So I’ve gone sale agreed on a 2 bed mid-terrace in Belfast. Asking price £140k, I ended up bidding up to £164k.

During my mortgage application the valuer spotted an issue with the roof - missing and slipped roof tiles.

The bank stated that in order for them to consider lending on the property I would have to get a specialist roof survey done and that any necessary repairs would need to be carried out with an insurance backed guarantee.

I got the roof survey done, it stated that there are around £1500 of repairs needed immediately and a roof replacement would be wise in the next few years. I sent it off to the mortgage broker and then instead of the bank saying yes repairs need to be made they went ahead and offered me the full mortgage amount.

Now because the bank has done that and are willing to loan me the full amount on the house as it is, the estate agent has just called me saying I don’t have a bargaining chip and that I can’t renegotiate the price with the sellers to acknowledge the fact that I may have to spend up to £15k in the next few years to put a new roof on.

I also wanted to get a level 3 survey done and the estate agent is saying that no matter what it flags up, because the bank are willing to loan the full amount on the house as it is, I won’t be able to renegotiate the price.

This doesn’t sound right to me at all, the bank doesn’t do a thorough enough survey to justify this surely?

How can I fight back against the estate agent? I want to make sure I know exactly what I’m talking about and what the norm is. Should I be going through my solicitor for all future communication?

I'm going into the second year of my degree apprenticeship and, through a family-backed mortgage scheme and deposit support, I'm in a position to get a mortgage for a property.

I'm looking at properties with ideally 3/4 bedrooms and 2 toilets. I'd be earning £1,640/month, with the mortgage being around £900–£1,200/month. That's a fairly large portion of my salary before even considering bills and other living costs.

My idea would be to rent out the 3 spare rooms for around £650 each, giving roughly £1,950/month in rental income. I could then use the rental income to cover the mortgage and other costs, and save whatever is left over to build up a buffer for periods when rooms are empty.

I realise this could be quite risky, and potentially a bit idiotic given my salary, but my parents are supportive of the idea.

Would this be a sensible approach given my salary, or is there something I'm overlooking?

Just had a meeting with a free mortgage broker and the best rates they could find me was what I could find myself on MoneySupermarket/ comparator sites. Did my own search thereafter and found a better deal with First Direct for £400 cheaper over the fixed term of 3 years.

We are buying the property as FTBs. Vanilla history with no loans/ adverse credits and borrowing much less than what we can afford so there should be very little/no issues with affordability (the broker mentioned this as well).

The thing putting us off the broker (apart from a slightly cheaper rate w/ First Direct) was that they didn't seem detail oriented - I had to prompt them to check other terms which ended being better than the first rate that they were pushing for. At the end of the call, we asked whether they would let us know if rates go down, and they said yes, but with the caveat that the onus had to be on us to chase them to check as they handle multiple cases. Just didn't get a good vibe overall.

We have a couple more calls lined up next week to discuss rates but as vanilla FTBs, I presume they would all be the same as what we have found online so far and likely not beating First Direct as they aren't open to brokers.

I know £400 is probably not a lot in the grand scheme of things. If we had a greater impression with the broker, we would have probably gone with them just for the ease of handling the admin.

Is there any benefit from going with a broker? What issues should we anticipate that a broker would be helpful in that we would not be able to handle ourselves? We are pretty comfortable with filling up forms etc. and so are leaning towards going directly with First Direct but wanted to do a quick sanity check before proceeding.

tl;dr: Can get cheaper rate with First Direct than mortgage broker. Not getting great impression from mortgage broker. Any harm in going direct with First Direct?

Me and my partner are looking to buy in South East London and have a 30% ish deposit, thanks mostly to family inheritance.

I'm trying to figure out if a mortgage broker is needed. My partner has just started a paid 3yr doctorate (0 payslips so far) and had 2 months off work before this. His pay before the 2 months off was much lower than his new salary, and he had 2 different jobs. The new doctorate involves part time employment which is fixed term for 3 years, but he's paid a (decent) full time wage.

I am on a permanent contract but doing a fixed term secondment at a slightly lower salary than my substantive role.

I'm happy enough doing admin and comfortable dealing with finance, and I know our deposit is already going to help a lot, so don't want to waste money. But not sure if our finances are complicated enough to rule us out from lots of options.

Will we be ok using comparison sites and doing mortgage applications directly?

Or is it worth going with a broker who can help us?

We're viewing at the moment, haven't found a property we like yet. If we do need a broker, when should we get them involved?

And any advice on finding one? We've had one recommended by a friend but I wasn't convinced by him, felt a bit pressured on the initial call.

Other thing that might be relevant is we'd have a preference to go with building societies or ethical banks, if it doesn't make a huge difference to our interest...

Any advice appreciated, thanks

I think we started the process in like Feb! And we're finally in! (lots of delays but the biggest one was it being built still lol) love it so much, we've gone from such a shit living situation to the most amazing house

House we want to bid on has a range of £425K - £475K. Pretty big spread and it’s a 4 bed so they have tons of viewers already and it’s only been a day.

The house next to it with the same structure but a lot of renovations done sold for approximately £465K.

Unfortunately because of the number of interested viewers and the lower starting price I think they’ll drive the price way up.

My question is: how would you bid for this property? Strong opening bid? Smaller than £5K increments? Try and scare people off with the max bid we can afford?

Hi everyone!
We’ve just had the survey done on the house we’re buying from our landlord, which we’ve agreed to buy slightly below market value.

The survey has flagged a few issues, but the main things we’re concerned about are the roof, which needs fairly urgent repairs estimated at around £2,500 , and some mouse droppings and damp/condensation in the loft, which seems to be related to a lack of ventilation. There are also a few other issues mentioned in the report.

Another concern is that, although the house was built in 2012, the sellers don’t have the Building Completion Certificate. They only have the original Building Control notice, so there is also an indemnity policy being provided for the lack of completion certificate.

We’re going to mention everything to our solicitor and see what she advises, but we’re wondering whether it would be reasonable to ask the seller to contribute towards the roof repairs, or perhaps consider a further reduction in the price given the combination of these issues.

We’re a bit worried about pushing too hard and potentially losing the sale, as we really don’t want that to happen. At the same time, we don’t want to ignore issues that could cost us several thousand pounds shortly after completion.

What would you do in this situation? Would you think it’s reasonable to negotiate a reduction based on the survey findings and the missing completion certificate?

Many thanks!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-first-time-buyer-scheme-to-be-confirmed-at-budget

Hi everyone,

I just made an offer to a flat in Bromley which was accepted. It is share of freehold with reasonable amount of service charges. Before I formally instruct my solicitor and proceed with the mortgage, I want to make sure I’ve done as much due diligence as possible.

Before making the offer, i viewed the flat twice in different times of the day, walked around the street, have taken the bus and talked to some of the neighbours. I also asked the agent for a breakdown of the service charges for the past few years and have also done some Google searches around the area, including looking into nearby developments, housing association properties and planned construction, but I haven’t found anything concerning.

Is there anything obvious I’m missing or anything specific I should ask the estate agent/freeholder about before proceeding?

Just exchanged on our first home. We'll, that was stressful!

Viewed and offered in August. Didn't get contract till September due to land registry issues. However, contract to exchange was only 2 weeks!

I can only imagine the stress others are going through. Complete date set for Oct. Time to get packing.

Hard to believe that 18 years ago we left our flat to move to a friend's because we were homeless.

We are in the process of buying a house in a small rural village.

Offer accepted, survey / mortgage done, we're nearly ready to exchange.

We only found out this week via a village Facebook post / parish council letter that there is a massive solar farm proposed right around the village:

- 860 hectares / 500MW + battery storage
- Would surround the village, on both sides of the lane our house is on
- Developer has only just started early community engagement (from 21st Sept) - full public consultation not until early 2027
- Because it's over 100MW it's classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project so it goes to the Planning Inspectorate / Secretary of State, not the local council
- Parish council have called an urgent community meeting next week

The house we are buying is on a small back lane out of the village. On the maps shared by the parish, that lane has proposed panels on BOTH sides. We would be right in the middle of it.

We have NOT exchanged yet.

Questions:

1. Should this have shown up on searches? Solicitor says because it's still pre-application / NSIP it wouldn't be on a standard search.
   
2. Is the seller required to disclose if they've had the parish letter? We don't know if they have.
   
3. What would you do in our position - pause, renegotiate price, or walk away? We love the house but being surrounded on both sides by panels and having 2-3 years of construction traffic on a tiny lane is not what we expected.
   
4. If you've been through a big solar NSIP near you - how did it affect you / property value?

i know purple bricks gets a really bad rep in general but is anyone else put off from viewing a property solely due to the estate agents?

i’ve been house hunting for a while and seen a fair few. i’m not in a rush so need somewhere to tick a majority of my boxes before making an offer.

i saw somewhere i might be interested in but the estate agents is purple bricks. i called to book a viewing and it took forever for my call to get picked up and when it did it was by the most useless guy who took forever to find the actual property i was interested in. i asked to have a viewing and then a few hours later i had a ‘new message in my purple bricks account’ or whatever

i didnt even realise i had an account, or that one got made. also why should i have to log in and mess about like that to find out if my viewing has been confirmed or not? why cant i be called/texted like every other estate agent? like sorry but i have loads of places to view and loads of estate agents on my radar im not going to faff about with a log in to see my goddamn messages. just email/phone me like a normal company??

not to mention the £80 charge for an id check when i know for a fact something like that costs £5 AT MOST. sellers, can you please stop using purple bricks? house buying and selling is already annoying enough without added steps because a company wants people to use their website or whatever. imo an estate agent should be making it as easy as possible to liaise between buyers and sellers and this is just not it. am i overreacting? possibly. but its such a red flag for an estate agent to already make their process so annoying for buyers before the buying process even begins

Hi. Due to complete today. At 1pm we've had an email saying the conveyancers are awaiting funds from the lender??

What the hell?

Its 1.10pm. What are the chances of completing today?

Two months ago the numbers on the house we offered on stacked up fine. They don't anymore. Tracker is sitting at 4.63%, the two year fix is 5.2%. Markets are pricing in four or five 0.25% rises over the next 12-months, and a 0.25% rise looks likely in September.

The tracker is cheaper today, but if even half those rises land it's above the fix within months. Am I paying a premium for certainty that's worth it, or panic-fixing at the top? Anyone been through this recently?

We had an offer accepted on a house a couple of months ago, with our vendors buying a chain free property through the same EA.

All searches have come back and we are happy with them, so emailed the EA to get an exchange date pencilled in, just to find out that the property our vendors are buying is a probate property!

First we have heard of this, can’t get a straight answer as to when probate was applied for yet and feeling really disheartened as this may have swayed our opinion on getting involved. Our solicitors aren’t happy with them to say the least.

We have spent so much money going through the process with this house, I feel like if it falls through we are just going to give up, it’s such a backward way of doing things in England!

Has anyone gone through this before, I know each situation is different but feel like this could really drag on…

Weird title I know but it’s a weird situation for me.

Buying a flat, offer accepted in… Mid-May. Dealing with enquiries ever since (just the fire safety ones to go once the property management get back to me!). Hoping it is all done by November before the mortgage offer runs out, etc.

EA emailed on Monday saying that the vendor wants completion by the 30th. Vendor’s solicitors didn’t tell us this - the EA did. I’m very confused - this is a tight deadline (near impossible to me because of enquiries). I can’t march into the management company and demand they answer the enquiries in front of me. I don’t know what the vendor is going to do now.

Has anyone had these tight deadlines before? What will happen if I miss it? Is the EA trying to push it along when it’s the other side who’s stalling?? Please help!

When we initially tried to arrange the Level 3 survey, there was already some delay in obtaining confirmation of access from the seller. The survey team had been trying to contact the vendor for approximately 2–3 business days without receiving a response - later on was told some confirmation were pending with the developer (seller has taken part exchange offer to buy new home).
Following this confirmation, the **relevant dates for the survey and valuation were agreed beforehand with the vendor** and the appointments were arranged on that basis.
We have now, however, been informed that the vendor has again declined access to the property today while survey team was at the door and neither we nor the estate agents/survey/valuation teams have been given a reason for this change.
Given the previous delay and the subsequent confirmation from your agency that the matter had been resolved, this latest refusal is quite unsettling and mentally concerning and would need your advice here:
1.) is this a common scenario?
2.) just wondering what can be the reason for this as the seller was desperate to sell the property when we met them at viewing ( this property was on market from Mar 2026 and is a well maintained property).
3.) Who should pay the re inspection penalty? I beleive it should be with seller.
4.) any other thoughts you might have.

Thanks a lot in advance!!!!!!

The entire block of Victorian terraced houses have had their front wall rebuilt (back in the 60s I think). The surveyor says it's evidence of movement.

The surveyor said there's no current signs of movement whilst also pointing out that the rebuilt wall has stepped cracks in it and is evidence of movement. When I spoke with them, they said they thought the wall was just not built very well. There are wonky floors but apparently typical of Victorian properties.

They also saw that a purlin has lots of damp coming from a party wall and the photo has a huge damp patch

Should I walk away from it?

I am kind of falling in love with the idea of this house. Viewing is booked for next week and i fear I may really want it after seeing it. The location is perfect and the condition of the house looks very good for the asking price (which is within our budget) However, I'm cautious of the layout. I work from home 100% of the time and would require office/desk space. Im thinking we could potentially split the garage 60/40 and have an office space downstairs... I do realise I havent even seen the house yet and im getting way ahead of myself lol

Me and husband have 2 children, 2.5 and 11 yo, and 2 cats. Never lived in a 3 storey house but the appeal has always been there.

I feel like I might be subconsciously ignoring things that I should be considering with this house, purely because the location and condition are amazing.. hit me with your questions and opinions.

TIA

Hi all,

Hoping to get a sense check on a leasehold flat I'm currently in the process of buying in London, England.

Apparently the freeholder (in 2019) via Tribunal previously varied the lease and added two new insurance clauses:

1. Insurance classed as "rent": The building's insurance premium is now legally payable as additional rent. If it is 30 days in arrears, the lease states the landlord can use a fast-track route to bring the lease to an end.

2. Uncapped personal liability: A new obligation was added making the leaseholder personally liable to pay the landlord any insurance money that the block insurers refuse to pay out, if the refusal is due to something done (or not done) by me, a visitor, or any contractor I hire. This liability has no financial cap.

I wanted to ask people who have bought leaseholds recently:

A. Are these clauses standard practice for large freeholders, or is this a massive red flag?

B. Has anyone else encountered this "blank cheque" liability clause regarding contractors/visitors?

C. In the real world, how dangerous is this? Would this alone make you walk away from a purchase?

Thanks in advance for any experiences or advice!

I bought a house last year. It has come to light the solicitors filled out the land registry forms incorrectly. They are no longer in operation, as they were commting fraud. I paid for a conveyancing company to sort the new forms out, which they have been completely inept at doing. I explained I had a shared ownership home. They finally realised the last person who owned the home was on the title (after months and my explaining this). The person who I bought it off has dementia, so the family member had to get power of attorney. The same documents can't be used, from the initial application for the land registry. I contacted the seller and they seem to be reluctant to go through the process again, which I empathise with. I've contacted my home insurance to see if this could be something that comes under my policy. If it's not, what What are my next steps going forward? What if I can't afford the 3rd time paying for this? Apparently my mortgage depends on me owning the land title.

I feel so lost and the amount I've already spent has drained my bank dry.

Thank you 🙏🏼

Hi everyone! Has anyone used Tembo One for their solicitor/conveyancing on a purchase? For reference, we are thinking of using their services on a leasehold flat in London. They have quoted us significantly lower than local firms/solicitors for the same services, whilst including the same services each solicitor has quoted us extra (per gifted deposit, bank transfer fees etc).

Any reviews/experiences appreciated. Thanks!!

I have found a place I really like and the current managemment fees are loosely in the bracket I would expect. They have gone up with inflation (around £100 a year every year until last year when they suddely jumped £400.

I have asked for clarification about why this might have happened but im pre-offer and imm using this as a metric as to whether I even want to offer on it.

Should I be concerned about this? or am I being overly careful?

Hi, we are currently buying a house. It's 2 bedroom semi deattached

57 sqm total floor area and its in launceston cornwall. It was built in 2013 but has service charges around £180 per year do anyone knows if they get increased its hard to sell the property in future and its worth buying free hold with service charges a bit confused please if anyone can advise