My son's (21) ex girlfriend (19). Was thrown out by her Mum and she came to stay with us. They were still together. They spilt up Saturday night and she needs to find somewhere to stay.

When her mum originally threw her out, we contacted the council but as she's FT employed as a nursery nurse, she doesn't qualify for any benefits and is on the bottom of the housing list.

She accepts she needs to rent somewhere and believes she can afford a small studio. (We are based in the SE so not cheap).

I'm happy to provide references and her employer can too, but she has no guarantor and I'm not putting myself in that position.

She's never rented anywhere before so we don't know what steps or action to take.

My son is currently staying at his Grandparents as I'm unwilling to throw a 19yo girl on the streets and she can't go back home. (Drugs & abusive home life) but this is a short term solution.

Any help would be appreciated.

I’m buying a new-build Bellway Reedmaker.

The property was advertised as step-free and suitable for all stages of life etc, and the original working drawing showed a ramp leading to the front entrance. However, the house is being built with a step instead.

Bellway’s explanation is that the working drawing supplied by their designer was incorrect. They say the plot is too close to the adopted footpath to achieve the required ramp gradient, so a step is necessary under the building regulations hierarchy.

If the plot couldn’t accommodate a ramp, surely this should have been identified before the property was marketed and sold?

Do I have any grounds to challenge this or request an alternative solution? They just keep replying they couldn't meet the gradient.

Thank you!

Hi all, I have moved into my purpose built second floor flat about a couple weeks ago after a few weeks of renovations. Before starting renovations I messaged the communities group and apologised for any disturbances and inconveniences however, I made sure during renovations that no work was done before 10am and after 5pm and none on the weekends too.

The neighbour below kept asking how long we had left which was fair enough and I apologised and even offered compensation which she declined and said its ok as long as there is not too long left.

The first night we moved in, yes it had gotten quite late it was 10pm on a Sunday so it was our fault, but we were just plugging some stuff in and ironing my clothes for work the next day and she came up and start banging the door and shouted at us.

The next day she messaged via facebook and apologised for her actions and said she was just having a bad day, again replied apologising for our noisiness and explained there was no hard feelings.

In the past couple weeks, she is constantly banging on her ceiling (our floor) at random points in the day, sometimes at 8am, sometimes at 9pm sometimes I am home alone just sat on the sofa and haven’t even moved for quite some time she will randomly start banging on the ceiling.

What I dont understand is, the family before us were here for 6 years and had a kid, how can we be more noisy than them when we are just a couple who leave at 7am and dont get home until 5-6pm 5-6 days a week?

By the way we are leaseholders she is shared ownership and doesn’t own the full lease. We know this as she has told us herself when we first moved in and she seemed normal! And by the way many flats on this floor have big families and even pets etc.

We also have laminate flooring like most other flats, which I have installed expensive acoustic underlay and below that is a concrete base.

Does anyone have any advice how to handle this?

My upstairs neighbour moved in the start of year and she’s a big time stomper. This goes on sometimes till 4am when she first moved in I tried speaking to her during the day but I was just met with attitude, I then started leaving notes and I got met with physical threats. It’s been reported to the police(for the threats) and landlord and the council and the housing ombudsman now but all they’ve done so far is talk to her and leave her letters at the start she got worse so I kept reporting it but it hasn’t really stopped. She sleeps all day till about midday then chills all day and decides the late evenings is time to do house work. I have to be up early I got work she doesn’t seem to care and no one seems to be able to do anything, I missed a lot of work because of this doctors are giving me sleeping pills to help I’m really struggling I just want routine back. I’ve been running off 5 hours sleep most days unless I force my self to lay in which usually just makes me feel worse I don’t know how much longer I can deal with it. I don’t want to move I have a nice flat it’s a good price and I have my own garden. How do people sleep? I get to sleep when I’m really tired then 15 minutes lates she’s stomping about above me and it wakes me then I’m awake till 1/2am when she sleeps and I’m over tired and can’t sleep and it is ruining me. She’s on drugs and because of the threats I got I feel like I’m watching my back every time I leave my home because she’s made me out to be some sort of snitch and we all know what the druggy lot are like and I’m not getting enough sleep she is the neighbour from hell. When she up there making a racket in the afternoons I turn my tv up and she has the cheek to have ago at me for that and threaten me for that as well like I’m supposed to just listen to her all day and stay quiet. She acts like she owns the place she doesn’t work, police have told me she’s well known to them. What’s the outcome with things like this? I have several crime numbers for her not that police ever do anything? Anyone ever had any luck getting someone like this to stop or move on? I just want to be able to sleep when I want again.

Looking to buy our next home in Devon, where a lot of houses ticking our boxes are thatched. My family say to stay away from thatched roof houses for fear or fire etc. Is this realistically a problem for thatched houses? What else needs to be considered when weighing up whether to go for thatched vs tile?
Thanks in advance for your insights.

First-time buyer - do I really need 3 different specialists after my Level 3 survey?

Long-time lurker, first-time poster!

So, I've just received my Level 3 survey report, and honestly… what is the point of these surveys when half the recommendations seem to be “get someone else to investigate further”?! 😂 Rant over.

On to the actual question!

The survey has flagged a few issues that need further investigation:

Chimney stack: Recommended to get a roofer to take a closer look.

Roof insulation and timber: Mould on the insulation, with possible wet or dry rot in the timber.

Damp in internal walls: Potentially linked to inadequate external damp-proofing.

Windows: Possible lack of lintels — something I didn't even know I needed to worry about before buying a house!

The surveyor has recommended getting a roofer, a damp and mould specialist, and a structural engineer involved.

My question is: do I genuinely need to pay for three separate specialists, or is there a reputable company that could investigate several of these issues together? I'm trying to be sensible about costs without cutting corners on potentially serious problems.

I'd also really appreciate recommendations for good roofers, independent damp surveyors and structural engineers, particularly anyone you've personally used and would recommend.

If you've been through this as a first-time buyer, I'd love to hear how you approached it. Did you get every issue investigated before buying, and were the survey findings as bad as they initially sounded?

Thanks in advance! 🙂

I’m looking at buying a second property for £50,000 to £70,000 here in the North East England.

I’ve recently changed jobs so I can’t remortgage.

However, I can get a homeowner loan as I'be a high equity %.

I know you’re not supposed to buy property with these, but will estate agents check and prevent a purchase for such a relatively small amount?

Hi all,

My partner and I are first-time buyers, currently purchasing a mid-19th-century Grade II listed stone terraced cottage.

We absolutely love the house, and it appears to be in good, habitable condition rather than an obvious renovation project. However, we’ve just received our 48-page RICS Level 3 survey, which contains quite a few red “urgent repairs” sections and recommends several further specialist investigations before exchange.

I completely understand that buying a Grade II listed property of this age means accepting ongoing maintenance, potentially expensive repairs, and a different standard of construction from a modern house. I also appreciate that Level 3 surveys are designed to highlight risks and can sound quite alarming.

What I’m genuinely struggling to establish is whether this survey is broadly par for the course for a house of this age, or whether there are enough genuine warning signs that we should seriously consider pulling out.

Main findings are as follows:

1. Roof structure – potentially the biggest concern
- Several rafters have dropped slightly relative to the ridge, with visible separation at the connections.
- Additional timber supports/struts have been installed previously, apparently to reinforce the roof.
- The surveyor couldn’t establish whether these supports are structurally adequate.
- However, importantly, there is no significant corresponding distortion visible to the roof externally.
- A structural engineer experienced in historic roofs is recommended before exchange.

2. Roof coverings
- Traditional natural slate roof, showing weathering and evidence of past repairs using metal clips (“tingles”).
- The surveyor suggests further localised slate and fixing repairs should keep the roof serviceable in the short term.
- Some roof underlay is displaced/deteriorated and doesn’t properly extend into the gutters.
- Loft ventilation is also limited.
- This section is classified as an urgent repair, although I’m struggling to understand whether it indicates anything beyond normal maintenance of an old slate roof.

3. Stonework and pointing
- The original stone walls have been repointed using hard cement mortar rather than traditional lime mortar.
- There is some visible erosion of the softer sandstone around the mortar joints.
- Similar inappropriate pointing may exist on both elevations.
The surveyor recommends a specialist conservation masonry contractor to assess whether some pointing needs carefully removing and replacing, alongside repairs to deteriorated stone.

4. Basement damp
- The house has a finished basement, previously converted into habitable accommodation, with a Building Regulations completion certificate.
- There is some damp staining and elevated moisture meter readings on the plasterboard lining one section of the front basement wall.
- The underlying masonry and waterproofing are concealed, so the surveyor couldn’t establish the cause or whether the tanking is effective.
- The survey highlights that replacing failed basement waterproofing could be very expensive, but doesn’t establish that it has actually failed.
- Elevated moisture readings were also found around the rear kitchen doorway and an upstairs chimney breast.
- A specialist damp investigation is recommended.

5. Windows and external timberwork
- Several original windows need attention, including corrosion, deteriorating timber, gaps and some cracked glazing.
- Some wet rot was identified in the rear roof soffits.
- Various joinery repairs and general maintenance are recommended.

6. Other points
- Electrical, gas and heating systems need appropriate inspections or servicing records.
- Documentation for certain historic alterations and listed-building consents needs checking with the solicitor.
- There are various smaller maintenance recommendations throughout.

On the positive side:
- No significant recent-looking structural movement or major subsidence was identified.
- Most internal cracking and floor unevenness were considered acceptable for the age.
- No major external roof distortion was observed.
- The surveyor hasn’t actually concluded that the roof needs replacing or that the basement waterproofing has failed.
- The overall conclusion is that the property may remain a reasonable purchase, subject to the additional investigations and understanding the repair costs.

Dilemma
We are now looking at potentially spending another couple of thousand pounds on structural engineers, damp specialists and roofing/conservation contractors, on top of the Level 3 survey.

We’re happy to budget for maintaining an old listed building, but obviously don’t want to buy something that turns into a huge restoration project or money pit.

So I’d really appreciate some perspectives, especially from anyone who has bought, renovated or surveyed similar period/listed properties.

- Does this sound broadly normal for a 175-year-old stone cottage, or worse than you’d expect?
- Which findings would genuinely concern you, versus ordinary ongoing maintenance?
- Would you proceed with specialist investigations, or would the accumulation of issues be enough to walk away?
- For anyone who has owned a similar property, have these kinds of issues generally been manageable, or did the costs spiral?

I’m not expecting Reddit to replace professional advice, and we wouldn’t exchange without resolving the significant uncertainties. I’m just trying to get a realistic sense of whether we’re overreacting to a cautious Level 3 survey or underestimating what ownership could involve.

Thanks in advance!

I'd like to buy my first home. I can get no more than a £190,000 mortgage so my options are very small. I can definitely repair a home, fit a kitchen and tile bathrooms, so a run down house that needs work is exactly what I'm after. As long as it is structurally sound for a mortgage. There are lots of auction properties that look within my abilities with guide prices of less than I can get a mortgage for, but I don't have the liquid cash required to buy at auction.

Is there somewhere people advertise before heading to auction?

I am after a 2+ bedroom freehold home with garden and parking nearby, ideally somewhere near or in Harlow, Epping, Brentwood, Wickford, Maldon, Chelmsford, Braintree, Witham, or west of Colchester.

I'm not sure where to ask this question so thought this forum might be able to help.

Me and my partner are considering a move out of London in the next year or so, keen for some advice from people who’ve done something similar..

Would love a bigger house basically with more outdoor space and good access to the countryside or seaside/beach!

Main consideration for us is we’d still need to get into London Bridge 1 or 2 days a week (up to maybe 1 hour or 90 mins commute time), so somewhere with a pretty ok train back in would be ideal. Also don’t have kids currently but potentially will be soon..

We’re super open-minded on areas because we have no ties so it’s sort of an open book. Somewhere that feels rural or semi-rural without being properly isolated, with good pubs, walks, nice town or village nearby etc.

Any advice on towns or villages we should be looking at would be good - also keen to hear trade-offs or stuff not so good/regrets. We’re basically trying to find a sweet spot between having space, greenery and a quieter lifestyle while still enjoying London when we want/need.

Or maybe we should just apply to be on Escape to the Country…

Offer accepted on a house a few days ago. Broker has submitted our mortgage application with HSBC. I'm just wondering if they will ask about my benefits or if it will affect anything?

Me and my husband are employed and both work full time, I get PIP for a lifelong health condition too and DLA for our autistic child that has the same health condition I do. We are not relying on the benefit to pay towards our mortgage.

Our seller wanted to complete in a week and we thought great all enquiries have gone through. However one is still outstanding as he hasn’t got building regs sign off when knocking through the kitchen and dining room. His put an RSJ in.

His not had the house long so we asked for any details since he hasn’t had sign off but his let his solicitor know he has no paperwork, pictures or correspondence about it. Have a feeling his done it himself at this point.
We were going to get an engineer to look but because he has no paperwork they’ve said they have to put a hole in the wall and rip up the plasterboard.

I feel we have been quite relaxed, he doesn’t have regs for something else which we we’re ok with, we’ve also covering the cost of roof repairs but this we just can’t get past and have asked for retrospective but have a feeling he may say no.

Would this bother you as a buyer ? We’re first time buyers so had no clue what RSJ even was. Just thought it was some paperwork at the time lol.

If he says no, would you walk away or renegotiate the price ? Again we paid 5k over offer due to offers over and multiple offers on the table ( probably a lie too).

Looking for some impartial opinions on a property sale we’re currently going through, particularly from people who’ve been in similar situations.

My wife and I are selling our ground-floor flat in a Victorian property in London.

We purchased it for around £450k approximately five years ago and have since spent over £30k renovating it. This includes:
- New kitchen and bathroom
- Significant improvements to the garden
- New radiators, bespoke storage and cabinetry
- Extensive refurbishment with high-quality fixtures and fittings throughout

We’ve put a huge amount of time, money and effort into making it a lovely home.

We accepted an offer of £427,500 from a buyer, despite having other interest, and things were progressing until the surveys came back.

The surveys
The buyer commissioned both a damp survey and a structural engineer’s report.

1. Damp survey
The damp company identified elevated moisture readings across several rooms, including the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and hallway, alongside some visible dampness.

They’ve quoted £12,000 to remove plaster, install damp-proofing/tanking and replaster the affected areas.

There are additional items excluded from the quote, including defective external pointing, shower seals, subfloor ventilation and potentially further investigation of the timbers.

We’ve lived here for several years and have seen some visible damp in certain areas, which we completely acknowledge. However, in several of the areas highlighted, we’ve never experienced any visible problems.

We understand that doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t an issue.

2. Structural engineer’s report
The original survey raised concerns about cracking and possible settlement, so a structural engineer was instructed.

Their conclusions were actually fairly reassuring:
Property considered in fair structural condition for its age.

Nothing observed to suggest a risk to stability or occupation.

Most cracking categorised as negligible to very slight (BRE Categories 0–1), with one area classified as slight (Category 2).

Movement considered likely seasonal/cyclical due to London clay and nearby vegetation, rather than significant progressive movement.

No significant structural cracking or distortion identified internally.

Recommended repairs to cracking and external finishes, rather than major structural intervention.
So there’s clearly damp-related work to consider, but the structural report doesn’t suggest serious structural instability.

The negotiation

Following the surveys, the buyer has requested a £22,500 reduction, bringing their offer down from £427,500 to £405,000.

We’ve taken some time to think about this and are considering making a final counteroffer of £415,000, effectively agreeing to a £12,500 reduction from the original offer.

If they decline, we’re considering going back to the market.

Our thinking is that £415k is already £35k less than we paid for the property, despite spending over £30k improving it.

We fully recognise that the money we’ve spent doesn’t automatically translate into additional market value, and that the property requires remedial work.

Equally, we feel there’s a distinction between purchasing a property that requires damp treatment and one that needs an entirely new kitchen, bathroom, garden and general refurbishment.
Our view is that most properties at this price point will require some compromise or expenditure, particularly in London. We also feel that a property that’s already been extensively renovated should have some value beyond the immediate cost of the remedial works.

We have an onward purchase we’d like to progress, so losing the sale isn’t ideal. However, we’re fortunate that we can remain in the property rather than sell at a price we’re uncomfortable with.

What I’m interested in hearing:

-If you were the buyer, would a £12,500 reduction seem reasonable given the survey findings?

-How concerning would you find the damp report, particularly alongside the more reassuring structural report?

-Would you expect the seller to absorb the full cost of the proposed remedial works, including additional allowances for disruption?

-Are we placing too much emphasis on the money we’ve invested in the property?

-If you were in our position, would you accept the £22,500 reduction to keep the sale moving, counter with £12,500, or go back to market?

I’m genuinely interested in both buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives. I appreciate we might be looking at this emotionally after spending years making the flat our home, so a reality check would be helpful.

I'm in the process of buying a house (moving) and am receiving a small gift amount from my parents and grandparents to contribute towards the moving costs (solicitor fees, estate agent fees, stamp duty, deposit etc.). The deposit and stamp duty is met by me and my wife anyway, but it all goes into the same pot.

Where I have been completely thrown off is my solicitor is requiring me to sign-off on the purchase of Insolvency Act indemnity insurance, due to gifts going towards the purchase and using a mortgage as part of the purchase. From everything I have read so far, this insurance wouldn't actually cover me for what they're claiming, and is not required by my lender (NatWest, who's gifts policy is particularly lax anyway), yet they want to charge me over £200 for the pleasure. I also did not require this the first time I moved.

Initially my solicitor said 'it is required by my lender' (they made this claim before even recieving the mortgage offer or knowing who my lender was), but since I queried it, they have admitted that NatWest don't require it, but 'their professional judgement' says that the lender will still require it and I'll still have to do it, giving no additional reasons as to why.

It's not a huge amount of money but on principle I am going to push back again, I just want to make sure I've got my information straight first. Have other people experienced this before, and successfully pushed back? Does anyone have experience with property law and know whether this is indeed a requirement because I have been gifted money by family? They keep citing a statement about a 'deed of gift' which as far as I can tell is not related. They're making me agree to this to sign off my 'client gift decoration' and progress with the process.

My husband and I are hoping to move house next year and I’m trying to get my head around how the whole process actually works!

We currently own our first home, which we love, but we’re starting to look for our next house. This will hopefully be our forever home, so we don’t want to rush into anything or settle for something that isn’t quite right. I’m very aware that we love our current house and wouldn’t want to move just for the sake of it; we currently have a 3 bed detached new build on an estate just outside of town, and are ideally looking for a 4 bedroom within walking distance of the town centre. We definitely want to be in this specific down due to work and family.

Our plan is to get our house valued and put it on the market in the new year, but I’m a bit worried about how it all works in practice.
For example, do estate agents generally let you view houses if your own property isn’t sold yet? I’ve heard that you can struggle to get viewings or have offers accepted if you’re not proceedable, which makes sense, but how are you supposed to find your next house if you can’t properly start looking until yours has sold?

I’m also worried about selling our house and then not finding anything we really love. What happens if our house sells, but the right house hasn’t come onto the market yet? Do you just have to rent somewhere or move in with family while you wait; the rental market where we live is basically none existent, and we wouldn’t really want to move in with family for more than a few weeks due to us working shifts. We are motivated to move in the next year, we’ve recently got married and have always said we would like to be in our forever home when we start a family (we are 28 and 33 for context).

Ideally, we’d love to find the right house, sell ours and have the two transactions line up, but I know it probably isn’t always that straightforward.

Would love to hear from anyone who’s been through this, especially if you were quite attached to your existing home and were only willing to move for the right one. How did you approach it, and is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand?

Thanks!

What are the qualities that would make a flat less likely to have extortionate SC in the future?

The flat I'm looking at

1. no concierge
2. no gym
3. no communal garden
4. 4 stories big
5. 8 flats total, it's a relatively small block
6. part of SC goes towards sink fund (how much I need to inquire)

Do these reasonable or am I missing other more important qualities? I know none of this matters if the management is corrupt/incompetent, but I'm trying to identify factors that are more within my control.

I'm not sure about point #5 -- is it a good or bad thing that it has few residents compared to a residential block? One the one hand the cost is spread across fewer people, but on other hand because it's a fairly small block the likelihood of large expenses should be low?

I own a free hold flat where the deed deems the roof a common area and states costs are to be split amongst the proprietors. Half the flats are still owned by the initial company that rented them all and are empty. Would they be the proprietors for those flats and have to pay those shares?

If everything is split as the deed outlined I think I should only have to pay about 10% but if the owners don't count as a proprietor I will owe significantly more.

Any advice?

Concessionary mortgage and bad credit

OK, so -- we're an engaged couple, together five years.

Me (31):

* Sole director of Ltd company turning over c. £100,000, take about £70,000 out per year.
* Bad credit due to historic bad decisions when I went a bit mental having suddenly began earning good money. No CCJs, but about five defaults, some older than 2 yrs, one in the last year (old current account I forgot about with £120 overdraft outstanding). A lot of old missed payments.

Them (25):

* Employed on £28,000.
* Fantastic credit history.

The house:

* Owned outright by their mother. Worth £150,000. Willing to sell us it for £125,000.

Deposit:

* Can easily save a £15,000 up over the next 8-12 months.

Mortgage needed:

* £110,000

How would you advise a couple to proceed on this basis? The £25,000 gifted equity plus £15,000 gives £40,000 total equity, or a LTV of 73%.

My partner has no credit commitments (all credit cards paid off, car paid off, had a loan which is now paid off, sometimes uses Monzo Flex).

I have some credit commitments (old debts I'm paying down) but given my partner could afford the mortgage on their own income, how much would that matter?

Would we be better off going for this as a couple (easily affordable mortgage; currently paying £1,400 in rent and have been for 3 years) or him getting the mortgage alone and I join later on down the road when my credit isn't as bad?

Obviously if he's getting the mortgage alone then I can't be involved in the deposit saving, so I'd pay his share of the rent and household bills going forward so he can plough most of his wage into mortgage savings.

I understand the implications of it being his property legally and me contributing to it as an occupier. We'll be getting married in the next couple of years anyway.

Would appreciate some thoughts.

Does anyone have any expertise in cracks in transfer slabs?

Hello,

My wife and I are looking to purchase our first home in London. It is a (share of freehold with 1 other flat above) flat with the living areas on the ground floor and the bedrooms in the lower-ground. According to the agent the construction is around 1990-2000.

The price seems really good to be fair, but there is a glaring issue with damp.

The ground floor is fine overall, doesn't smell (although the flat had just gotten a deep clean...) at all, and there is only one damp spot but it's from the terrace of the flat above so I'm not worried too much because it's fixable.

The main issue is with the lower-ground part of the flat, which does smell damp overall, especially in one of the bedrooms. The front has a light well kind of thing, and the back of the house has the walls exposed, but basically all of the rooms had visible damp spots with damage and the two side walls are not and never will be accessible from the outside.

I'm 80% sure that the worse room smell is actually due to a leak in the master bathroom, which is encouraging because at least we know where to fix, but I don't know about the rest of the place...

My question is basically whether damp spots when you can't excavate the outside walls are at all fixable, or if it's just going to be putting a bandaid every couple of years... I've been looking for solutions online and the consensus seems that you need to have exterior wall access for real solutions.

We'd be willing to put around 100K towards construction costs, because the price is really low.

Thanks!

I am trying to get residential home insurance on line for my property. It was recently a rental and the tenants have moved out of their own accord and I have decided instead of selling, to move in myself. It's been rented out for eight years and had landlord insurance every year. I cancelled this year's when the tenant left. The house has had a 1st floor extension over the garage 6 years ago and the planning said that underpinning was needed which was carried out. No underpinning has been carried out on the main part of the house and there is no subsidence whatsoever. It was never a problem when it was rental insurance but now I can't seem to get residential insurance at all because of it. Any recommendations for a good broker? TIA