a mortgage at very low LTV (25%) an thought we would have no trouble getting a mortgage as I have index linked pension income from overseas (EURO denominated). That income is about £4,000 per month against a mortgage payment of around £1,000. However, no UK lenders seem willing to touch us which…
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Transferring home to spouse then purchasing a new property query.
Hi. I have a query relating to a close relative and their current home (in Wales). There's no mortgage on it and it's in the husband's name. He's planning on transferring this property to his wife who doesn't own or have any property in her name. He'd like to purchase another home (also in Wales) with his son in which all…
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Solicitor fees and stamp duty
My grandparent is kindly paying the legal fees for us on our house purchase. We have to make our first initial payment imminently, from our card. Presumably if we make the payments and then grandparent sends money to me after is ok? Would we need to declare it as I was told before we’d only have to declare gifts for the…
