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House buying, renting & selling

For all questions to do with buying, selling, renting and letting homes.

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…
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…
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…
First time buyer, help me decide.
Flat 1 £130k - £135k (probably £133k would be accepted) Top floor Vacant Electric heating Council tax band A 10 minute walk to work Decent condition 940 years left on lease £89 a month service charge, £0 ground rent. Neighbours on either side (middle flat) Flat 2 £135k Top floor Tenants in situ Gas heating Council tax band…
Mis sold a student let
Has anyone else purchased a Student Let property investment where you are promised massive interest and growth. We purchased a number of Student Let's in blocks in the North East. Hight yield promised and ever increasing value. For the first 3 years we did get high return then the charges began rolling in. The management…
Is BTL still worth it
Hi all i have some money tucked away in premium bonds (not winning huge amounts) i have been pondering on the idea of paying down my mortgage with said funds. I have just done some quick figures on a 2 bed property for sale in the area for £120k with rent hopefully at £750pcm so it would be about £300 profit per month…
Buying house near planned development and recreational area
Hi, Thank you for your time. Essentially, my partner wants to buy this house which is next to a planned development for 170 houses (I expect work to start within a year or two). I did not know that when we offered. The field that is directly across the house (with 30m width tree screen in between) will house a recreational…
What’s wrong with this property
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160803176 Why has this property gone from £410k in March to £395k in April to £380k now with the EA claiming mass interest since it dropped to 380k? The identical layout and size property above sold for £358k and that’s an open market one. This is ex-SO being sold back to back…
House not selling!
Hello, we’re looking for a bit of house selling advice, We’re trying to sell MILs house. We’re a rural area but it’s on a new small estate, we’ve paid off her substantial equity release mortgage with all our savings to stop the huge amount of monthly interest and dropped the price from £245,000 to £215,000 but not even a…
Council tax query re: 200% charge on furnished unoccupied home job related dwellings
Hoping you can advise. I have secured a teaching job overseas. My new school will be paying for my accommodation whilst I am working there. I do not want to rent out my furnished home in the UK as I want to stay here when we come home for the holidays. Will this be liable for 200% council tax or will it be exempt under…
£5,000 Excess on building insurance????
Hi people, I've come here for some advice because I don't know where else to turn at the moment. I own a rent apartment in Manchester in a block of 200. It has recently been through the upgrade from the cladding issues. I have now been informed that I have a leak which has gone through to 2 flats below. I have contacted…
'Instant' property buying companies - has anyone had a good experience?
I have had a nightmare of an 18 months of legal difficulties that my late parent left behind. The final thing that will need sorting is the disposal of a rental property, which has not been looked after, and when the tenants finally go, it will probably be down to bailiffs and it's likely they'll leave it in even more of a…
Should I rent my flat out for another year or sell now in a poor market?
Hi There, I had my flat on the market from Nov. '24. The flat is a rental flat which I used to live in and have rented out for some years. I am a working mum with 2 kids and a partner. We live in our family home which has a sizeable mortgage on it. We wanted to sell the flat before our mortgage is to be renewed in Oct '25.…
LBTT / marriage
I am maybe overthinking but just wanted to test my understanding as we are going from two households to one. Partner and I, not currently married each have our own properties. We also both also currently have additional properties His second property is now sold...completes this month so will only have his PPR Plan to sell…
Experience with L&Q as freeholder / Victorian conversion flat
Hi everyone, I am looking for feedback and personal experiences with L&Q as a freeholder—specifically in relation to Victorian conversion flats. I am currently considering purchasing a flat in a two-flat Victorian conversion in London where L&Q is the freeholder. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with…
Selling 1 bed flat in East Lothian (Scotland) that is on the Homestake scheme
Hi all, In 2007 I purchased a flat via the Scottish Government's Homestake scheme as a first time buyer. Thinking about it, it was/is a great scheme as essentially I own circa 60% of the property and the scheme never asked for any rent/charges etc. It has took me a while, but not time to move on. I'm moving into a new…
Surveyor has found damp in a house that I have put an offer on
Looking for advice please.Should i ask sellors to reduce price,or would it be advisable to wslk away from this purchase
Home insurance and squatters
I was hoping someone can help. I have for my sins been appointed executor of a property in a nightmare situation. The people who lived in the property prior to death have continued to live their and refuse to move out (and have become very aggressive about it). As the estate cannot be sold/settled due to this the house…
Charging order
i have a charge on my property from an old debt over 20 yrs ago that I simply just forgot about, i want to repay the debt and have the charge removed so that i can remortgage, the company that the debt is owed to no longer exist since @ 2012 and have no forwarding details or including contact details, from investigations…
TP1 - expedition - timeline - HM Landregistry
Hi, I was just wondering if the @Land_Registry team could help?. We have a plot of land which has already had expedite agreed. Answers were given promptly to requisitions on Thursday. I’m just wondering if there’s anyone else that can be contacted or anything else that can be done to try get this reviewed and completed as…
Parents looking to gift me a deposit contribution towards my next house
Hi all. I have just had an offer accepted on a property and as the title says, my parents have very kindly agreed to pony up some of the dough. Obviously we are trying to do this as tax efficiently as possible. So far, my admittedly limited research has come up with 3 options: 1) A gift of £50k with all of the related…
Buying a home to live in that has a tenant in situ need advice
I'm going to view a property this week and the current owners have a tenant in situ, I've been tol that I won't be able to get a mortgage on the home to live in if there is a tenant already living there. So what's the best option for me? Should I just make my offer to the owner but only actually sign the contract once the…
Help to buy ISA purchase
How long do I have to keep a house purchased with deposit part funded by help to buy ISA before I can sell it? Scotland

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MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

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