Owning your own home

My electric hob has started tripping the RCD everytime it's turned on at the mains. I have no idea about these to be honest, and the fact that it's in the kitchen is a bit stressful.

Anyone got any recommendations for an electrician around West London to come and take a look?

Does it only trip when certain elements are switched on?

No, the hob itself has a wall mmounted off / on switch controlling power to it. Fipping that from off to on causes it to trip. Does that sounds better or worse!

I nicked a cable drilling in the wall a few weeks ago on the same circuit as the hob, so i strongly suspect its associated with that - a sparky at the time told me it would be ok as I hadn't gone fully through the cable.

Just surprised it's started playing up now after almost a month and want to check if that is the cause, as fixing it will involve removing a large part of my kitchen back wall :(

That could well be it. Basically, it's likely to be tripping if there is a very slight continuity between live and ground, ie, the insulation (possibly in the cable) has deteriorated or has been damaged.

Whereabouts are you based? My brother the electrician is here at the moment and up for some jobs. We are in Herne hill.

Yes- sorry for not responding earlier. Reckon he could make it over to SE23 tonight?

Yes- sorry for not responding earlier. Reckon he could make it over to SE23 tonight?

I expect he could. I'll PM you his number...

RCD trips when the current isn't balanced, are you able to disconnect the hob from the switch?

disclaimer......

"If you blow yourself up and burn the house down then it is solely your own fault"

Ha - I have literally no idea how to do that... with a disclaimer like that and my electrical knowledge (having already drilled through the cable), it's at this point that I hand it over to the experts :)

Mashton - can't follow from the thread if your brother is an electrician or a heating engineer - if he's an electrician and might fancy a jaunt to W4, PM his number.

Brother-of-Mashton has just left my flat, he'll be back on Saturday morning to fit a new fuse box (consumer unit in new-speak).

Really nice chap, thoroughly recommended.

If we're getting a water leak from our bathroom ceiling, which is almost certainly coming from the flat above, is it their responsibility to look into it?

I currently feel like I may never be able to buy a place of my own, even if I leave London (which I plan to do as soon as personal and professional circumstances allow). It's depressing.

I am leaving London before long too, it is insanity - paying £15k a year into someone else's 'investment' or taking out a huge mortgage. I think we could buy a place a bit further out, but lost interest a while ago.

I am just an average Joe with a basic understanding of economics, but I can't see how anyone else thinks it is sustainable - I think there is a chance of a couple of things happening:

• buy-to-let people crying when the interest rates go up and they can't make any money or get their money back. Good.
  
• people panic buying now at silly prices being screwed when they can't get their money back in a few years, because there is no-one left who can afford to prop up the pyramid
  
  

I think the government is using housing to make the economy look good, and once the election is over, interest rates will be up and things will start going backwards again. Tell me if you think I am wrong though!

I think the government is using housing to make the economy look good, and once the election is over, interest rates will be up

This is definitely true

things will start going backwards again.

I imagine this they cannot predict. Perhaps it will just slow to a halt for a while. I guess one of the drivers of the current fear / panic is that it will continue to rise another x% before it goes backwards so you'll still be left out.

You don't have to go many years back to find a time when mortgage interest rates were 10%+.

I met a bloke the other day who had an introdutory rate of 17%.

Worksheet 3: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/rates/baserate.xls

I'm not saying that rates are suddenly going to jump up but it won't take much of a shift towards the more historically typical rate of 5%+ for people to feel the pinch badly.

Also, I don't think it is constructive to view rent paid as lining somebody elses pockets. You are paying for a worthwhile service. If you don't think it is worthwhile then house share, move out, commute further.

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Also, I don't think it is constructive to view rent paid as lining somebody elses pockets. You are paying for a worthwhile service. If you don't think it is worthwhile then house share, move out, commute further.

Sorry, this is hilarious. Worthwhile service, my arse.

So of you think it's overpriced and the 'market' is ripping you off, just suck it up eh?

Nowt personal, 'hedge, but the idea that affordable housing within a walkable or cycle-able distance of work, leisure etc is only for an elite few is total bollocks (but also sadly true for much of London)

Having a roof over your head? I don't understand. What isn't worthwhile about that?

^^ Rich, I completely agree with you.

I think, hope, worthwhile service is economics speak.

Anyway. Asbestos.
Yeah. ASBESTOS.
And removal. Anyone have a company from this list:
http://www.arca.org.uk/asbestos-removal-contractors-association/arca-membership-search-results.asp
they'd recommend??

Meh...Keltbray are the only people that I have experience of. They did the job according to the price they quoted, when they said they would do it. That was for commercial projects though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/mortgages/10818737/Why-millions-are-more-exposed-to-mortgage-interest-rate-rises.html

Yeah, if agree a roof over your head is definitely worthwhile. I think the constructive criticism of the housing rental market from Plastic Pedals was saying that the market is inflated so that rental housing is overpriced. And if that's true then the profit is obviously lining someone's pocket.

Not sure I can be bothered to get into a discussion of the correct way to value rental property or the definition of 'overpriced' though. There are different metrics obviously.

Rents went up by about £300pm on a two bed flat in SW15 in the last 7 months. Its nuts.

I find the whole thing distinctly depressing but I've come to a stage now where I feel that any of my personal feelings of bitterness have at points been linked to feelings of jealousy towards individuals with property to rent and a realisation that life is too short to be depressed about paying for a roof over my head. If I'm paying some bloke who had the fortune and foresight to buy property in 2005 big ££££ to live in one of his spare flats then I'm going to bloody well enjoy living in it otherwise it really will be a waste of money.

I am at a point of indecission regarding my mortgage.
My mortgage broker is trying to get me to to only use half the cash from my flat sale as deposit on my new house, and use the other half as a deposit on a buy to let property.

I quite liked the idea of having a small sub £100k mortgage on my new place, but also know that it will not go up in value anywhere near as quickly as a 2 bed flat in the city centre. So it would seem to make financial sense in the long run to split my equity over two properties.

Who currently has a buy-to-let? Are they worth the hassle?

If I did do a BTL, I probably wouldnt buy it til next year, as it seems a silly time to buy as an investment at the moment.

I'm confused, and need to make a decision by monday as I need to get my mortgage application rolling for the place I've just had an offer accepted on.