Buying a house (and renting)

Where do you live Qikz? I grew up in Hertfordshire and 275k for a one bedroom flat seems too much even for place like St Albans (maybe Harpenden)

Pretty sure Qikz is somewhere on the outskirts of London iirc

pjbetman wrote:

Drumstick wrote:When has the government not been able to source money for, well, anything?

Oh and it can also put contracts out to tender for designated new build sites. Your big housebuilders like Persimmon will gladly pay them hundreds of millions.

I was hinting that the tax payer will be paying for it all. Particularly council tax.

Yeah I gotcha. It's possible there would be an increase in taxation - but considering there wouldn't be handouts of absurd volumes to "mates" and other inappropriate practices, I don't think the public would be hit too hard tbh.

Drumstick wrote:Pretty sure Qikz is somewhere on the outskirts of London iirc

pjbetman wrote:

Drumstick wrote:When has the government not been able to source money for, well, anything?

Oh and it can also put contracts out to tender for designated new build sites. Your big housebuilders like Persimmon will gladly pay them hundreds of millions.

I was hinting that the tax payer will be paying for it all. Particularly council tax.

Yeah I gotcha. It's possible there would be an increase in taxation - but considering there wouldn't be handouts of absurd volumes to "mates" and other inappropriate practices, I don't think the public would be hit too hard tbh.

If we combined it with a tax on the highest earners then there's no reason ordinary people should have to pay any extra.

Plus all those council houses will generate rental income for the councils.

Vote for Drumstick as your Fuhrer leader!

Albear wrote:Where do you live Qikz? I grew up in Hertfordshire and 275k for a one bedroom flat seems too much even for place like St Albans (maybe Harpenden)

Borehamwood. It's got much more expensive recently.

A few days in and things are starting to come together...

twitter.com/voluntaryreboot/status/1330260356506279941

I got a quote for replacing the horrific bedroom carpet which I can't wait for - hopefully the week after next. Arguably need to repaint the hall but I think I've had enough excitement for now, once the spare bedroom sorts itself out!

Unbelievably though that's not the only property update I have! You'll see from the photographs there's still a very notable absence of any (successfully built) furniture - I've got the envious position of still renting the flat I've been living in for another month or so, because I left it very late to trigger my break clause. This gives a nice overlap to tinker with the new place without having to compromise too much, as I can just move slowly in and not be stressed. Officially handing back at the end of December. Or so I thought!

I had a call from my letting agency today, "we'd like to arrange a viewing, is 13:00 on Monday okay?" Umm, no? What? Who's viewing? "A prospective buyer." What the strawberry float??? The property is on the market???? You didn't think to tell me?? And you want to bring strangers in off the street to look at it during a pandemic??? During "lockdown"??????

I offered them Tuesday since I won't be in the flat; they took Wednesday (I'm having a bed delivered to the new place then anyway, so this is fine, in a relative sense). But it's gobsmacking that I have to then go on Rightmove and find, yep, there's the flat... and I was none the wiser. Obviously I took the opportunity to load up a bunch of stuff into the car and accelerate my move out plans, but I still think it's stunning. I was actually kind of speechless on the call.

I'm going to call on Monday and see if this means they'll consider early release, so I just strawberry float off at the end of November and don't pay December's rent at all. I think it'd be mutually beneficial, so obviously they won't do it.

Additionally to all of this, the bathroom (I think; it's this or the boiler) in the flat upstairs has been leaking for some time in the middle of the night causing significant mould, a huge bulge in the roof, and steady drips (though only at like 4am for a few hours at a time, from what I can tell). I reported it two weeks ago and strawberry float all has been done about it, beyond them telling me I should contact the occupiers upstairs (I haven't done this, on the basis that there is a pandemic, I don't know them, and contractually it is on the letting agents to deal with structures once I inform them), so good luck to them trying to sell this place to anyone with that in play. I'm definitely not taking any responsibility for it now. I would be more proactive if I didn't have the ability to just walk out and not be too put out, but as it stands I'm kind of rooting for the leak to straight up collapse the ceiling now.

Out of curiosity, would you have been interested in buying your old flat had the landlord advised you of their intention to sell (which they really should have done, but the fact they didn't is entirely unsurprising)?

Also, and I realise this is no good to you now, but it might be to someone: when we were almost ready to start looking, we contacted our letting agent to pass on a request to the landlord. It basically said: for your information we are looking to buy a place in the next 12 months. As we have been good, trouble-free tenants for several years, please can we amend the break-clause from three months to one. In return we will keep you as updated as best we can and promise to be as accommodating as possible with viewings to future prospective tenants.

Landlord was happy to agree and wished us the best of luck.

I have just sent my application to the tribunal.

The form says a copy has to be served to the other party so I just forwarded it to the dickheads. I really wanted to add a picture like this:



It's going to be some time before the tribunal looks at the case and even more time before a decision is made, but at least it's out of my hands now.

Good luck! I can't wait for an update that essentially says "I won. The bastards refused to pay, so the courts have taken the money and passed it over, and shut their operation down."

That's not a growth wrote:Good luck! I can't wait for an update that essentially says "I won. The bastards refused to pay, so the courts have taken the money and passed it over, and shut their operation down."

That's the dream.

Although I'll happily settle for getting my money back, the pricks leaving me alone and getting a quick sale of the flat next year.

I am so hyped to see the end of this landlord saga. I love how they keep digging and making it worse for themselves as if you’re going to give up now! Here’s hoping they get absolutely rinsed out for how they’ve been acting. It’s been almost unbelievable to read!

Drumstick wrote:Out of curiosity, would you have been interested in buying your old flat had the landlord advised you of their intention to sell (which they really should have done, but the fact they didn't is entirely unsurprising)?

Also, and I realise this is no good to you now, but it might be to someone: when we were almost ready to start looking, we contacted our letting agent to pass on a request to the landlord. It basically said: for your information we are looking to buy a place in the next 12 months. As we have been good, trouble-free tenants for several years, please can we amend the break-clause from three months to one. In return we will keep you as updated as best we can and promise to be as accommodating as possible with viewings to future prospective tenants.

Landlord was happy to agree and wished us the best of luck.

Nah, I wouldn’t have bought this place. It’s only one bedroom (I wanted a second) and is a middle flat with both upstairs and downstairs neighbours. The upstairs soundproofing is pretty bad and I can hear their baby screaming etc. Also I’d I was buying it needs serious work; all the carpets are strawberry floated, the kitchen needs refreshed, the bathroom needs redone (and obviously the roof!). The main positive it has is location: hard to argue with a 7 minute drive to work and 15 minute walk to the central railway station.

I did pitch an early release in my formal written notification but they haven’t so much as acknowledged that I have triggered it; I’m not holding high hopes at this point. Tbh they’ve been appallingly bad as managing agents lately, which I guess is true of them all, but when things start going badly they’re just nowhere to be found.

Moggy wrote:

That's not a growth wrote:Good luck! I can't wait for an update that essentially says "I won. The bastards refused to pay, so the courts have taken the money and passed it over, and shut their operation down."

That's the dream.

Although I'll happily settle for getting my money back, the pricks leaving me alone and getting a quick sale of the flat next year.

There should definitely be a payment due for 'damages' and I hope you have stressed how, er, stressful the entire ordeal has been.

I genuinely really enjoy building IKEA furniture, there's a pattern to how they tend to put stuff together so once you've built a few of their things you can almost do it without needing the instructions.

I just like doing DIY really, as someone who works in IT it's just nice to do something practical with my hands once in a while!

Drumstick wrote:

Moggy wrote:

That's not a growth wrote:Good luck! I can't wait for an update that essentially says "I won. The bastards refused to pay, so the courts have taken the money and passed it over, and shut their operation down."

That's the dream.

Although I'll happily settle for getting my money back, the pricks leaving me alone and getting a quick sale of the flat next year.

There should definitely be a payment due for 'damages' and I hope you have stressed how, er, stressful the entire ordeal has been.

Yeah I put on the form that it's been 6 years of stress and also accused them of deliberate deceit.

Now I'm paranoid I've filled out the wrong form or done something else stupid that'll get it all thrown out.

pjbetman wrote:The only problem with all this - government buying millions of properties and councils buildings millions of homes - is the cost. Who's going to foot the bill? Can the government afford it?

At the moment councils are paying to rent houses they were forced to sell at significantly under market cost so they can sublet as social housing, making up the rent deficit themselves. It's a hugely inefficient use of public money compared to the local authority owning the properties, and a hugely efficient vehicle for the upwards transfer of wealth into private hands.

Correcting the situation has is costly upfront, but that should be seen as a long term cost of the right to buy policy.

If we can spend billions on laser guns for the military we can buy and/or build some houses.

Also, the government could go ahead and requisition houses from people who take the piss. You don't even have to start with "no landlording" or "no holiday homes" if that's too radical for you. You can dip your toes in with the most-obviously disgusting stuff. Shady Russian oligarchs own half of Bath and let it sit empty? Just take those houses. Abusive slumlords make student tenants sleep in the freezing cold? Give those flats to the University or to the council to clean up and maintain better.

Karl_ wrote:If we can spend billions on laser guns for the military we can buy and/or build some houses.

Wrathy wrote:A few days in and things are starting to come together...

twitter.com/voluntaryreboot/status/1330260356506279941

I got a quote for replacing the horrific bedroom carpet which I can't wait for - hopefully the week after next. Arguably need to repaint the hall but I think I've had enough excitement for now, once the spare bedroom sorts itself out!

Unbelievably though that's not the only property update I have! You'll see from the photographs there's still a very notable absence of any (successfully built) furniture - I've got the envious position of still renting the flat I've been living in for another month or so, because I left it very late to trigger my break clause. This gives a nice overlap to tinker with the new place without having to compromise too much, as I can just move slowly in and not be stressed. Officially handing back at the end of December. Or so I thought!

I had a call from my letting agency today, "we'd like to arrange a viewing, is 13:00 on Monday okay?" Umm, no? What? Who's viewing? "A prospective buyer." What the strawberry float??? The property is on the market???? You didn't think to tell me?? And you want to bring strangers in off the street to look at it during a pandemic??? During "lockdown"??????

I offered them Tuesday since I won't be in the flat; they took Wednesday (I'm having a bed delivered to the new place then anyway, so this is fine, in a relative sense). But it's gobsmacking that I have to then go on Rightmove and find, yep, there's the flat... and I was none the wiser. Obviously I took the opportunity to load up a bunch of stuff into the car and accelerate my move out plans, but I still think it's stunning. I was actually kind of speechless on the call.

I'm going to call on Monday and see if this means they'll consider early release, so I just strawberry float off at the end of November and don't pay December's rent at all. I think it'd be mutually beneficial, so obviously they won't do it.

Additionally to all of this, the bathroom (I think; it's this or the boiler) in the flat upstairs has been leaking for some time in the middle of the night causing significant mould, a huge bulge in the roof, and steady drips (though only at like 4am for a few hours at a time, from what I can tell). I reported it two weeks ago and strawberry float all has been done about it, beyond them telling me I should contact the occupiers upstairs (I haven't done this, on the basis that there is a pandemic, I don't know them, and contractually it is on the letting agents to deal with structures once I inform them), so good luck to them trying to sell this place to anyone with that in play. I'm definitely not taking any responsibility for it now. I would be more proactive if I didn't have the ability to just walk out and not be too put out, but as it stands I'm kind of rooting for the leak to straight up collapse the ceiling now.

What are those Simba mattresses like? Seem a bit pricey though

Karl_ wrote:If we can spend billions on laser guns for the military we can buy and/or build some houses.

Also, the government could go ahead and requisition houses from people who take the piss. You don't even have to start with "no landlording" or "no holiday homes" if that's too radical for you. You can dip your toes in with the most-obviously disgusting stuff. Shady Russian oligarchs own half of Bath and let it sit empty? Just take those houses. Abusive slumlords make student tenants sleep in the freezing cold? Give those flats to the University or to the council to clean up and maintain better.

But Karl! thats too sensible, it will never work!

Socialism!!11!