Title pretty much. Purchasing a flat, estimated service charge has gone from 24k to 56k. Shared between flats. We were expecting roughly to pay 2k a year prior but now this has changed.

Any advice on what to do? Estate agents weren't aware of this and we have now notified them. They're going to speak to the sellers to see if they were aware of this.

This feels like a too bad to be true kind of increase; for the price we're buying (180k) and the mortgage planned, I can't see many buyers or even current occupants being happy or sustainable with this increase.

So I currently have sold my house and I’m buying a new build via David Wilson. We saw the new build in February via a build plan and CGI photos on the developers website. We did drive ourselves to see the actual house, but could only see the outside of it as there was scaffolding around the whole road it was on. By this point the kitchen was in so we couldn’t choose the kitchen, and the walls were being painted. We were in time to choose the flooring as it had none. We paid £500 deposit and instructed our solicitors. This whole time the sales advisor for David Wilson saying the house would be scheduled to be finished April and we can take a tour of it then. Well I went to take my kids to the park next to the house last week. Saw the scaffolding was down and they’d planted some flowers in the front garden of the house. I emailed the sales advisor to book to see the house. Another replied to tell me I now can’t see the inside of the house until exchange, or possibly until moving in day. Are they allowed to now say this? I emailed them back to say I’m not happy proceeding with a house purchase if I haven’t seen the inside of it at all, especially after being promised I could.

Questions: 1) Can they say I can’t see the house now? 2) What about checking for snags before purchase? 3) Do you only hire a snagger post purchase then?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edit to add: They showed me plans for the house once, when I asked for them they said they couldn’t for “copyright reasons” but I could ask for dimensions of a certain room.

Hey everyone, a bit of guidance needed.

We have just had our offer accepted on a property and the estate agent is requesting a holding deposit of £5000 in order to remove property from the market.

The forwarded deposit agreement states the following -

1. vendor agree to withdraw property from market to give us exclusivity

2. Should the transaction not exchange within 6 weeks of The Buyer’s solicitor receiving the draft contract, the deposit will be non-refundable, except in the following circumstances:

2.1. The Buyer receives an adverse property survey which indicates existing subsidence or Japanese knotweed.

2.2. The Buyer’s solicitor is unable (in his/her reasonable view) to certify the title to the property having regard to the information supplied by The Vendor’s solicitor and the searches carried out.

2.3. The Vendor withdraws from the sale of the property.

1. event of buyer withdraws, vendor keeps deposit.

A little research tells us this is not standard practice and the terms specified are all in favor of the vendor (no idea if 6 weeks is even enough and outside of our control, what if our solicitor takes their time? what if lender valuation comes up short and we can’t proceed obtain a mortgage?)

Any advice/guidance on this is appreciated.

UPDATE:

thank you everyone for all the advice given, we will refuse this proposal. If EA insists, we are prepared to walk away and keep looking.

Hi all, apologies if this is the wrong thread to post on.

I (34M) and my partner (37F) have been living together for the past year. The relationship has started becoming more and more abusive from her side, first verbally and now starting to turn physical.

Long story short, I'm desperate to escape and start again on my own from scratch. The main question I have is regarding council housing, as I've always only rented privately, so I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to the process. I have a daughter with my ex-wife; they live in a different council region than myself. Would I be able to apply for that council even though I'm registered to my current council? If that's not possible, I'll look at private rentals, but the prices are just ridiculous at this point.

Any help, guidance, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

I just want someone to pat my head and tell me it'll all be ok.

I'm buying my first house after our landlord decided to sell and the stress and anxiety is making me so unwell. I can't concentrate at work and I'm preoccupied all the time.

I keep coming up against (probably totally normal) barriers but they've been quite unexpected. Like the lender valuation coming back at 0 pending specialist reports into a complete non-issue (still waiting for this so don't even know if we can get the mortgage anymore). The sellers seem to be taking longer than expected to do things too and it's making me nervous. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing and I'm convinced it's going to fall apart at any minute.

We've already fallen in love with the house - it's in a unique location and is the only one of its kind we could get - and my kids are so excited about it. I've had to tell them about the move as one way or another we need to leave our current house, and I don't want to spring a new house on them when we'd only been in our current one less than a year. So I need to prepare them for the fact that we're moving and where we're going, but I'm scared the purchase will fall through and they'll be so confused and upset if we don't get the house we want. Then they'll have to move school and change childcare arrangements AGAIN.

Can you please share your stories of experiencing blistering stress but everything working out ok in the end?

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152810309

Big garden and nice downstairs, bit pokey upstairs but compared to other stuff in the area on Rightmove seems fairly priced. It's been on for months! What's wrong with it?

EDIT: Thanks for your responses guys! I should clarify that I live in Oxfordshire but am chronically on Rightmove searching for a new life 🤣 this one's been up a while and I wondered why. I guess I hadn't realised how much £700k is up north as round here it doesn't go very far at all. Also didn't think about the location as someone actually living there opposed to my fantasy idea of how it would be!

We moved into our brand new house Friday 28th of March and exactly one week later Friday 04th of April we have had to move out due to groundworkers/drainage company flooding our kitchen with human waste.

We live in a detached property in a row of 6 properties. We are plot 5 with one other to the left of us (plot 6)

Plot 6 have lived in there property for four weeks and reported a problem with their sinks draining away incredibly slowly. A drainage company came out to jet the drains and have jetted the wrong drains pushing human waste back into our house through the kitchen.

DWH have told us to book an air bnb /hotel and keep all receipts for these and food and we will be reimbursed.

They are expecting works to take around three weeks as they will have to take out the kitchen, take up the flooring, deep clean and then replace everything. So far there is no mention of stripping back to the bare walls and replaster boarding and skimming, due to human waste hitting the walls under the kitchen units i don't feel asking for this also is a strange request.

Also my wife and I are now concerned that if there has been issues with the neighbours drains already then this will surely be an ongoing issue? So again we feel this needs to be investigated.

Has anyone else been in a situation where they have had to move out of a house through no fault of their own and if so did you receive any compensation? We want to accept at a bare minimum enough to cover one months mortgage/council tax and bills

In Northern Ireland for context.

Saw a house in February listed for 'Offers Around £185,000'. We loved the location and the house is good as is, with the potential for extension in future as our family grows.

Houses in N.I. tend to go for over asking. £20k over isn't uncommon and they go quick... We agreed on £195,000 with a few other FTB bidding against us.

Survey came back with 'Urgent Works' required to a couple of lintels that are starting to crack the mortar bed. It came back with a 'Repair Soon' for repointing of front and side elevation. After speaking with the surveyor, he said the lintels would probably be OK for a few years but he'd get the works done. The repointing isn't causing any damp and again he said, fix in a few years but monitor. The written survey paints a darker picture than the reality.

Now, we've had a quote back for repointing and lintel repair for £5,000 and don't know how to proceed?

We could ask for a reduction... but we wouldn't give up the house if they said no. Similarly a £5000 reduction is a token amount off any mortgage repayments and deposit and doesn't suddenly make money for the repair available to us. So it's not like if they agree, we'd be able to afford the works instantly on moving in.

If we proceed without pursuing anything, we can be in within a month...

At what point does it become 'worth' haggling over the price?

Hi,

I'm considering purchasing a house but given the recent economic turmoil and mortgage rates potentially reducing further would it be worthwhile waiting a year? I understand there are infinite scenarios to consider and it's anybody's guess but I'd value the thoughts of others.

Details - Property value £125,000 and I'm not precious on a specific house as there are several to choose from. - Deposit £32,500 (LISA) increasing to £37,500+ including 2026 LISA bonus and interest. - Rough mortgage rate 4.25% for 2-5 years over 25 years. - Current rent/living costs are low so there's no immediate saving on rent if I was to purchase sooner than later. - Age early 30's solo buyer.

My partner and I have had an offer accepted on a house and are getting the ball rolling with mortgage etc. The monthly payment would be around 30% of our take home pay, and we also plan to overpay as much as possible. We both earn approximately the same amount (~40k) and are purchasing for 400k. The house requires renovations which we have some additional savings for, but it scares me the thought of spending this amount of money, given the economic situation. I appreciate everyone has to weather financial instability, and that we probably will have to do so multiple times over our mortgage term, but I am already starting to feel sick with worry about the financial element and have the fear this is a mistake.

My concern is not about being able to afford it on our combined salaries (we previously rented for just a little less than the mortgage payment will be and have both since had pay rises, so I know it’s perfectly doable in that respect) but I have this terrible fear of one of us losing our job and with the way things are going, not being able to find something else.

Of course our priority will be to rebuild an emergency fund as quickly as possible for exactly this scenario, but in the meantime does anyone have any advice for coping with these worries about the uncertainty of our financial future? I grew up in a household where my breadwinning parent was made redundant many times and it always caused such deep anxiety, so I think this fear is ingrained in me from those experiences. Thanks so much !

Hi, the property I viewed has chimney breast removed but chimney still there. How to go about asking EA whether the seller has provided paperwork that work has been done with Council's approval and in the correct way?

A kitchen extension has also been made. I believe is the solicitor's job to check on both things, but at what stage can we check this?

Anything I should be aware of?

It's a lovely property but on a very busy main road as well with big trees within half a meter from driveway.

What should I be considering when making an offer?

This is in London.

Me and my partner are planning to buy a house next year but may delay. I’ve seen mention of house prices rising. How much difference is it likely to make if we wait another year or two? Will people be priced out of buying by the increase in prices? I know we can’t predict what will happen but any advice/knowledge on this situation is appreciated

Moving to London from NYC for 1-2 years and looking for a neighborhood similar to Fort Greene/Greenpoint that’s on the quieter side but still has great restaurants & bar scene. Any recommendations that would be close enough for a commute to Shoreditch for work every week day? Thank you!

Hi all, I'm in a terraced house and renovations are due to start. We're planning to open up a fireplace on a party wall to accommodate a hob. So not take it out completely. Will I need to get neighbours party wall agreement?

Hello, I'm a first-time buyer, looking for advice on whether or not to pull out following a bad (?) survey.

For context: My partner and I are three weeks into the process of buying a leasehold flat in south London. We spent over six months looking for somewhere, with a strong preference for share of freehold. But we kept missing out on things we liked (our observation is that while the market in general isn't that hot right now, things that we want always seem to go to best and finals and often for over asking price - these are things that are objectively nice, in good areas, under 450k and could accommodate a baby) and had to compromise.

The flat is one of nine in a 1930s building. The communal areas are very dingy with torn carpet - it's obvious nothing has been spent on them for years. We initially thought service charges were reasonable - £1577 PA - and that the freeholder was just pretty negligent, and that it would be highly likely we could organise the block to buy them out. After offering, an extra 100 PCM 'reserve fund' charge was sprung on us, taking total service charges to £2577 PA for a small building with no lift or amenities aside from a basic (lawn) communal garden, a small concrete driveway and hallways. We were told there was 77k in the sinking fund with 'external decorations' scheduled to come out of that within the next year, which initially confused us (the internal areas seemed in most dire need of work).

We decided to proceed because we love the flat - which itself is immaculate - and are a bit desperate. It was also quite cheap, so we feel at least some of the issues are priced in. We did a level 3 RICs survey though, because we felt nervous. This has come back pretty bad, at least by our reading.

There are 13 'Red' Condition 3 items (and 3 'Orange'). The comments/exec summary say 'not to take the purchase lightly'. This includes some standard things like electricity, gas/oil, water, heating that we do not feel super concerned about - mostly the comments here are 'ask for documentation/ get a professional to check'.

What we are concerned about is:

- Structural movement to the rear corner of the property and big cracks likely related to this to the driveway on the other side. When we viewed the property again recently, we happened to run into a surveyor for the freeholder, who said that he was looking into damage caused by tree roots (now removed) a few years ago. He framed this as minor and now settled, but the fact that it visibly impacts the two back corners of the large house, which are many metres apart, to the extent that the entire concrete drive is cracked and needs replacing on the opposite side to the tree, suggests to us it may be a larger problem. Our surveyor seems to think likewise.

- Issues with the roof being worn and needing repairs. The survey words this as if repairs to slipped and eroded tiles are the minimum (ie it could need a new roof).

- Issues with fire safety/regulations, including no floor or ceiling breaks between flats.

Our feeling is that, given the potential extent of these issues, combined with the worn interior, where large hall spaces all need new carpet, the 77k is unlikely to cover costs. Subsidence could also affect buildings insurance and resaleability causing problems into the future even if we were able to buy the freehold.

We also feel like on the one hand, many of these things being the freeholder's problem (rather than ours, directly or alone) could be a positive in a well-run block. But given the evident negligence of this freeholder, having an array of issues but also no control, but in fact a dependence on a bad management company, is potentially a very stressful situation to be in.

I'm generally an anxious over-thinker. But at the same time, I'm really desperate to buy somewhere. The process has drained me, and we are both currently living in inadequate housing that is affecting our mental health at the very least.

Are we being too risk averse in considering pulling out? Or, on the other hand, would proceeding be a stupid thing to do, born out of desperation to live somewhere? what would you do?

I’m buying a freehold (ex council) property, everything’s ready to go. But I’m waiting for clarification from the council, regarding payments.

I did my own research and found SCC “are not billed at the present time, we have the right to charge them in the future.”

My questions are:

1. How does Chancel Insurance protect me?
2. What are the estimated costs? ( it’s was £35 in 1993)
3. Would this make it harder to sell in the future?

Any advice would be appreciated :)

I've just had an offer accepted on a property which needs some work (Full rewire, replastering whole house and bathroom replacement). The property is currently empty and EA have the keys. The property has textured walls in the living room which will need to be tested before I do anything. Would it be a reasonable ask when we're close to exchange to gain access for asbestos sampling and to get a quote for the rewire? I'd ideally like to get the work booked in the week we move in cause we can't do anything else until that's completed. EA knows I'm aware it needs a rewire so I doubt they'd think I'm using it as a bargaining chip later down the line.

Hello, I need help with eligibility for SO. I am a single parent, my earnings past year comes to 88000 before pension payments (I understand income threshold considers full income before workplace pension deducted). But then I have now read interest from ISAs also considered as well as taxable interest?? Is this correct? Because then I am even going to get over the london threshold 90000, and just can't afford a full mortgage on my own. What a headache! Help with any advice please. Thanks

When I completed on my leasehold flat in late November I never received a copy of my lease from my solicitor. I also signed a Deed of Variation on the ground rent and never received a copy of that either. Should I have received these documents as standard when I completed? And are there any others I should have received too. I did try emailing my solicitor earlier this year but didn't get a reply.

Hello,

I was born in continental Europe and most people live in flats there, so I became used to it and also feel much safer living in apartment blocks than houses where anyone on the street can just smash your window with a brick.

But since coming to London, all the Reddit threads mention how bad it is to buy flats in London but not sure why, here are the four main reasons they mention:

1 - ground rent

2 - length of lease

3 - service charge

4 - fire hazards

But regarding the four

1 - this is now abolished, so it’s peppercorn ground rent which means nothing

2 - new leases are 999 years, and I doubt houses in London are kept for a thousand years anyways?

3 - service charges is the only valid point, but there are regulations coming into gear this year to control that. And these charges exist anyways for houses but it’s just more one off big expenses instead of monthly ones

4 - new construction regulations to make sure what happened at Grenfell doesn’t happen again

Many people mentioned that it made more sense to rent instead of buying a flat but I don’t understand that, maybe my maths isn’t adding up. For example:

EDIT: I am not actually buying a flat in London for 300’000. This is just a hypothetical situation.

• current rent: 2’000
• property you want to buy: 300’000
• deposit: 30’000
• loan: 270’000
• monthly mortgage + insurance : around 2’000 maybe even less(very feasible on a 270’000 loan, I think mortgage rates are around 4-4.5% right now)

And let’s say you live in your flat for 20 years and paid off the flat. Now you want to sell the flat but it only sells for 250’000 because it’s a flat and the UK flat market doesnt appreciate, you still made:

250’000 - 30’000 = 220,000 in 20 years( not including taxes, etc)

Yes I paid mortgage but I would have paid the same monthly rent (or even more rent) anyways if I didn’t buy.

Then the only opportunity cost is my deposit + solicitor fees, but then again what can you do with 30’000 in 20 years, let’s take the average annual return of the SPX in USD (it will be even less for the FTSE 100 or the SPX in GBP), you would get

30’000 x (1.07)²⁰ =116,000 (roughly)

And that’s taking into account good investment timing, if you invested all 30’000 at once at the beginning, the same way as for a deposit, and we’re in a 2008 scenario then you would probably barely end up with 60’000 at the end of 20 years.

But it seems that I’m missing something very obvious based on the majority of Reddit posts?

Thanks!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for all your insights and comments! This was really informative :)

Hi all,

So we have found an apartment which is a new build and is affordable (due to discount and stamp duty contribution we are getting from the developer). It is a 10 mins walk from the nearest tube station and is in a town having good Reddit reviews. The only issue is it has slopped ceilings in the bedrooms - living room is with normal ceilings i.e not slopped. My question to you guys is would this impact future prospects of the property i.e sale or renting? We really like it but we have doubts as to are we going to get stuck with this one if we have to dispose it of in the future?

P.s the rooms are otherwise normal sized and you can easily navigate through.

We have lived in our house for about a year and are looking to do a kitchen extension on the back of our house to bring the 70s house into the modern age.

We love the quirkiness of the house but because of the layout it means I'm struggling to extend in a way that doesn't mean demolition of walls or creating dead space...

The builder naturally prefers building a bigger box extension on the back of the house because naturally its easier, but not sure its the best use of space?

Not sure which the lesser evil is? Any help would greatly be appreciated

I've linked my floor plan and initial ideas. https://imgur.com/a/3J2Xz6J

I can only find ones that show how much the overall lump sum is reduced by overpaying. I'm looking for one that shows how overpaying impacts the interest vs capital breakdown/ratio each month (even though the monthly payments stay the same if you see what I mean).

FTB here and I viewed a house built in 1968. The house looks nice and is in my price range. It has been modernized a bit but after the viewing I realized I wasn’t well prepared in terms of what to look for/questions to ask the EA (The EA seemed like he didn’t know the house that much as well). I would like to go for a second viewing and would like to be more prepared.

What should I look out for? Are there specific questions I should ask the EA? FYI, the house had a bit of a “musty/damp” smell. Is this normal for houses from this era?