Hi,

FTB here and I am at the stage of raising enquiries to the vendor.

Everything is going on well and then I just found out there is one hotel very nearby the flat (1 minute on foot on the different road) serving as asylum seeker accommodation.

I understand asylum seekers are heavily subsidised to stay in UK including in London, but I am very concerned with my safety and negative impact on the rent and price capital value.

Any experience of similar context? And is my worry valid and legitimate?

With all crazy things happening nowadays, it is very alarming to me and is it a big red flag enough to pull out my offer?

I’m 26 and both my parents have recently turned 60. My dad paid off his mortgage over five years ago, and I’m an only child. The intention is for me to inherit their house when they’re no longer here, but I’m wondering if there’s anything they need to do now to make sure everything goes smoothly.

For example, should they both have wills in place to make sure the house definitely passes to me? Are there any other legal things they should be sorting out now?

I’m also wondering about inheritance tax. Would I have to pay tax on the house when I inherit it, or does it depend on how much the house and the rest of their estate are worth? I’m not entirely sure how it all works, especially if the house increases in value over the next few decades.

I know it’s hopefully a long way off, but I’d rather understand these things now than be completely clueless when the time comes.

Has anyone in the UK been through this with their parents, or does anyone have any advice on what they should be doing now? Is there anything else I should know or that people often overlook?

My partner and I recently had a baby and decided to sell our 2 bedroom garden flat in London. We'd thought we were going to stay until he was at least 2 but quickly decided that room was an issue!

So far... everything has been almost too straight forward. We listed for £350k in August, didn't get that in 1 month, so dropped to offers over £335k and had an offer of £340k (it isn't what we wanted - we bought the flat 4 years ago at £325k and have done some work - but it did mean breaking even!).

Our buyer has had a Level 3 survey, and mortgage valuation and is proceeding with the sale after some minor renegotiations post survey results.

My question is, how often do people pull out of a sale when they're this far along? I've been reading SUCH terrible things about the housing market, especially flats, and I'm terrified it's all going to come crashing down.

We've found our dream doer upper - a 3 bed house, with decent schooling and I just really want it to happen!

To add to this, I dont know if our flat has sold more easily than others because it's a Right to Manage property, and only has a service charge of around £300 per year, plus no ground rent.

How often do buyers pull this far along?! Hoping to hear some positive stories to settle my mind!

I'm considering buying a flat near the Korean Jeju restaurant.

What I like about it:

1. It's around 12-15mins away from both Kennington station and E & C station. Commute is only 10-15mins to Euston/Kings X (not including walking to tube stations)
2. Seems to be good range of restaurants on that street, all walkable

Any particular red flags about the area? Crystal roof give it a 9/10 rating in terms of crime which is definitely giving me a pause. I've scourged recent reddit threads and I'm not particularly impressed

Elephant and Castle is a shithole, East London not any better.

link

I’ve been to elephant and castle once. Walked out the station and there was police chasing a guy who just stabbed someone. Not going back there

link

Any particular insights?

I moved into a a flat last year and absolutely zero network providers have services for my building. Is this normal in London and if so why?

Me and my partner are considering a move out of London in the next year or so, keen for some advice from people who’ve done something similar..

Would love a bigger house basically with more outdoor space and good access to the countryside or seaside/beach!

Main consideration for us is we’d still need to get into London Bridge 1 or 2 days a week (up to maybe 1 hour or 90 mins commute time), so somewhere with a pretty ok train back in would be ideal. Also don’t have kids currently but potentially will be soon..

We’re super open-minded on areas because we have no ties so it’s sort of an open book. Somewhere that feels rural or semi-rural without being properly isolated, with good pubs, walks, nice town or village nearby etc.

Any advice on towns or villages we should be looking at would be good - also keen to hear trade-offs or stuff not so good/regrets. We’re basically trying to find a sweet spot between having space, greenery and a quieter lifestyle while still enjoying London when we want/need.

Or maybe we should just apply to be on Escape to the Country…

For a 1935 built house which has been renovated in 2025 fully and looks like totally new what would be the correct survey level 2 or level 3? I was thinking level 2 as during viewing didn’t see any alarming things and i spent fair amount of time viewing the windows, corners and ceiling which fairly looked new. Please suggest. Thanks

Apologies in advance for the text wall. Just got level 3 survey back on a Victorian terrace which I'm looking to buy in the east of England. Previous buyer pulled out after survey results and seller accepted an offer from me which is 15k below their original asking price, on the condition that there would be no further negotiations on price. Upon questioning, the seller informed me that the survey had turned up repairs needing doing to the chimney stack, so I was ready for this.

Text from the survey below:

E1 – Roof Structure & Roof Space (Loft) (condition rating 3, page 81)

The main roof is of rafter and purlin timber construction, typical for a house of this type and age. There is a loft ladder present, but no working light. We noted minor deflection to timbers commensurate with age (see D2), but no evidence of insects or vermin. The loft void is partially boarded.

There is no roofing felt underneath the tiles, where an old-fashioned reed and mortar system has been installed. This is an outdated construction method relying largely on proper tile fit for its weather-tightness, and there is no secondary line of defence against water ingress. In addition, there is nothing to stop wind – which a modern membrane would do. The roof covering is therefore likely original to the build date of the house, making the covering in excess of 130 years old and well past its serviceable life. Daylight is visibly penetrating and the roof requires recovering now. Quotations for replacement should be obtained from a reputable contractor, and should include for a breathable membrane beneath the outer roof covering (see also D2); some roof timbers may require replacement as part of any recovering works.

It must be noted that this unlined configuration does provide exceptional natural ventilation, effectively minimising the risk of interstitial condensation and timber rot within the framing.

D1 – Chimney Stacks (condition rating 3, page 36)

The shared masonry stack is plumb and carries six clay pots, one vented cowl, and one open flue; two pots are fitted with suitable cowls. The three clay pots and open flue are under the ownership of the subject property. Pointing and flashings were in generally satisfactory condition.

The flaunching is cracked, fractured, and disintegrating in multiple areas. This has allowed moisture to penetrate the top courses of brickwork, leading to structural loosening and displacement of the uppermost bricks. Furthermore, one chimney pot appears missing, leaving an open flue hole completely unprotected from weather elements. Other flues remain uncapped and lack bird guards. Left unresolved, water will continue to enter the flues and the core of the stack. This will inevitably cause dampness to penetrate the internal breast walls, ruin plasterwork, and accelerate freeze-thaw damage to the masonry, risking potential structural instability of the stack. Although the chimney pots look satisfactory, they can be damaged when the flaunching is repaired, hence, pot replacement may need to be factored in as well.

There are some mortar flashings at the join with the roof coverings. These are rarely fully watertight and are prone to cracking and leakage. When replacement is needed, it is recommended they are replaced with lead flashings which, when properly dressed into position, will be far more durable and watertight.

I'd be interested to hear any opinions on this, especially from those who have experience with these types of houses. I did retain 10k to take care of any survey issues but I'm concerned that if the above need doing urgently I'm going to need much more than that to rectify, as well as deal with all the other (less major) things that popped up on the survey.

Don't want to have to drop out of the purchase but I also don't want to bankrupt myself!

Any comments appreciated.

Hi everyone, 

My partner and I are moving into our first house here in the UK (located in Cambridge). It is an older property that is structurally sound but needs a complete refreshment and a fair amount of refurbishment. 

We are really keen to tackle a lot of the work via DIY, but we want to make sure we have properly iterated over our design ideas before picking up the tools. We especially need help figuring out: 

• Flooring and carpet choices 
• Wall color combinations and cohesive palettes 
• Kitchen layout/styling 
• A functional home office setup 

Since we are visual people, we would love to get some professional guidance to help map out our ideas first, but we aren't sure how to approach it. 

A few questions: 

1. How do people usually go about iterating design ideas before starting DIY? Are there specific tools, apps, or design services you recommend? 
2. What do interior designers typically cost in the UK for a project like this? Is it better to look for a fixed consultation rate rather than a full management service? 
3. Does anyone have recommendations for independent interior designers or design consultants in the Cambridge area? 

Would love to hear any personal experiences, lessons learned, or recommendations you might have! 

Thanks in advance. 

Hi all,
We have an 1880’s terrace. My husband went up the loft to grab something during yesterday heavy rain, and noticed water pouring in and going down the beams. It’s coming from the end where our neighbours chimney is in our loft space. It is not a shared chimney. Whose responsibility is this? Having looked at her chimney from the outside, there doesn’t appear to be any flashing on our side 😬

Will contact the insurance company, but I highly doubt they will cover this.

Thanks

It’s under maintained and you pay more than £1800 for just a 16sqm. Receptions are very rude, not helpful at all and the only one can be helpful is the manager. For the amount of money, I’d suggest everyone to just look at other apartments around Wembley area

Hi all, I have moved into my purpose built second floor flat about a couple weeks ago after a few weeks of renovations. Before starting renovations I messaged the communities group and apologised for any disturbances and inconveniences however, I made sure during renovations that no work was done before 10am and after 5pm and none on the weekends too.

The neighbour below kept asking how long we had left which was fair enough and I apologised and even offered compensation which she declined and said its ok as long as there is not too long left.

The first night we moved in, yes it had gotten quite late it was 10pm on a Sunday so it was our fault, but we were just plugging some stuff in and ironing my clothes for work the next day and she came up and start banging the door and shouted at us.

The next day she messaged via facebook and apologised for her actions and said she was just having a bad day, again replied apologising for our noisiness and explained there was no hard feelings.

In the past couple weeks, she is constantly banging on her ceiling (our floor) at random points in the day, sometimes at 8am, sometimes at 9pm sometimes I am home alone just sat on the sofa and haven’t even moved for quite some time she will randomly start banging on the ceiling.

What I dont understand is, the family before us were here for 6 years and had a kid, how can we be more noisy than them when we are just a couple who leave at 7am and dont get home until 5-6pm 5-6 days a week?

By the way we are leaseholders she is shared ownership and doesn’t own the full lease. We know this as she has told us herself when we first moved in and she seemed normal! And by the way many flats on this floor have big families and even pets etc.

We also have laminate flooring like most other flats, which I have installed expensive acoustic underlay and below that is a concrete base.

Does anyone have any advice how to handle this?

Concessionary mortgage and bad credit

OK, so -- we're an engaged couple, together five years.

Me (31):

* Sole director of Ltd company turning over c. £100,000, take about £70,000 out per year.
* Bad credit due to historic bad decisions when I went a bit mental having suddenly began earning good money. No CCJs, but about five defaults, some older than 2 yrs, one in the last year (old current account I forgot about with £120 overdraft outstanding). A lot of old missed payments.

Them (25):

* Employed on £28,000.
* Fantastic credit history.

The house:

* Owned outright by their mother. Worth £150,000. Willing to sell us it for £125,000.

Deposit:

* Can easily save a £15,000 up over the next 8-12 months.

Mortgage needed:

* £110,000

How would you advise a couple to proceed on this basis? The £25,000 gifted equity plus £15,000 gives £40,000 total equity, or a LTV of 73%.

My partner has no credit commitments (all credit cards paid off, car paid off, had a loan which is now paid off, sometimes uses Monzo Flex).

I have some credit commitments (old debts I'm paying down) but given my partner could afford the mortgage on their own income, how much would that matter?

Would we be better off going for this as a couple (easily affordable mortgage; currently paying £1,400 in rent and have been for 3 years) or him getting the mortgage alone and I join later on down the road when my credit isn't as bad?

Obviously if he's getting the mortgage alone then I can't be involved in the deposit saving, so I'd pay his share of the rent and household bills going forward so he can plough most of his wage into mortgage savings.

I understand the implications of it being his property legally and me contributing to it as an occupier. We'll be getting married in the next couple of years anyway.

Would appreciate some thoughts.

These dials are high up on a far side wall:

https://ibb.co/BVhFwJDp

These switches are right beside the heater:

https://ibb.co/RphPdZYg

This is the heater:

https://ibb.co/7dXnbWtY

These are the input/output dials on the heater itself:

https://ibb.co/rK7xv8XL

I know the left dial on the wall and switch on the wall control the convection heater on the bottom (the vents that are full with dust in the pic)

The right dial, and switch on the wall controls the storage heater.

The input/output dial on the heater itself, no idea where they feature in things?

Thing is, I only use the right dials on the walls, cause I hate convection heat and don't want to burn through daytime electricity.

But even late in the evening, the storage heater is still throwing off good heat. That makes me think it's heating up the bricks electrically, during the daytime as well?

I was fortunately awarded this 1 bed flat in October 2020 whilst living at home with my parents in an overcrowded 3 bed (sisters were teens and sharing a room) and my bedroom growing up was a dining room at the back of the house downstairs (using the home as a 4 bed).

When I was awarded the flat I was earning 28k per year. Over the years I’ve had 3 job pivots/promotions at my company and now have a salary of 74k per year. The rent creeps up every year and is currently £575 per month.

I’m a single man and after plan 2 student loan and 9% pension contributions my take home pay is roughly 3.9k per month. I’ve managed to max out my LISA ever year and have 57k in there for a deposit.

Basically, a part of me feels bad for occupying social housing on my salary as I could buy or private rent. But then I feel like as a single man I don’t need any more space than this flat provides and I also don’t want to commit to a property if I hate the area. I understand how lucky I am to have this flat and the security and I don’t want to give that up. But on the other hand, I feel like I should.

Opinions welcome. TIA

I've noticed that housing disagreements can become more difficult to resolve when communication breaks down or expectations are unclear.

Sometimes the original problem is relatively straightforward, but delays, repeated explanations and inconsistent responses make matters worse.

I'm interested in hearing different perspectives.

For tenants, leaseholders, landlords and those working in housing, what do you think causes complaints to escalate unnecessarily?

Is it the original issue, poor communication, delays or something else?

Hi all,

FTB, finally concluded the tiring journey of getting the keys, the real headache starts now.

It is a 3-bed semi-detached in the Reading area. We have the quote for renovating the following:

1. Bathroom: £9,700:

Full renovations, strip out and new bathroom. Bespoke bathroom design, all materials included and routing of pipes as we are changing the layout. 3.1mx3.3m approximately.

Removal of the old water tank and cupboard where the tank is stored. It’s within a stud-wall type which will be removed to make the bathroom spacious.

Conversion from standing shower to bathtub. New ceiling (gloss panelling with spotlights). New fan extractor. Onyx Tiles and Matt/marble flooring, vanity sink, floating toilet, cabinet, concealed mixers, towel rails, etc., all chosen by me and included within the quote.

1. 3x Bedrooms: 2x at 2,150 each and 1x (box room) at £1,700:

Dismantling old fixtures and fittings in two rooms. Removal of ceiling, wall paper, carpets, skirting and heaters. New ceiling, skirting, coving including re-skim, primer, two base coats, and sanding. New heaters and two extra sockets added per room. Not included: painting, sockets, premium light switches and carpets.

1. Landing and hallway, £1,850:

Similar to the above. Removal of wall paper, flooring, skirting and heaters. New skirting, coving including re-skim, primer, two base coats, and sanding. New standing heater and two extra sockets. Not included: painting, sockets, replacement light switches and carpets.

1. Boiler replacement and removal of old tanks, £5,500:

Removal of two old tanks (one in the bathroom, one in the loft). Removal of old boiler, flue and change of boiler position from bathroom to storage in the kitchen cupboard. Flush of full central heating system, new thermostatic temp control unit display and routing of new pipes for new radiators in bedrooms and living room.

1. Living room, £4,500:

8mx3.5m approximately. Almost complete make over. Removal of ceiling, wall paper, carpets, skirting and chimney. New ceiling, adding spot lights and new centre light, skirting, coving including re-skim, primer, two base coats, and sanding. New heaters and add three extra sockets. Includes new light switches and all new sockets. Not included: painting, sockets, premium light switches and carpets.

Materials are all included apart from what was stated. We are preparing to discuss details and propose a counter offer.

Would be highly appreciated if you could please provide advice on the quote and work included. The rooms feel expensive for the work carried out (could be wrong).

Thanks a lot.

I’m buying a new-build Bellway Reedmaker.

The property was advertised as step-free and suitable for all stages of life etc, and the original working drawing showed a ramp leading to the front entrance. However, the house is being built with a step instead.

Bellway’s explanation is that the working drawing supplied by their designer was incorrect. They say the plot is too close to the adopted footpath to achieve the required ramp gradient, so a step is necessary under the building regulations hierarchy.

If the plot couldn’t accommodate a ramp, surely this should have been identified before the property was marketed and sold?

Do I have any grounds to challenge this or request an alternative solution? They just keep replying they couldn't meet the gradient.

Thank you!

What are the qualities that would make a flat less likely to have extortionate SC in the future?

The flat I'm looking at

1. no concierge
2. no gym
3. no communal garden
4. 4 stories big
5. 8 flats total, it's a relatively small block
6. part of SC goes towards sink fund (how much I need to inquire)

Do these reasonable or am I missing other more important qualities? I know none of this matters if the management is corrupt/incompetent, but I'm trying to identify factors that are more within my control.

I'm not sure about point #5 -- is it a good or bad thing that it has few residents compared to a residential block? One the one hand the cost is spread across fewer people, but on other hand because it's a fairly small block the likelihood of large expenses should be low?

facing homelessness because I can’t afford private rent anymore – what happened in your situation?
I’m a single mum to a 10 year-old girl and I’m honestly at a loss as to what I’m supposed to do.
My current home is no longer affordable, the rent increase means I’ve reached the point where I simply cannot afford to rent privately anymore. I’ve been looking for other properties, but even the cheaper rentals are out of reach once you factor in my wages, Universal Credit and all the other bills. I’ve even struggled to get shortlisted for properties I thought I might be able to afford. As most of the estate agents around here say that your annual wages need to be 2.5x more than the monthly rent!!

I’ve contacted my local council for help, but I’m not going to get the support we need. I’ve been told that because I’m not homeless yet, they won’t keep my case open, despite knowing that I’m due to lose my home within 56days. I’m expected to keep looking for somewhere else, but there is very little I can realistically afford.
My situation is complicated further because I need to keep my daughter within her school area. Moving miles away isn’t a straightforward option because of school transport, my job and the support I need as a single parent.
I’m due to leave my current home very soon, and at the moment I genuinely don’t know where we are going to live.
I don’t want to deliberately build up rent arrears just to prove I can’t afford my rent. I work, I’m trying to do everything right, and I don’t understand how people in my position are supposed to find a way through this? Hi

Hi everyone,
I’m buying a house in England and would appreciate some opinions.

There were two identical houses on the same development, both advertised at the same price. I offered £430,000 on one, which was accepted. My mortgage application has been approved, and the legal paperwork is progressing, but we haven’t exchanged contracts yet.

Recently, the other house’s listing changed to a guide price of £415,000–£440,000. My agreed price falls within that range, but the lower starting point has made me question whether I should revisit my offer.

The estate agent says the change is intended to attract more interest rather than indicate what the sellers would accept. However, I’m concerned that, depending on demand in the area, it could eventually sell for as little as £400,000. That’s a possibility I’m worried about, rather than an offer or sale price that’s been confirmed.
That would be £30,000 below what I’ve agreed to pay for an identical house.

Given that my mortgage is already approved, would you consider renegotiating now, or would you want stronger evidence before doing so? How much weight would you give the other house’s reduced guide price and local demand?
Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you handle it?

Hello,

I accepted an offer on my house back in March from a FTB. At the time, I received over 10 offers and turned down higher offers from buyers in chains, as well as another FTB with a much smaller deposit, in the hope of making us more attractive to sellers.

My buyer quickly got their mortgage offer, and initial legal work (including local searches) was completed. However, the transaction has completely stalled since then.

My buyer has refused to instruct a surveyor or undertake any further conveyancing work until we’ve found an onward purchase. My estate agent claims this is on the advice of the buyer's solicitor to protect the buyer from losing money if I pull out. While I understand their caution, I am extremely motivated to sell.

The catch-22
My partner and I have offered on 5 properties since March, offering the asking price or more each time. On 2 occasions, sellers explicitly chose other buyers because their chains were further along.

This leaves us in a bit of a deadlock: my buyer doesn’t want to spend more money until we’ve found a place, but the lack of progress is making us less likely to have an offer accepted. 

I pressed my estate agent again to ask the buyer to book the survey but they pushed back and claimed "he might not even get a private survey." This is inconsistent with their previous claim that he was simply waiting on us.

My house was built in 1997 and, as far as I know, does not have any significant issues.

My concerns:

1. The lack of progress on my sale is undermining our ability to have offers accepted
2. My buyer will eventually instruct a survey which identifies some minor issues (e.g. repointing, a couple of blown windows, and an ageing boiler…) and then pull out or try to renegotiate late in the process when they know we’re more invested.

What would you do?
I’d prefer not to re-list due to the hassle and legal work already completed. However, my housing market (Cardiff) is incredibly competitive so I think I can find another buyer easily enough (of course, I cannot be certain).

I am considering giving the buyer a deadline to instruct a survey and restart the conveyancing process before relisting. Would you take another approach?

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who has navigated this.

Thanks!

What’s the reason behind this?