Buying a house (and renting)

Lady upstairs has accepted an offer on her flat. It's a price I'd be VERY happy to sell mine for. Snooping on Rightmove I think her flat looks nicer than mine (my windows are strawberry floated and she's recently decorated) but my flat is bigger due to a decent sized bathroom extension at the back.

Ombudsman should be getting back to me in next 2-3 weeks. From there I'll have one last go at getting the property management company to see sense. If no joy, then I'm just going to have to pay the banana splits and get the strawberry float out.

We're going to do some decorating over the next few weeks and spruce the place up a bit, literally papering over the cracks in some places.

Moggy wrote:Lady upstairs has accepted an offer on her flat. It's a price I'd be VERY happy to sell mine for. Snooping on Rightmove I think her flat looks nicer than mine (my windows are strawberry floated and she's recently decorated) but my flat is bigger due to a decent sized bathroom extension at the back.

Ombudsman should be getting back to me in next 2-3 weeks. From there I'll have one last go at getting the property management company to see sense. If no joy, then I'm just going to have to pay the banana splits and get the strawberry float out.

We're going to do some decorating over the next few weeks and spruce the place up a bit, literally papering over the cracks in some places.

Did you get your boiler sorted in the end? Make sure you have an up to date gas safe certificate when you get round to selling.

Dual wrote:

Moggy wrote:Lady upstairs has accepted an offer on her flat. It's a price I'd be VERY happy to sell mine for. Snooping on Rightmove I think her flat looks nicer than mine (my windows are strawberry floated and she's recently decorated) but my flat is bigger due to a decent sized bathroom extension at the back.

Ombudsman should be getting back to me in next 2-3 weeks. From there I'll have one last go at getting the property management company to see sense. If no joy, then I'm just going to have to pay the banana splits and get the strawberry float out.

We're going to do some decorating over the next few weeks and spruce the place up a bit, literally papering over the cracks in some places.

Did you get your boiler sorted in the end? Make sure you have an up to date gas safe certificate when you get round to selling.

No, I just wrapped a towel around the pipe that was dripping every so often and then forgot about it. The towel seems to have done the job.

More seriously, it's a good point. Covid kind of stopped me doing anything, but it's something I'll have to look at before flogging the place.

Non stop ups and downs with this strawberry floating flat.

I spoke to the lady upstairs earlier and she's pissed off as the property management company are going to charge her £600 for a Leasehold Management Pack. First time I've ever heard of such a thing, but they should only cost £200-£250, so another way the banana splits are going to rip us off.

Does anybody have any experience with these things? Does the pack remain valid for a certain amount of time or would we have to pay again if a sale fell through?

Moggy wrote:Non stop ups and downs with this strawberry floating flat.

I spoke to the lady upstairs earlier and she's pissed off as the property management company are going to charge her £600 for a Leasehold Management Pack. First time I've ever heard of such a thing, but they should only cost £200-£250, so another way the banana splits are going to rip us off.

Does anybody have any experience with these things? Does the pack remain valid for a certain amount of time or would we have to pay again if a sale fell through?

That brings back an annoying memory!

Mine was £300 including VAT.

Not sure how long it is valid for, but mine included things like three years' worth of service charge history, current budget of the management company etc so definitely time-sensitive information that you would expect could fall out of date before too long.

Oblomov Boblomov wrote:

Moggy wrote:Non stop ups and downs with this strawberry floating flat.

I spoke to the lady upstairs earlier and she's pissed off as the property management company are going to charge her £600 for a Leasehold Management Pack. First time I've ever heard of such a thing, but they should only cost £200-£250, so another way the banana splits are going to rip us off.

Does anybody have any experience with these things? Does the pack remain valid for a certain amount of time or would we have to pay again if a sale fell through?

That brings back an annoying memory!

Mine was £300 including VAT.

Not sure how long it is valid for, but mine included things like three years' worth of service charge history, current budget of the management company etc so definitely time-sensitive information that you would expect could fall out of date before too long.

Cheers.

The twats are going to screw me over if any sale falls through then.

I wish those leasehold reforms would hurry the strawberry float up so I can get rid of the twats.

So we kinda gave up on house hunting for a while because it’s incredibly stressful and we don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Instead I’ve dipled into savings to restart driving lessons that I stopped during covid, and threw some money into self care to treat myself (tattoo, skin therapies etc) and buy some bits on my list that I’ve been putting off for a while.

Nearly a grand gone in a week and put to fairly good use, an estate agent phones to say buyers for our dream house has fallen through and being second on the list it’s being offered to us.

I’m over it, like I was gutted initially but have now come to accept fate. So if we do get it and everything works out, that’s great. If not, no big loss as I’d accepted it was probably gone anyway.

If it's your dream house then you got to go for it.

Landlord now selling our place coz of the stamp duty reduction. Pretty annoying as I wanted to last until the lease was over as that's likely when we'll be able to move to Chicago when my greencard comes through.

Oh well, gives us a chance to spend our last 6 months in London with no flatmate (he's gonna go live with his boyfriend now) and allows us to start paring down/shipping to the US the crap I have accumulated over the past 6 years.

House 2 doors up is for sale, and while it's detached (ours is a semi), and ever so slightly bigger, it's DOUBLE what we paid for ours 6 years ago. Double. Looking at the photos, ours is actually nicer in every way too, they still have all the old carpets, bathroom fittings and so on. We've got 2 drives, they've got one, our garden is considerably bigger than theirs (read that in a Harry Enfield voice) AND we've got a waaaay nicer view (seriously, the view from the front spare room is strawberry floating amazing really).

We're not thinking of selling up or anything for a long time, but it's nuts just how expensive things are now. I think the adjoining neighbours paid about 30k more for theirs than we did and it's the same house but mirrored, with a smaller garden and 1 drive.

I love been trapped in a cycle of paying rent and not being able to afford houses that rise in price at a minimum of 10% each year, all while the cost of living goes up and my wages stay stagnant

I’m only in this position as I managed to snag a job that paid a better. I never thought I’d get it but happy I did as its allowed me to save. Also renting the same place for 7 years with a fair sound landlord who has only put the tent up £35 in that time is also very lucky.

I briefly looked into renting a bigger house until we could afford to buy. Bad idea. The flat below me in worse condition is going for £150/month more than mine, and anything with two bedrooms in a nice commutable area would leave me with no room for saving. Which is the position I was and many other folk are in.

Victor Mildew wrote:House 2 doors up is for sale, and while it's detached (ours is a semi), and ever so slightly bigger, it's DOUBLE what we paid for ours 6 years ago. Double. Looking at the photos, ours is actually nicer in every way too, they still have all the old carpets, bathroom fittings and so on. We've got 2 drives, they've got one, our garden is considerably bigger than theirs (read that in a Harry Enfield voice) AND we've got a waaaay nicer view (seriously, the view from the front spare room is strawberry floating amazing really).

We're not thinking of selling up or anything for a long time, but it's nuts just how expensive things are now. I think the adjoining neighbours paid about 30k more for theirs than we did and it's the same house but mirrored, with a smaller garden and 1 drive.

I have s something like this similar, place next door went for 200k, bathroom had pipes and wires hanging from the ceiling, bare floor boards, kitchen not far off the same and the garden was used like an allotment so was a mud patch.

Not planning on selling as I have no need, but nice to know there is value there if needed like

Kezzer wrote:I love been trapped in a cycle of paying rent and not being able to afford houses that rise in price at a minimum of 10% each year, all while the cost of living goes up and my wages stay stagnant

Vote Tory and this lifestyle may continue

Kezzer wrote:I love been trapped in a cycle of paying rent and not being able to afford houses that rise in price at a minimum of 10% each year, all while the cost of living goes up and my wages stay stagnant

Yeah but you have a landlord you can get to replace your toilet rolls and light bulbs so you know swing and roundabouts right?

Errkal wrote:

Kezzer wrote:I love been trapped in a cycle of paying rent and not being able to afford houses that rise in price at a minimum of 10% each year, all while the cost of living goes up and my wages stay stagnant

Yeah but you have a landlord you can get to replace your toilet rolls and light bulbs so you know swing and roundabouts right?

I steal my toilet roll from work and public toilets.

fire all tories out of a big canon, along with all landlords. Preferably into the sun.

Moggy wrote:

Dual wrote:

Moggy wrote:Lady upstairs has accepted an offer on her flat. It's a price I'd be VERY happy to sell mine for. Snooping on Rightmove I think her flat looks nicer than mine (my windows are strawberry floated and she's recently decorated) but my flat is bigger due to a decent sized bathroom extension at the back.

Ombudsman should be getting back to me in next 2-3 weeks. From there I'll have one last go at getting the property management company to see sense. If no joy, then I'm just going to have to pay the banana splits and get the strawberry float out.

We're going to do some decorating over the next few weeks and spruce the place up a bit, literally papering over the cracks in some places.

Did you get your boiler sorted in the end? Make sure you have an up to date gas safe certificate when you get round to selling.

No, I just wrapped a towel around the pipe that was dripping every so often and then forgot about it. The towel seems to have done the job.

Which pipe is leaking on the boiler, is it a combi, unvented or vented system?

Samuel_1 wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Dual wrote:

Moggy wrote:Lady upstairs has accepted an offer on her flat. It's a price I'd be VERY happy to sell mine for. Snooping on Rightmove I think her flat looks nicer than mine (my windows are strawberry floated and she's recently decorated) but my flat is bigger due to a decent sized bathroom extension at the back.

Ombudsman should be getting back to me in next 2-3 weeks. From there I'll have one last go at getting the property management company to see sense. If no joy, then I'm just going to have to pay the banana splits and get the strawberry float out.

We're going to do some decorating over the next few weeks and spruce the place up a bit, literally papering over the cracks in some places.

Did you get your boiler sorted in the end? Make sure you have an up to date gas safe certificate when you get round to selling.

No, I just wrapped a towel around the pipe that was dripping every so often and then forgot about it. The towel seems to have done the job.

Which pipe is leaking on the boiler, is it a combi, unvented or vented system?

It's a combi boiler. I assume it's a vented system as the leaking pipe (a big plastic one) comes out of the top of the boiler and goes out of the roof.

Moggy wrote:

Samuel_1 wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Dual wrote:

Moggy wrote:Lady upstairs has accepted an offer on her flat. It's a price I'd be VERY happy to sell mine for. Snooping on Rightmove I think her flat looks nicer than mine (my windows are strawberry floated and she's recently decorated) but my flat is bigger due to a decent sized bathroom extension at the back.

Ombudsman should be getting back to me in next 2-3 weeks. From there I'll have one last go at getting the property management company to see sense. If no joy, then I'm just going to have to pay the banana splits and get the strawberry float out.

We're going to do some decorating over the next few weeks and spruce the place up a bit, literally papering over the cracks in some places.

Did you get your boiler sorted in the end? Make sure you have an up to date gas safe certificate when you get round to selling.

No, I just wrapped a towel around the pipe that was dripping every so often and then forgot about it. The towel seems to have done the job.

Which pipe is leaking on the boiler, is it a combi, unvented or vented system?

It's a combi boiler. I assume it's a vented system as the leaking pipe (a big plastic one) comes out of the top of the boiler and goes out of the roof.

The flue is leaking? Probably best to post a pic. It could be that it isn't the pipe itself, but the flashing/seal where it exits the roof is letting in water...?