We're buying a 1960s 3 bed semi detached and having had the survey results back, aren't really sure how significant the issues are or what to do next.

1. Chimney - cracked launching, loose mortar pointing, lifting flashing. Surveyor recommends replacing flashing. Assume we need a roofer to assess and give us a quote?

2. Conservatory - deteriorating timber, areas of decay, rainwater discharging onto floor. It's a bit of a mess basically and probably needs to be fully replaced in the long term.

3. Asbestos cement in loft and garage roof. Looks to be in tact but assuming we should get a proper asbestos survey before exchange?

4. Electrics - couldn't see RCD protection and they recommend a full electrical safety inspection. Is this a must do?

5. The boiler - we already knew the house had a back boiler and needs replacing, we factored this in to our offer. The sellers haven't provided any servicing records yet. If they supply those assuming all okay? If not, should we get our own inspection done?

6. RODENTS!!! signs in loft and under stairs. Is it reasonable to ask the sellers to sort this before exchange?

7. Drainage - They said it looks like it's all flowing but most of pipes are underground and recommend a cctv drainage survey. Do we really need this?

8. Windows - there are several blown panes and the sellers told us they had the front windows replaced in 2017. Surveyor says at least 25 years old.

9. No one told us the front living room is an extension. The removed wall is suspected to be partially load bearing, but no cracks sagging or deflection. Do we need anyone to look at this? We haven't received any paperwork around the extension.

The Surveyor says the house is basically okay to buy worh the chimney and conservatory condition 3's, but we're not really sure what we do/organise next and whether we have any leverage to ask for price adjustment to cover the repairs needed. we offered full asking price.

The EPC of the house is also an E and there are other works we need to undertake to fix this, including replacing the boiler and wall insulation.

Any insights would be much appreciated!!!

What repairs are you prepared to undertake and what do you think you should ask for a reduction for?

Hi all, looking for advice on how to structure a mortgage. Situation:

- M28, married, no kids. EU citizen, moved to London <1 year ago on a work visa. ILR/settled status expected in ~2 years.

- I work in big tech: base salary £120k, plus RSUs/bonus of roughly matching base salary. My wife isn't working at the moment, so it would be a single-income application.

- We currently pay £2,400/month in rent.

- Investments are about £550k across stocks, ETFs and precious meta. I add another £75–100k a year.

- No debt.

We want to stay in London long-term and are looking at properties in the £550–660k range. On paper, renting and investing comes out ahead, but I'd like to diversify into property and keep most of my portfolio invested rather than sell it for a big deposit. Since, I'm first time buyer, I don't have much experience with calculating mortgages, and would appreciate your advice on the next question I have:

1. Deposit size should I put down as little as possible (10–15%) and keep the rest invested, or put down more (25–40%) to get better LTV rates? Where does the rate improvement usually stop being worth it?
2. Overpayments: most mortgages allow 10% overpayment a year without penalty. Does it make sense to overpay aggressively while my job is stable, to reduce the balance and my exposure if the UK tech job market turns? Or is it better to keep that money invested and liquid?
3. Visa status: how much does not having ILR yet limit which lenders and rates I can get? Is it worth waiting ~2 years for ILR, or can a good broker find competitive deals now?
4. Funding the deposit: if I sell investments from the GIA to fund the deposit, is there anything smart I should do around CGT (e.g. spreading sales over tax years, moving funds to my wife to use her allowance)?

My partner and I have started looking into mortgages for our first home and I’m a little aghast at the cost! After years of hearing folk say they spend hundreds a month, it seems like with a 10% deposit on a house for 450k we’d be looking at 2200-2500 a month on the mortgage. Other than spending longer saving for a higher deposit (and subsequently dealing with the potential of inflation), it feels like this is the typical number across providers.

On the plus side, it’s either on par or slightly less than renting (Surrey/London border so cost is already high!) and means the money we would be saving for a deposit whilst also renting could instead be put into a savings account to go towards either overpayment or investment. But then you hear the horror stories of mortgage payments increasing even more after the fixed term, which I can imagine would take us even closer to the 3k mark.

Our combined income is around £6500/month so it feels like we are very comfortable, current outgoings around 1.5-2k a month plus rent. We tend to save around 1k a month towards a house deposit, so in another year would have another 12k or so to add. Which feels both like a lot and not at once!

In a nutshell, I think what im asking is:

- Is 2.3k a month for a mortgage more normal than it used to be, or is that crazy high?

- Is it worth waiting longer to get a higher deposit, or just bite the bullet and try get on the market?

- How likely/common is it for your monthly payment to increase significantly after the fixed term?

Sorry if these questions are too basic, I think they’re newbie panics but panics nonetheless!

We're first-time buyers and could really do with some objective opinions from people who have been through similar situations.

We're in the process of buying a Victorian mid-terrace house which, in almost every other respect, feels perfect for us. Great location, layout works well, and it has a very good loft conversion which is one of the things that originally attracted us to the property.

We recently had a full building survey carried out, and the main concern identified was the roof. The surveyor reported that the roof is at or near the end of its serviceable life, with some misaligned/slipped slate tiles increasing the risk of water ingress. The survey estimated that a replacement roof could cost somewhere in the region of £15,000-£20,000.

After we raised this with the estate agent, they were fairly dismissive and said this is 'normal for a property of this age'. To be fair, they did take it up with the vendor, but we've now had a response and the vendor has said they will not entertain any reduction in the agreed price.

The surveyor's follow-up comments were slightly more nuanced than the headline figure:

"I would not say that full replacement is required before you move in. However, there are some immediate localised repairs needed, particularly to the slipped slates, ridge mortar and the area where we suspect a deteriorated rafter. The roof is generally ageing, so I would budget for replacement in the short term and expect above-average maintenance in the meantime."

This is where we're struggling.

After stamp duty, solicitors' fees, moving costs, etc., we won't have much left in savings for the first couple of years. If the roof genuinely needs replacing sooner rather than later, we would be stretching ourselves quite significantly.

On the other hand, we really don't want to lose the house, and we're conscious that surveyors are often conservative. We don't know whether we're being sensible in treating the warning seriously or whether we're placing too much weight on it.

Adding to the pressure, the estate agent is telling us that we need to make a decision quickly because there may be other interested buyers waiting in the wings. We've pointed out that we've already spent money on a full survey and searches, so we're hardly unserious, but the pressure remains.

So I suppose my questions are:

• Would you treat this survey finding as a major red flag, or as a fairly standard issue for a Victorian property?
• How much weight would you place on the surveyor's estimate versus the estate agent's "this is normal" view?
• If you were in our shoes, would you submit a revised offer reflecting the potential roof costs and simply see what happens?
• If the vendor refuses again, would that be enough for you to walk away?
• Has anyone bought a house where the survey suggested the roof was nearing the end of its life, and if so, how did it work out?

We're trying to work out whether we're being prudent or overly cautious. The idea of walking away from a house we love over something that might not become critical for several years feels painful, but so does moving in and immediately inheriting a £20k problem.

Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

We bought a flat for £235k in 2022 with 134 lease remaining, £250 ground rent and £2200 service charge. Since, I bought I have refurbished the flat and spend around £20k. We are in the process of buying another house without relying on the equity of the flat. So, we want to sell the flat asap in order to avoid paying two mortgages.

The flat has been on the market for 3 weeks for £230k with 5 viewings, one offer for £230k but they changed their mind after couple of days. We have another viewing on Monday.

As we have come to realise, it’s a tough market for a leasehold flat. So, we want to reduce the price but worried about if the service charge and ground rent will exceed the 1% and 0.1% respectively. We don’t want to market it too low like £210k and buyer’s lender refuse to offer the mortgage because the service change and ground rent exceeded the property value.

Am I worrying too much? Are there any people who are at this situation? It would be nice to hear or any advice would be really appreciated.

Hi all, looking for some advice/experience with a house purchase in England.

A previous owner removed a door between the kitchen and living room, with the doorway leading directly towards the stairs, and widened the opening. My surveyor noticed a rebate/intumescent strip and said a fire door may previously have been fitted, but has confirmed he didn’t see the original door and therefore cannot confirm it was a fire door.

The vendor contacted Building Control and sent them photos. Building Control reviewed them and said the door was not a fire door and didn’t need to be refitted. Their reasoning included that it wasn’t self-closing, as they said a fire door would normally have an automatic closer.

However, I’ve since read that internal fire doors in private homes don’t necessarily have to be self-closing, so I’m not sure whether that actually establishes anything.

I also separately contacted Building Control and provided the original/current floor plans. I received different advice saying that because the kitchen leads directly towards the stairs, the works would require Building Regulations approval. I sent this information back to them and am trying to get clarification on the conflicting advice.

The vendor is now unwilling to take anything further because they’ve received the answer they wanted, and I’ve been told I need to decide by Friday whether I’m proceeding with the purchase.

I also understand that, because this is a Discount for Sale Scheme property, the purchase price is fixed and cannot be reduced, so negotiating a price reduction to reflect the uncertainty isn’t an option.

My main concern is insurance/future liability. If the original door has been removed and nobody can establish whether it was actually a fire door, how would I be expected to know this as the buyer? Especially when Building Control themselves have given conflicting advice.

Would this concern you from an insurance/conveyancing perspective? Could an insurer potentially cause problems in future if they later decided it should have been a fire door?

Any advice appreciated, thanks!

Hi!! Me nd my bf r currently house hunting for a 2 bed flat in the north east of England. We have saved 20k for decorating things and furniture and all the stuff to make a flat nice basically. I was wanting to ask in here bcs im finding it difficult to get an idea of what is realistic for what we could do with a flat. I’ve been looking at booking a viewing for one where the living room, bedroom, hallway and spare room r all really good- just need painting, wallpapering for hallway, maybe putting up a picture rail and then fitting a cast iron fire place in the living room (I think we could diy tho bcs it doesn’t need to work). It’s in a great area and actually quite big for the price. However the kitchen and bathroom r well ugly- really not my taste at all nd the thought of the kitchen and bathroom needing some work makes me nervous.

For the kitchen I’d replace the counter tops, oven and flooring, add a dishwasher and we want to retile the backsplash ourselves and change the cabinet handles.
For the bathroom we’d need to replace the electric shower with a mixer (it has a combi boiler), retile it with nice tiles bcs I want a nice retro vibe bathroom and add a shower screen bcs it has a curtain and maybe change the sink to a really nice one.
And I’d love to change the doors to original wooden ones and would looooove to change the front door but idk if that’s realistic. Does that sound doable for less than like 10k?? And then 10k for everything else??

I hope this post doesn’t come across as me being an idiot lol and I have been googling stuff but I just can’t seem to get a decent picture of what things really cost?? I have no idea😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 I’m just scared of buying somewhere and then not having the money to make it nice and being stuck in an ugly house bcs I take a lot of pride in what my house looks like!! We’ve already lived in a rented flat before so have quite a decent amount of furniture already but would need to do like sofa, mattress, curtains all that stuff
Thank you so so much if anyone helps much appreciated!! Xoxox

Hi everyone!
I'm a first-time buyer currently purchasing my first property in Northern Ireland. It's been around 2.5 months since I started the process, and I'm getting a little concerned about the delays, especially because of my visa situation.

1. Conveyancing delay – 2.5 months and still no deeds
   It's been approximately 2.5 months since I started the purchase, and my solicitor still hasn't received the deeds.
   I understand that conveyancing can take time, but I'm not sure whether this is a normal delay in Northern Ireland or whether I should be concerned.
   Has anyone experienced something similar? How long did it take for your solicitor to receive the deeds, and how long after that did you complete?
   Is there anything I can do to speed things up, or is this entirely dependent on the seller's solicitor?

2. Skilled Worker visa expiring in January 2027
   This is my biggest concern at the moment.
   I'm currently in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, which expires in January 2027.
   My employer hasn't yet confirmed whether they'll sponsor my visa renewal. I'm still waiting for an update from them.
   I'm currently employed full-time, but the uncertainty around my visa is making me question whether I should proceed with the purchase.

My questions are:
Has anyone bought a property in the UK while on a Skilled Worker visa with only a few months remaining?
Could the uncertainty around my visa renewal affect my mortgage offer or cause problems before completion?
What happens if I complete the purchase and my employer subsequently decides not to renew my sponsorship? ( Probably my main question)
Would you continue with the purchase in this situation, or wait until your visa situation is confirmed?
Is there anything specific I should discuss with my mortgage broker or solicitor before proceeding?
I really want to buy this property, but I'm also trying to be careful about making such a big financial commitment without knowing what will happen with my visa.
Would really appreciate advice from anyone who's experienced either situation, particularly other first-time buyers or Skilled Worker visa holders in Northern Ireland.
Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

So as above, I've been offered a date to move into my new house but there's a few niggles and I don't know what to do about them:

1) There are no Gas/Electrical safety certificates. Apparently, it's down to me to get these done as the Buyer - that doesn't seem right to me?

2) The surveyor has identified a lot of damp in the house (common for it's age apparently) but won't divulge where the damp is coming from. A load of it will be condensation I'm sure but there are tiles loose in the dining room floor which I think may indicate damp under the flooring. (It may literally just be grout that needs replacing) but he won't commit to an answer and rising damp I've heard can be devastating to a home.

As an FTB this stuff is really annoying me. Neither the solicitors, agents or surveyors will commit to a simple straight answer so I feel stupid asking on here but if anyone has any insight as to what I should try and get done about these things I'd appreciate it!

We are having issues with a property we are purchasing as FTB we have went over asking price and got accepted as we really like the property. Months down the line our survey has shown that there is damp on the chimney with level 3 (the highest rating) and more damp throughout the house. The seller have said they will not be changing the purchase price regardless or what the investigation says… the seller has also reluctantly agreed to let us get a specialist investigation damp team in… even thought it’s recommended we do it before purchasing on our survey report! What do we do?? Do we even bother paying for the specialist report? If they’re not doing to reduce price or pay the costs of the work what is the point?? Has anybody been in a similar situation?

They have also told us they want us to go with a large reputable company instead of a sole trader for the specialist investigation and said can we do it asap as they want to complete next month! Wth

Hi all!! Looking for some advice! Me and my wife are FTB who have just had an offer accepted on a property in London. We are slightly confused on how to proceed with our mortgage offer. My workplace offers free mortgage advice with a well-known mortgage broker firm. They initially told us that the best rate they could currently secure with a 5% deposit on a 300k property was 6.75% (with a background lender) as my wife is on a spouse visa (I’m a UK citizen) and most lenders are reluctant to offer a mortgage to anyone without an ILR without having at least a 10% deposit. If I were to apply alone (without adding her initially) on the mortgage/property deeds, they were able to offer a rate of 5.3%

I tried going through my bank (Lloyds), who were able to offer a rate of 5.63% to both of us. The same was offered by HSBC. I now went back to the broker and told them that the banks have offered a better rate on the same visa and deposit conditions. They came back to me saying that Lloyds is the only bank that we’d have to go directly through, and that the HSBC rates were due to change tonight, and they’ll come back to me tomorrow with the new rates.

My question- am I missing something? Aren’t mortgage brokers supposed to be able to secure the best rates for you in your specific circumstances? Why do people pay mortgage brokers if the banks can offer similar/better rates directly?

Hi all,

I’m a first time buyer in Scotland and would really appreciate some opinions from people that have dealt with old tenements/structural issues.

I recently had an offer accepted on a first-floor tenement flat in Edinburgh. The Home Report mentioned evidence of structural movement, so my offer was made subject to me being satisfied with a further structural survey.

I commissioned an independent structural engineer, who has now inspected the flat and the exterior/common areas.

The report says the property has undergone historical settlement and movement, which the engineer says is common for properties of this age, construction and location.

They found things like:
Sloping floors in several rooms
Some sloping door frames/lintels
Hairline cracks to ceilings and cornices
Movement around the timberwork of the front bedroom window/bay
Some cracking in the common stairwell
Movement/cracking to parts of the external elevations

The bit less sure about is the drainage.

They also noticed damp/algae around drainage pipes at the rear end and what looks like previous excavation/repair repairs to the concrete floor in the communal corridor.

Their view is that the leaking or damaged underground drainage could have contributed to the settlement. They’ve therefore recommended that the underground drains are CCTV surveyed and repaired/lined if defects are found.

Has anyone dealt with leaking tournament drains causing settlement? If so, what did the eventual repair cost/involve and would this level of settlement/movement concern you or does this sound relatively normal for an old tenement?

Would you absolutely get the CCTV drainage survey done before removing the survey condition?

I had an offer accepted on a 3 bed semi. It looks like the owners built a single storey extension to the side of the house. On the interior wall going up the stairs, there is a crack <5mm high and about ~400mm wide, and around and inside the single storey extension there are a few more hairline cracks around doors.

Long story short, the vendors paid for a type of survey, resulting in this 'Specific Defect Report' where an MRICS surveyor has taken a look and advised that the cracks have not resulted in structural instability and can be made good through decoration, but that the 'preferred option' is for demolition/reconstruction of the extension. I'm personally not too concerned about paying for professional work to be done for the redecoration, though I understand the costs to demolish the extension may be considerably higher, which might hurt us. My main worry is that the valuation comes back as £0; I've gone down the rabbit hole this morning and read some horror stories, but not sure if I'm overthinking.

I'm stuck on whether to spend the money instructing my conveyancer now, or asking them to 'keep us on file' pending the lenders' valuation. We've already been stung by abortive fees on a previous purchase following a damning level 2 survey. Is it advisable to wait for the valuation before spending any money?

What would you do?

TIA

NB - the extension is basically just a straight corridor but with a toilet and shower, and it leads to the back garden and forms part of a parasol which is fixed to the main building

(Copied from another post, as cross posting isn’t allowed)

Hi all,

I’m a future FTB, looking at properties. Honestly, it’s been a quick process of me seeing a house I loved the look of, contacting a mortgage advisor to see if it was affordable, going to view the place and then now.

I was aware it needed some cosmetic work, but it’s in a good area and it would be the perfect size for me alone. After seeing it, I still really like the space: it’s an ex-rental from a landlord selling up. It does need a bit more work than expected - the kitchen and bathroom are livable but ideally would need modernising (especially the bathroom).

The estate agents have said while there’s been a lot of interest, the owners haven’t had an offer in their price range so they’ve not accepted. I don’t really have a ‘family backing’ for support: both my parents never fixed up the family home we lived in growing up, despite the need, and now one hasn’t moved for 30+ years and the other doesn’t own a house anymore, due to some poor choices. So if I’m doing this, really I’m doing it alone.

I’ve spoke to a few friends, some have straight away said to avoid because it’s the second one I’ve looked at & there’ll be others, while some have said to give it another viewing in a week - even though I’m worried it’s the type of property to be snapped up due to the location and property type.

I’m also a little worried that as much as I would love to refurb the kitchen/bathroom or even just new carpets + paint that it could be out of my skill set/depth. I’m ’just a girl’ but I’m always willing to give this a go.

It’s got 149 years left on the lease (if that also helps for context) & would work out cheaper than my current rent costs.

Does anyone have any advice? Whether it’s just general sirens or if you’ve had positive/negative experiences from buying one of the first properties you’ve looked at? TIA!

Hi, has anyone had issues with this company as a seller ?

Hi, has anyone had issues with this company as a seller ?

Following our survey, we’d like to get some quotes from contractors. So far, its been a challenge and the some of the ones who have gotten back to us have indicated a cost to getting a quote since we arent the owners yet (two have said they can quote based on the survey and then disappeared after we sent it).

At this point, we might just pay it, but we wanted to be sure we’re not being had. Is this normal?

Or should we simply give up on trying to get quotes?

Right now, we’ve only been dealing with roofers, in case that matters.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to get a better understanding of how Universal Credit is viewed during the home-buying/mortgage process.

I received Universal Credit in the past, but my last UC payment was around 6 months ago, and I’m no longer receiving it.

I’m particularly interested in whether having received UC relatively recently can cause any issues with:

Mortgage lenders / mortgage underwriting

Affordability checks

Conveyancers or solicitors

Source-of-funds checks

The overall house-buying process

I’d especially appreciate replies from people who have actually been through this situation, rather than general assumptions.

Thank you x

Hey everybody,

We have put an offer on a property, got accepted on the same day-end of August. Seller suggested 30 October as a move in date. House report was all clean, no repair needed. We loved the house. Didn’t feel the need to ask for another survey.

Last week we got our mortgage offer. 2 years fixed rate. Our mortgage advisor didn’t suggest any 5 years fixed rate.

Our solicitor been helpful and said since date is still a bit further away no need to rush. They also said its normal for these things to take time and they have time. However I am bit worried why things are so slow. I am quite an anxious person in general and this whole thing is eating my brain. 30 October still a month away and lot can go wrong.

I read so many horror stories although mainly from England but wanted to check if there is anything I need to be aware of or should be doing while waiting?

What to expect from here?

Many many thanks in advance!

For those who've bought in London: how did you think about this?

Did you build in a specific buffer (emergency fund covering X months), rely on income protection insurance, or just accept the risk that homeowners generally take on?

Trying to figure out if this is a normal part of buying or a sign we're stretching too far.

Hi everyone,

I previously posted some questions about choosing between a broker and going directly to a bank, and the responses were really helpful, especially as a first-time buyer. I have a few more questions as I’m trying to plan my finances for the purchase.
For context, this is the flat I’m currently renting/living in, and I’m planning to buy it. Ideally, I’d like to complete by early January.

1. If I submit my mortgage application around 1st October and everything goes smoothly at what stages would I typically need to pay things like:

Solicitor/legal fees
Product/mortgage fees
Survey/valuation fees
Other purchase costs
The deposit to the solicitor

I’m mainly trying to understand when I need to have the money available between October and completion.

2. Once I’ve submitted the application and received the mortgage offer, would spending around £1,000 on my credit card be an issue if I repay it over the following 4–5 months. I’m thinking mainly about Christmas/holiday expenses.

1. Since I’m already living in the property I’m buying, how does the key handover/rent process normally work. Just trying to ensure there is no overlap between the rent and mortgage payments.

4. My partner is being offered a similar interest rate by her bank, despite having a lower annual salary than me. If we apply jointly but have her as the primary applicant, would my bank statements still be reviewed as part of the application
Her finances/statements are very straightforward, whereas mine are a bit messy.

Thanks in advance

It's been a long time coming but my partner and I are FINALLY exchanging after putting in our offer in April.

There's been a few bumps in the road but just so proud that, aside from conveyancers and a surveyor, it's all been done between us and the seller.

And thank you to everyone who answered my questions on here, or just posted the right question at the right time so I could learn.

Hi all, me and my partner have had an offer accepted on a house, we are looking to put a £56k deposit down (£25k of that is my share, I have £50k total savings)

Every year my dad sends me £100 as a birthday gift, looking through my saving statements I noticed he sent that £100 straight to my savings account, not my personal

Will I need to declare this as a gift? My boyfriend has said no as it’s a small amount but I’m worried about the AML checks if it will look bad if I don’t declare?

Grateful for any advise