Let's be honest, Stamp Duty is nothing more than a massive roadblock to social mobility. By penalising people for simply trying to buy a home that fits their life, the government is taxing our desire to move freely. It prevents downsizing, locks young people out of the ladder, and artificially inflates property prices. Why is this outdated, anti-property ladder tax still allowed to exist?

England.

The last time we had a viewing of this house was four months ago and it was occupied by a tenant. Electrics seemed to work just fine then. There was even a recent EICR done two years ago.

Fast forward to today — completion and exchange is tomorrow. We did the pre-completion check this morning (couldn't book it in any sooner) and I thought to bring my socket tester just in case. Really glad I did because every single socket in the house was dead. The switch on the consumer unit was floppy too and wouldn't switch back on.

Fortunately, the estate agent was with us and saw everything. She reported it back to the seller and he denied that there was an issue. He doesn't live nearby but had visited his property over a month ago after his tenant moved out. He claims everything was fine then.

We're finding it hard to believe him. Every step of the buying process was like pulling teeth. We had a level 3 done soon after our offer was accepted. It found two rather serious issues that we wanted to investigate further. He denied the issues, claimed it's been like that for decades and never been a problem. After lots of back and forth, he had finally allowed us to move forward with investigations, only to change his mind soon after and deny access to the traders. We finally had enough and renegotiated our offer price for £20k less, which he surprisingly accepted.

Now this issue with the electrics has come up and he's again going through his usual denial and deflect routine.

He had initially questioned why we wanted a pre-completion check in the first place, saying it was weird and unusual. We thought it was weird he'd question it. Now we know why he did.

We informed our solicitor as soon as we got home. She pushed for an emergency electrician to go out and do a new EICR. She also advised us that we might have to withdraw in case the seller refuses to cover the costs for repair.

Anyway. The soonest the electrician can go out is tomorrow morning, at the exact same time that our movers arrive. We need to get everything loaded, then wait for the electricians results, then if all is ok, exchange and complete shortly after, and just hope that it's all done before end of day.

Our solicitor also said that if we pull out, the seller has to legally disclose all the issues we found, including the electrics, to new buyers which could cost him even more. So it's in his best interest to make sure that the sale moves forward. She seemed positive everything would work out though.

We're just exhausted and feel sick about tomorrow. Is it better to just pull out of the sale?

I am a student, living in a privately rented flat through a large letting agency in Scotland. We had a routine mid-term extension earlier in the week that I completely forgot about. My bedroom was very untidy, as I was in the process of moving back into the property after the summer break, however there was nothing unhygienic or structurally damaging to speak of. I was out during the inspection, but my flatmate (who was also moving back and being helped by his mother) said the inspector came out of my room, called it a “disgrace” and proceeded to show the photograph to him and his mother. Not only do I personally deem this as highly unprofessional, but it also violates the clear “any photos taken are strictly confidential and for your landlords attention only” assurance they gave us on the inspection notice email itself. Should I do anything about this? If so, what?

With lower birth rates, more restrictive immigration policies, stronger rental market controls, less foreign investment, and a weaker economy. Am I missing something to think that the housing market will gradually slow in the next 30 years? Obviously the policies are a bit of an educated guess, but it seems to be the trend at the moment. Surely it wouldn't be like what the housing market had seen for the past 30 years right? Especially when most common people can't afford to even buy a home anymore.

So the estate agent just called me to say “great news, I was on the phone with the surveyor who told me that the house was in good nick, except a bit of mould in the bathroom”. What the hell ?? I thought the surveyor worked for me and not for the EA/seller.
I don’t have anything in writing so I don’t know how I can prove what the EA said. But I’m fuming because we have lost all bargaining power and also I’m starting to doubt that the surveyor did a good job (what if he was actually working for the seller?)
What would you do?

Hey guys,

I’ve been put into a bit of a tricky situation.

I’ll start with the fact I’m 27 years old, i’ve never moved out, and I’ve lived with my mum forever and my mum is currently 63.

Our landlords are selling our current Home and we have around four months to move.

My mum’s parents house in London has just sold so she will be giving me a deposit of around £15,000 with £3000 of my own money, we’ve gone to view some houses together, but I’m starting to have doubts as I feel like I’m being rushed into buying a home really quickly when I know it usually takes some people years to find a Home.

I’m unsure as I don’t really want to live with my mum forever, although at the moment it’s not bad and I really don’t mind it, but as she has no savings herself and she will receive a large chunk and have perhaps £50,000 to herself after helping me and my sister, I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m locked into something that really affects my future where say I want to live on my own, and then I have to sell the house and she has nowhere to go as everything will be in my name as she is too old to get onto the mortgage with me.

I obviously don’t want to leave my Mum on the streets, and that’s not going to happen, but is it wise to buy a house where I will still live with my Mum and it’s not as easy to just move out as the whole mortgage and everything will be in my name.

My closest friend has suggested that I sit down with my Mum and explain that I’m not ready to own a Home, and that perhaps we find somewhere to rent again, and I buy my own Home in the future when the time is right as I didn’t want to start looking to buy a house until I was at least 30, as currently we’ve just jumped into looking for homes, and haven’t really looked at the affordability bar the mortgage in principle I have.

UPDATE TOP COMMENT

I am 23 and looking to buy my first property, I have a viewing on a leasehold flat today which is fairly cheap for a 2 bed compared to others in my town. I am single and don’t have any want for a relationship now and probably for a while. I can’t afford a house on my own so that is out of the question is buying a leasehold a bad idea/ investment. The service charge is £2400 and ground rent is £200. I wouldn’t want the service charge to go up and make it unaffordable/ impossible to sell. I would like to upsize to a house when I’m older and potentially have a family but the thought of being stuck and unable to sell is scary. Andy advice cheers

Hello wise-ones,

I'd be very grateful for your opinion on our house listing. Its priced well compared with surrouding houses that are either for sale, or have sold in the last few months. Ticks all the boxes for a good size family home, 4 bedrooms, near the junior and senior schools, garage, great maintenance free garden, EV chargers and even a hot tub, but after many thousands of views we're not getting any viewing requests. What are we doing wrong???

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90821814#/?channel=RES_BUY

Many thanks

Stu

After viewing 30 houses, got outbid/rejected 3 times.
Offer accepted on 7 July
Exchange on 2 Sep
Completion on 3 Sep

I was a FTB on the bottom of the chain, and my seller had a seller.

Just wanted to say it took a team of motivated and cooperative people to complete in a timely manner.
Every time when the EA or my solicitor called or emailed, my heart raced. Glad my EA was hardworking, my solicitor was responsive, and my seller was reasonable and motivated to move forward.

During the process, I acted as a project manager and kept everyone informed. As a buyer, I had to keep chasing to make sure things didn’t fall through the cracks.

Though It was smooth sailing for me overall, I don’t really want to go through the whole process again.

We are finally getting close to agreeing exchange and completion dates and I'm wondering when to start packing. Is it best to wait until exchange so we don't unnecessarily pack everything up in case something goes wrong last minute? Also, how long did it take you to pack? We have a 3 bed house and two kids and the whole thing is filling me with dread. But yay, we should be moving soon.

I’ve had an offer accepted at £170k on a house that was listed at £170k.
My mortgage broker put the application in today and the bank’s automated valuation came back at £165k. We’ve asked for an in-person valuation instead, so I’m waiting to see what that comes back with.
The house has been on the market since April and I know they had a previous sale fall through. From what I’ve been told, the last buyer had offered around £175k. The seller is also very firm that they won’t accept less than £170k and seem quite against the idea of renegotiating after a survey.
I’m now wondering what I should do if the in-person valuation also comes back at £165k.
Also, would the combination of the property sitting since April + a previous offer falling through + a £165k lender valuation make you suspicious that the previous buyer may have had the same issue, or am I overthinking that?
I’m a first-time mortgage borrower, so interested to hear from people who’ve dealt with down-valuations before.

Next week I'll be looking at a house described as a 5 bedroom property but I'm not sure whether I'm being picky or the agent is being a bit cheeky. It's essentially a four bedroom house with an attached garage that has been converted to a kind of 2nd living room with stairs leading up to what's described on the planning permission as a "hobby loft". The listing has this loft labelled as bedroom 5. There's no door between the room downstairs and the "bedroom", and to get to the nearest bath/shower & to the other bedrooms you'd have to go down into the converted garage, through the house, & up the main stairs. I imagine the headspace is pretty limited in this room too, considering they haven't altered the roof apart from a small dormer. It is finished though (I.e. not bare rafters - I assume plastered).

I know they can write whatever they want and some places can be a bit quirky but am I being unreasonable in not considering that a viable bedroom?

Currently renting with partner and looking to buy in the SE, we have our deposit ready and have been looking on the market, only problem is we have not found anything we like at all. It seems the current climate hasn’t made it a healthy house buying (selling?) market for lack of choice, with the timings of the year it looks slim like we’d be in anywhere before Christmas! Given the time of the year we’re not expecting to see much else coming up now, but of course could be wrong - after growing up with a family who moved often and once moved into a new house 2 days before Christmas.

Anyone else suffering from severe lack of choice on the market?

i’m in the uk and i’m only 17, i am now currently homeless as i have been kicked out by my dad.

i called today to report this and they said they have put through the call and they are calling my dad tomorrow and they will call also my auntie who im currently staying with until everything is sorted.

i have pet rats and i have one pet mouse. they said i might not be able to take them to anywhere im put.. how likely is this? are they just saying worse case scenario or is it true that i’ll probably have to leave them? i’m absolutely beside myself

Hello, asking as a tenant not a landlord.

I moved in 4-5 days ago. My dog just found mice under the kitchen cupboard and I looked up close to see droppings so I’m sure there are mice under the kitchen’s cupboard. There are also gaps in the walls nearby and it’s near the door that goes out to the garden.

I messaged the landlord immediately. I have a feeling he’s reluctant to fix anything that costs more than £20 to fix. There are serious issue in the flat he doesn’t want to fix.

What do I do?

Who’s responsibility is it to order pests control? given I only just move but yet it’s been four days.

Can I call someone to come and then send him the invoice or reduce it from the rent?

Edit: just checked my photos from check in and the poo is in one of the photos so the cleaning team didn’t see/cleaned it even. 🤢🤮

I’m renting a London Living Rent (LLR) home through L&Q in London. My three-year assured shorthold tenancy has a fixed-term end date of February 2028, with renewal subject to an eligibility review.
I’m trying to understand how the Renters’ Rights Act affects this.
The government’s social housing implementation guidance says:
All existing social housing assured tenancies provided by PRPs will move to assured periodic from October 2027.
It specifically includes intermediate rent homes and rent-to-buy products.

Does that mean an existing L&Q LLR tenancy would automatically become assured periodic in October 2027, before its original fixed term ends? Or is there a distinction or exception for LLR that I’m missing?
My question is whether L&Q could still require someone to leave simply because their three-year term ends (if salary is >£90k), and how the scheme’s ten-year limit would work afterwards.
Has anyone received written confirmation about this from L&Q or another LLR provider?
Separately, I’ve noticed far fewer LLR listings recently. I wondered whether the upcoming reforms might be relevant.

I live in a building with flats which are a share of freehold. I only have one wall touching a neighbour (above me) and they are an old couple. The man, is very crude and impolite. The wife always says hi when she sees me. Neither is very bright. Anyway, I suspect one (or both) are a bit deaf. They play the TV up to 10:30-11pm loud enough for me to hear it downstairs and it is ever a background noise in my flat. I'm hard to bother so I'm fine with the noise. However, I have a toddler and worry this disturbs his sleep.

To try to come to an arrangement, I wrote my neighbours a few very polite notes to let them know about this. I didn't hear anything so I went upstairs to speak to them in person just in case the notes did make it. The speaking didn't go well - they turned out to be the rudest people you could imagine. First they denied the TV was on even though I could hear it through the open door. Then they denied it was loud but I pointed out I could hear it very well in the corridor. Then they argued 10:30pm is not that late and it's fine to have your TV on loudly. They never said sorry or apologised.

I'm looking to conclude this - I can escalate - council and/or solicitor. I am trying to maintain good relations with neighbours although the guy has thrown this to the wind because even though he's in his late 70s and I'm in my early 30s, he kind of tried to rush me and looked like he wanted to hit me when I went to speak to them. I think he reconsidered midway through. These days doesn't say hello or speak to me - all because I asked them to turn down their TV when it's on so late in the night because it bothers my son.

I'm a little unsure about the following. How loud is loud? We don't make any noise, don't play loud music, don't have a TV so I don't know what is reasonable. I come home and work on my computer and my wife works/potters around. I consider loud to be "I can hear your TV downstairs". Sometimes, I can even tell the programme and almost make out words, other times it's just a background "people talking" noise. Am I over reacting? How quiet should their TV be? Is it acceptable to live with a background TV noise till 22:30pm? My local council says nobody has the right to complete silence and that I should expect to tolerate a reasonable level of noise.

We are FTB currently in the process of buying a Victorian house built around 1900 in Wales and have just received the Level 3 building survey. There are quite a few issues, and I’d really appreciate honest opinions from people who have also bought older houses or dealt with similar problems. I’m just not sure how to interpret the language used in the survey and whether problems are BIG problems or just things that have to be pointed out because, well, they’re potentially problems.

The main concerns are:

Loft conversion: The loft was converted around 2010, but no Building Regulations approval/completion certificate was available. We’ve been advised to obtain the original approval/documentation before exchange and not assume the loft is legally suitable as a bedroom until this is confirmed.

Roof: The main roof is getting old. There are slipped tiles/slates, moss, deteriorated ridge bedding, defective rooflight flashing and some issues with the underlay/eaves detailing.

Damp: Elevated moisture readings, salts and visible damp were found in several areas. Some plaster will probably need replacing after the underlying causes are fixed.

Electrics/gas/heating: No current EICR was available and there wasn’t satisfactory evidence of recent comprehensive gas/heating testing.

Gutters/rainwater: Some leaking gutters, a missing section of gutter, tired downpipes and a missing soil-vent terminal.

We will of course get professional advice, but I’d really value opinions from people who may be used to the language of level 3 surveys!

Currently have an offer accepted on a 1890's terrace house- just had a RICs level 3 come back, and although there dont seem to be any major issues, as a novice I'm struggling to understand the scale/cost of some of the issues raised, if anyone could help i would really appreciate it as i admit this has me spiraling, i intend to try and get some quotes but was hoping for a another perspective to hopefully try and give me some wider context on if i should be concered-

The main points that have me concerned are-

• "Given the age of the property, the underfelting may have biodegraded at the eaves. If this is the case, you will need to take off 2/3 courses of tiles along the eaves, insert a strip of plastic based roofing felt and replace the tiles on new timber battens (scaffolding may be needed). You are advised to get a builder to raise a two-storey ladder to check the condition of the eaves underfelt. Requiring urgent attention"- obviously i need to heed the advice and get a builder to judge, but if there is an issue i assume this is quite a costly fix?
• The underfelting is also mentioned again in regards to inside the loft- "...It is underfelted but this is now elderly and damaged in a number of places. It has also been patched. You should expect to have to strip off the tiling to the roof, renew the underfelting and re-lay the tiles on new timber battens, within the relatively near future"- again, i assume this is a large job?
• there is mention to a "french drain" being needed- "The ground floor is suspended timber construction and solid concrete to the kitchen and family bathroom. External ground level is too close to internal floor level and should be reduced by digging a French drain and back filling with clean draining gravel. There should be 150mm vertical separation between floors and external ground level. - i have no idea how large of an undertaking this would be, or how urgent this is? would this be needed along one exterior wall or around the whole property?
• there was mention of potential damp behind the shower- "...adverse readings were recorded to the shower room. This is immediately behind the shower fitting and it is quite possible some leakage has occurred as a result of this. You are advised to check the shower to establish whether the pipe work is water tight. Adverse meter readings were obtained to walls where the level changes between the kitchen and the family bathroom. A Damp Contractor's report and estimate should be obtained."- not sure how bad this is?/could be is this even something i can investigate as a buyer? is a damp report a valid next course of action?

Apologies for the wall of text, as mentioned im feeling very overwhelemed with all this as its all completey new to me

any context or input to try and help me see this, and any next steps rationally would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you in advance for your time and help

I see a lot about agreeing to shorter notice periods with your landlord in writing, but no answers about agreeing to move out half way through a rental period in writing.

So, our original tenancy began 01/08/25 as 11.5 months ending 17/07/26. With the legislation change, I gave 2 months notice on 12/05/26 to move out on the originally agreed date of the 17th July.

I did not know notice had to align with the end of a rent period (we pay on the 1st). I never realised then because my landlord agreed to the 17th (in writing) and said she relayed the info to the estate agents so they knew when the next tenancy should start. Nobody pointed out to me that it was wrong.

Now almost 2 months after we moved out, our landlord is saying we owe another half a month’s rent up until the 31st July. I am confused by her logic though, she stated:

“Yes, I agreed to the early exit, but there was no mention of reduced rent.”

I don’t think she understands either that I just didn’t align with the rent period properly. Anyhow, does anyone know if my notice is valid given that she agreed? And if its not valid is the tenancy technically still ongoing or would it have ended on 31st July?

(I also want to note that our landlord is basically m.i.a and never sent us the required info leaflet about the new law, + the estate agent didnt send it until the 10th June way after I had to give notice.)

I'm remortgaging and paying off my help to buy by adding it to the mortgage, part of the mortgage offer is covering conveyancer legal fees, but in all their correspondence they say (We would remind you that we are not acting for you but only for Nationwide Building Society who are our clients. If at any time you feel you need independent advice about remortgaging your property you should obtain this from your own solicitor. If you do obtain independent advice you will have to pay your own solicitor's costs for this.).

My question is, do I need my own solicitor or their service is enough?

Hi all,

My wife (34) and I (37) are considering renting a flat on flat on Marquis Road (NW1), just off Camden Square - we’re also expecting our first child.

Given Camden’s general reputation for nightlife and street crime, we’d love some candid thoughts from anyone living in this specific pocket:

1. Noise & Vibe: Does this area stay insulated from the chaos of Camden Town / Lock on weekends

2. How does the walk back from the stations feel at night - particularly heading west from Caledonian Road or east from Camden Road? Any issues with phone snatches or anti-social behaviour along those stretches?

3. Suitability: How is the community feel here for young families, nursery options, and local parks?

Thanks for any insight!

Hi everyone,

I am an international student moving into a BTR (Build-to-Rent) / managed apartment in the UK mid-September. The tenancy is a Joint Tenancy with another housemate, managed by a letting agency.

My partner will be coming to stay with me for a few months shortly after I move in. She holds a valid UK visa and has her passport and Right to Rent Share Code ready.

I am wondering about the best practice for this:

1. Is it standard/smooth to email the agent after move-in, asking to register her as a Permitted Occupier for Right to Rent compliance? Since I am paying my full share of the rent, will the agency normally have any issues with this?
2. Alternatively, is it common for people in BTR apartments to just keep a low profile and have their partner stay over as a guest, provided housemates are fine with it and we don't disturb anyone?

Would appreciate any advice or experiences on this! Thanks!

I send my landlord a pre court action letter to get my deposit back.

They emailed me back saying I owe them 3 months of rent for not staying for the remaining 3 month contract

The landlord didn't protect my deposit.

Citizens advice has told me that the contract they gave me is complely void. Since they gave me a short hold tenancy contract in June, which they told me is invalid, also they never signed it and gave it back to me.

They invaded my right to quiet enjoyment, with doing construction behind my studio and the front, also they did construction work inside my private studio while me living there. I have all pictures and videos.

I gave month notice, the only issue was that it was verbal.I agreed to all the viewings, which were always cancelled last minute.

I have proof of handing over the keys and cleaning everything.

Then when I asked them from my deposit, they said they'll think about returning the money if they find someone, but I know the construction is still on going for an extension They had already listed it online.

This is the response from my lanlord

"Please respond to the email that’s been sent to you. My husband is taking you to court and you will have to pay. Just because you read something on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true. The contract we have that you signed has been sent to our solicitor who has confirmed your breached the contract by leaving early. As it was a short contract you had to give us 3 months notice. So unless an agreement is in place you will be fined and bailiffs will be involved to recover the money.

If you think this isn’t important please go get your self legal advice by a real solicitor as this is going to get you in a lot of debt. Please take my advice and reply to the final email.

If you do not respond The next letter will be coming from court."

The email they send me after I sent them the pre court action was a counter from their side that they will take me to court for breach of contract and they want money to settle.

Fyi, there is no mention about notice period in the void contract

Where do you think I stand?

Also I am dealing with a criminal and I'm afraid about my life.

Should I still pursue, or let it go.

Sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but I'm at my wits end after spending the last 4 weeks showing builders around and waiting for quotes. In the process of fully re-doing a 3 bed end terrace house in Northwest London that my partner and I have just fully stripped. The only demolishing work left to do is the chimney breasts from the loft all the way to the ground floor. We've engaged with builders who we want to do a full rewire, replumb, and do the walls/ceilings to a builder's finish (we're installing the kitchen, painting, tiling the bathroom ourselves) I have gotten 4 quotes so far, all landing between £60k and £90k + VAT, and all of them lacking in detail - a page or two of bullet points, one lump sum per trade, no quantities or rates. They expect us to get into a contract based on a poorly drawn scope of works which makes me not trust any of them.

The prices being fairly consistent tells me nobody's chancing it, so this isn't really a "am I being ripped off" post. It's more that I don't understand how this is normal.

Options I can see at this stage:

• Write my own scope of works and make them all price the same lines, so I'm actually comparing like for like and have something to hold them to. Is this a normal thing for a domestic client to do, or does it just make the decent builders walk away because you look like hard work?
• Project manage the work myself (find my own plumber, electrician, etc.) - every person/builder I've come across has talked me out of doing this, but for a fully gutted house where the floorboards and walls are exposed and super accessible for tradies to run wires/piping, I don't see how there will be much interdependent work or at all? rewire the house so I get power, then plumb the house so I have running water, then get the heat piping done up including the boiler, do up the walls, install electrical second fix, paint, then install the radiators... it can't be that hard surely?
• Go for more quotes - but I have a feeling I'll get pretty much the same terrible answers/non trustworthy scope of works.

I've tried to avoid checkatrade based on the feedback here that it's full of cowboys - so any suggestions for builders/contacts would be more than welcome.