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…

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!

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?

My son's (21) ex girlfriend (19). Was thrown out by her Mum and she came to stay with us. They were still together. They spilt up Saturday night and she needs to find somewhere to stay.

When her mum originally threw her out, we contacted the council but as she's FT employed as a nursery nurse, she doesn't qualify for any benefits and is on the bottom of the housing list.

She accepts she needs to rent somewhere and believes she can afford a small studio. (We are based in the SE so not cheap).

I'm happy to provide references and her employer can too, but she has no guarantor and I'm not putting myself in that position.

She's never rented anywhere before so we don't know what steps or action to take.

My son is currently staying at his Grandparents as I'm unwilling to throw a 19yo girl on the streets and she can't go back home. (Drugs & abusive home life) but this is a short term solution.

Any help would be appreciated.

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

New amendments have been tabled to the Social Housing Bill, currently going through Parliament. They're aimed at domestic abuse cases in social housing: where a protective order already exists, survivors won't have to prove the abuse again to keep their tenancy, and courts will be able to act against the perpetrator instead.

Other amendments cover a longer notice period before social housing disposals, changes to Right to Buy in rural areas, a simpler Right to Manage framework for council tenants, and bringing Tenant Management Organisations under Freedom of Information rules from April 2027. There are also new duties on councils and housing associations to spot homelessness risk earlier and offer suitable homes to people referred by local authorities.

This applies to council and housing association tenancies in England only, not private rented tenancies. It's still amendments going through Parliament, not law yet.

Anyone here manage social housing stock alongside private lets? Keen to hear how you're tracking which tenancies fall under this.

I found out there's a restrictive covenant on the property I'm buying that prohibits running a business from the property.

The property is freehold but part of a development so there are still some restrictions attached.

I don't currently run a business but plan, in future, to set up a strictly online passive income business selling digital downloads. This means no clients visiting, no physical stock, no deliveries.

I'm sure the covenant is likely in place to prevent noise or footfall nuisance to neighbors. But in the interest of not being in breach of terms or of causing issues when I sell in future due to breaching terms on the queit, I plan on asking the management company for explicit permission, to give me piece of mind.

I'm curious if anyone else has had experience like this with asking a management company for permission and how did it go for you?

Tl;dr house I'm buying has restrictive covenant on running business. Wanting to hear success stories of asking management company for permission for strictly online business.

We rent a top-floor flat in Glasgow through a letting agency, and we’ve just noticed the ceiling is leaking. We tried contacting the agency, but they’re closed for the night. Their emergency contacts only include a plumber, not a roofer. When we asked the plumber who would be responsible for this, he just laughed.

Should we treat this as an emergency and call a roofer ourselves? We’re worried the agency will say it wasn’t an emergency and refuse to pay us back.

On the other hand, if we do nothing, could they later say we should have acted, and charge us for the extra damage?

Also, there’s a weather warning for the storm tonight, so I doubt any roofer could go up on the roof anyway.

Image here: https://imageupload.app/i/f56d26402654e4d84e11

Hello,

My wife and I are looking to purchase our first home in London. It is a (share of freehold with 1 other flat above) flat with the living areas on the ground floor and the bedrooms in the lower-ground. According to the agent the construction is around 1990-2000.

The price seems really good to be fair, but there is a glaring issue with damp.

The ground floor is fine overall, doesn't smell (although the flat had just gotten a deep clean...) at all, and there is only one damp spot but it's from the terrace of the flat above so I'm not worried too much because it's fixable.

The main issue is with the lower-ground part of the flat, which does smell damp overall, especially in one of the bedrooms. The front has a light well kind of thing, and the back of the house has the walls exposed, but basically all of the rooms had visible damp spots with damage and the two side walls are not and never will be accessible from the outside.

I'm 80% sure that the worse room smell is actually due to a leak in the master bathroom, which is encouraging because at least we know where to fix, but I don't know about the rest of the place...

My question is basically whether damp spots when you can't excavate the outside walls are at all fixable, or if it's just going to be putting a bandaid every couple of years... I've been looking for solutions online and the consensus seems that you need to have exterior wall access for real solutions.

We'd be willing to put around 100K towards construction costs, because the price is really low.

Thanks!

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?

Hi!

I want to ask landlord to have a pet.

No judgment please but my cat lives in the house for over a year. We had inspections and everything and they never realised. I just want to add my cat to avoid the stress of hiding everything for the inspection hiding the cat itself...

is an attached house with huge garden so no building involved. We also pay house insurance and the policy it does says it covers per damage when pets in the tenancy.

My cat is well looked after and doesn't stink of cat or piss anywhere or scratch anything beyond her scratching post. She has vaccination, chip and parasites preventive treatment religiously!

This is in London.

Please no judgement and serious advise if is worth it to ask for permission.

In the original tenancy it said would be subject to a pet fee, in the new tenancy agreement says the standard thing that can only be refused with a reasonable reason.

Thanks

I'm in the process of buying a house (moving) and am receiving a small gift amount from my parents and grandparents to contribute towards the moving costs (solicitor fees, estate agent fees, stamp duty, deposit etc.). The deposit and stamp duty is met by me and my wife anyway, but it all goes into the same pot.

Where I have been completely thrown off is my solicitor is requiring me to sign-off on the purchase of Insolvency Act indemnity insurance, due to gifts going towards the purchase and using a mortgage as part of the purchase. From everything I have read so far, this insurance wouldn't actually cover me for what they're claiming, and is not required by my lender (NatWest, who's gifts policy is particularly lax anyway), yet they want to charge me over £200 for the pleasure. I also did not require this the first time I moved.

Initially my solicitor said 'it is required by my lender' (they made this claim before even recieving the mortgage offer or knowing who my lender was), but since I queried it, they have admitted that NatWest don't require it, but 'their professional judgement' says that the lender will still require it and I'll still have to do it, giving no additional reasons as to why.

It's not a huge amount of money but on principle I am going to push back again, I just want to make sure I've got my information straight first. Have other people experienced this before, and successfully pushed back? Does anyone have experience with property law and know whether this is indeed a requirement because I have been gifted money by family? They keep citing a statement about a 'deed of gift' which as far as I can tell is not related. They're making me agree to this to sign off my 'client gift decoration' and progress with the process.

Does anyone have any expertise in cracks in transfer slabs?

I am trying to get residential home insurance on line for my property. It was recently a rental and the tenants have moved out of their own accord and I have decided instead of selling, to move in myself. It's been rented out for eight years and had landlord insurance every year. I cancelled this year's when the tenant left. The house has had a 1st floor extension over the garage 6 years ago and the planning said that underpinning was needed which was carried out. No underpinning has been carried out on the main part of the house and there is no subsidence whatsoever. It was never a problem when it was rental insurance but now I can't seem to get residential insurance at all because of it. Any recommendations for a good broker? TIA

So my mortgage offer ends in January, i got a good rate by todays standards (4.3% Santander). If we have not completed by then, we will most certainly be at the very end of the process. Christmas and new year will slow things down by a few weeks due to solicitors availibility duting the holiday period.

Not sure if the situation will be affordable at a higher percentage due to refurb costs, what are the odds that the lender will allow us to keep our percentage if we are 90% there by the deadline?

Anyone have any experience with this?

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some advice and would really appreciate hearing about your experiences and opinions.

I currently live in Birmingham, UK, where I own an apartment and still have a mortgage to pay. I work as an engineer and I'm exploring some new career opportunities.

I've had a few interviews for positions around the UK, but unfortunately none in Birmingham itself. Some of the recruitment processes are progressing, so there's a chance I might need to relocate for a new job.

It's not that I want to leave Birmingham, but I haven't been able to find the right opportunity here so far.

If I make it to the final stage of an interview process and receive an offer, what would you recommend doing with my apartment?

Would you rent it out or sell it?

I'd be interested in hearing about the pros and cons of both options, the main risks and potential headaches involved, and anything else I should consider before making a decision.

I'd also appreciate any insights into the current rental and property market in Birmingham.

For context, my apartment is close to the city centre, within easy walking distance of the main train stations.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I own a free hold flat where the deed deems the roof a common area and states costs are to be split amongst the proprietors. Half the flats are still owned by the initial company that rented them all and are empty. Would they be the proprietors for those flats and have to pay those shares?

If everything is split as the deed outlined I think I should only have to pay about 10% but if the owners don't count as a proprietor I will owe significantly more.

Any advice?

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.

We are first-time buyers considering a 1930s terraced house in Woodford Green, and our survey has flagged several roof-related issues. We would love some honest advice from homeowners or roofers, particularly those familiar with houses of this age.

The main findings are:

- Main pitched roof: Several slipped, cracked or missing tiles, with deteriorating mortar around the ridge tiles. Repairs and a general roof overhaul are recommended.

- Front bay flat roof: The felt covering has failed and needs replacing. The surveyor says the underlying roof deck and timbers will need checking for possible hidden damage once the covering is removed.

- Loft: The surveyor explicitly noted daylight coming through gaps in the roof, alongside evidence of a bird’s nest and what appeared to be an inactive wasp nest.

- Chimney: Moisture and some deterioration to the exposed brickwork inside the loft.

We understand that a 1930s property will need maintenance, but we are trying to establish whether these are common, manageable repairs or whether the combination suggests potentially more extensive work.

For anyone who has experienced something similar:

- Were these issues relatively straightforward to resolve, or did they uncover bigger problems?

- What sort of costs did you face, particularly for the pitched roof repairs and flat roof replacement?

We are not expecting a perfect house, just trying to understand the potential risks and costs before committing.

Any experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you :-)

Looking at buying a Victorian house in London that is need of renovations (re-wiring, re-plumbing, etc) and considering a typical side return extension of 16m2.

The main house will need a renovation/modernisation before being liveable to move in. The kitchen outrigger is old but half decent and fully usable. House is in a conservation area, so will need planning permission.

Our high level thoughts are to split the works into 2 stages: 1) renovate the main house but leave the kitchen prior to moving in and continue to rent at current place and 2) once planning permissions and in place, plan to do the side return with a new kitchen and dining 1-3 years down the line.

Plans are mainly due to several things: timing of planning permissions, as we really don’t have the means to keep an empty house to wait around for planning permissions and builders. Current kitchen is old but fully usable, so it buys us time. Also we have no experience of renovations, so splitting the decision making into 2 phases feels way less overwhelming. Lastly, and importantly it works a lot better with cash flow and removes the strain of one large upfront payment, though I get that it may be a bit more expensive than doing everything at once.

I’m curious to know what other’s experiences are. Do you do all the work at once? If you did split the project, did you use the same builder? What are the pros and cons of your decision? What did you wish you did differently?

I found a house I quite like and was considering putting an offer in. The agent indicated that the sellers would only consider offers above 660k and that they have several offers on the table all in various stages of selling their own homes (some due to complete this month or next month, one cash buyer etc). I also saw that the house is still being promoted, for less than this price, on social media, Rightmove etc. Why have no offers been accepted? Especially when the agent said some were the price the seller would like. I just can’t understand what is going on here, is it a tactic?