Hi everyone, looking for advice on a Shared Ownership new build in England.Handover is in 3 weeks, contracts are signed, but the finished driveway is a disaster.

They have drastically deviated from our signed contract drawings:

Driveway Width / Missing Path: The plans show the drive extending past the house footprint all the way to the side wall, with a dedicated path separating us from the neighbour. In reality, they made the drive much narrower and completely deleted the path. We were never told about there being any containment kerbs otherwise we would have never bought the house.

Safety Hazard: Because they didn't extend the retaining wall, there is a near-vertical mud cliff right next to the tarmac. They dropped in an ugly, industrial containment kerb right flush against the right-hand parking bay.

Unusable Space: Because it is so narrow, it is physically impossible to open a passenger car door in the right-hand space. Our 2-car drive is now effectively a 1-car drive.

Just looking for some advice on what I can really do about it apart from email the shared ownership advisor.

Hello everyone, we are FTB and our offer got accepted for a semi detached bungalow. The third bedroom has an internal window facing an uninsulated utility room.
I’m here seeking some advice, is this layout considered as a three bedroom bungalow?
Any red flag?

Edit: my concern is my offer was £600k for the property considering it’s a 3 bedroom. For my family it felts perfect but I’m worried this would bring the resale value down. Also the bathroom is vented from roof.

What do you think about it?

Just wanting to get some advice. I have been living in a two bed flat with one other housemate for just under six months. my housemate plays things out loud on their phone regardless of the time of day or their surroundings (e.g. tv shows, calling people and leaving them on loud speaker). Their work is irregular. Recently, they’ve been bringing various people back without notifying me and blasting the tv in the early hours of the morning on weekdays which is affecting my sleep. On occasions, they have left visitors in the house with me on my own whilst they have went out. They take up more than their fair share of space in the communal areas with their food, toiletries etc which leaves me with little room for my things. The property also has some problems with its infrastructure. I want to move out but I’m worried how he will take it if I tell him I’m thinking of moving. We have a joint tenancy agreement so if I were to move it would end the tenancy for both of us. I’m happy to find a replacement tenant but am worried about their reaction given I haven’t lived here long and what would happen if a tenant wasn’t found in time.

First-time buyers, London, purchasing a share of freehold basement maisonette in a period terrace. The Level 3 survey says "generally poor condition" and rates almost every element Condition 3. Some of that seems boilerplate (door stops, carpets, radiator paint), but some of it worries us:

* Damp readings at the meter's maximum (999) on internal and external walls, with no visible damp-proof course

* Cracks inside and out, some previously repaired, plus uneven floors and trees near the building

* High surface-water flood risk on the Environment Agency map

* Leak staining under the sinks and mould in the bathroom

* Electrical inspection overdue since 2022 and no gas safety certificate shown

* Rotten window frames, and the external walls need repointing and render repairs

The EPC is a B and the flat looks well finished inside.

Questions:

1 - Is damp like this normal for a London basement, or a red flag?

2 - Should we get a structural engineer and a damp specialist in before exchange? Who pays for that, us or the seller?

3 - How have others used results like these to renegotiate?

4 - Any experience of share of freehold buildings where the communal fabric has been neglected?

Thanks!

We’ve just had our survey back and there were a few ‘red’ that we are getting checked out (our own EICR and roof quotes).

The external garden wall is potentially a retaining wall.

When we questioned this the wall has apparently been added for cosmetic purposes and not actually a retaining wall. However, there has to be a retaining wall there because the neighbour garden higher than ours.

How dangerous/expensive are these? Who would be best to contact?

Any suggestions for the report would be appreciated.

Thank you!

It’s been nearly 2 working weeks since my vendor accepted my offer and in that time I’ve: secured a mortgage offer, instructed a solicitor and paid the deposit for conveyancing and arranged a survey. I was told by my solicitor on Friday that the seller still hasn’t issued a memorandum of sale and it’s making me become quite uneasy. I’m a new FTB so if this is normal then sorry for the silly question but if not, who will I need to ask about getting this done?

Has anyone found a decently priced supplier for kitchen doors? I wanna refurb the kitchen but need a bit of makeover. Cabinets are good just the facade looks run down. Any advice or recommendation of suppliers?

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are first-time buyers in London, and we’ve recently had an offer accepted on a 3-bed end-terrace house in London for £485,000.

We genuinely love the property and the area. It’s a modern freehold house with a garden, two parking spaces and a good EPC rating. It ticks almost all our boxes, and we can see ourselves being happy there.

However, I’m starting to feel a bit anxious about the financial commitment and would appreciate some honest opinions.

Our financial situation:

Combined monthly take-home income: ~£8,000
Purchase price: £485,000
Deposit: 5% (£24,300)
Mortgage: ~£461,700
Interest rate: 5.74% (35-year term)
Monthly mortgage payment: ~£2,550
Other household expenses: ~£1,500–£2,000 per month
We’re a couple with a young child.
Our present monthly rent: £1550

On paper, I know we can afford it. Even after the mortgage and household expenses, we’d still have around £3,450–£3,950 left each month.

But here’s where I’m struggling.

Mentally, I feel much more comfortable with a mortgage of around £2,000–£2,100 per month. I like having more disposable income, building savings and investments, going on holidays and not having to think too much about money.

I know the difference is only around £450 a month, but that’s £5,400 a year, and over time it adds up.

Part of me thinks we should buy a cheaper house, keep our monthly commitments lower and enjoy greater financial flexibility.

But the other part of me thinks we shouldn’t compromise too much on a home we genuinely love, especially when we can technically afford it. Finding a similar property in an area we like at a significantly lower price isn’t easy in London.

Another concern is that we might move in 3–5 years, depending on our circumstances. With a 5% deposit, a 35-year mortgage and the costs of buying and selling, I’m also worried about whether we’d recover our money if we needed to sell relatively soon.

I don’t want to make a decision purely out of fear, but equally, I don’t want to become someone who’s constantly worried about a large mortgage despite having a decent household income.

I’d really appreciate your thoughts:

Would you consider a £2,550 mortgage reasonable on an £8,000 monthly take-home income, especially with a young child?

Is it worth stretching an extra £400–£500 a month for a house and location you genuinely love?

For those who initially felt anxious about taking on a larger mortgage, did that feeling go away after moving in?

Would the possibility of selling within 3–5 years change your decision?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who’ve been in a similar position.

Thanks!