Owning your own home

Thanks man. I'm trying to find pics of what I have in mind. Anyone recall seeing anything of the sort?

I need someone to take a look at a fire alarm system that covers three flats (I own one) doing it as a favour for the freeholder as he doesn't have much time.

What sort of regs/qualifications should I be looking for in someone who can fault find and fix an integrated fire alarms system? Thanks

Don't all fire brigades do it for free? They did a check in my flat not long after I moved in.

There's an actual fault in the system. Lights flashing on the system control thing in the hallway etc. So its not so much of a check as finding the fault and fixing it.

Are you sure your flat is not on fire?

@Ramsaye 100% sure. I was sat in it last night watching an episode of Cuckoo on BBC iPlayer and I had to turn the heating on as it was cold. Surely this wouldn't be the case if it was on fire?

I can't find anything about regs/qualifications for electricians doing the work on fire alarm systems so I think I'll get a regular electrician to take a look.

Almost ready for the sofa's arrival in the morning.

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Can recommend Marius - O77nine598four888.

If your contractor is thrown by a bit of close boarding I would reconsider letting them do anything to the top end of your house... not the most common roofing method but in no way unusual. Clay tiles presumably?

I've got a builder and plumber I'm using at the moment - haven't seen the work yet but plumber is a good guy. I'm at the house Thursday so could let you know

Excitement abounds. Quote for building work came back at £11ok. We had budgeted £50k. Ouch. Then minutes later the homebuyer's guide came though covered in red blobs stating at least £50k of remedial works urgently need doing. Most of this would be superseded by the building work so we dropped our offer by £50k. Agent is getting sh*tty with us. We shall see. I'd want £50k off the sales price and at least £20k off the building works price to make it work for me. Frankly I'd be glad to see the back of this place now. Ballache.

I'm a leaseholder. The freeholder has just served me (and the other occupied flat) with a section 5a notification that they intend to sell the freehold.
I guess this is the right of first refusal, but it looks as if its the right of first refusal in buying the whole building.
Do I have the right to buy my share, or is it all or nothing?
What are the pitfalls?
If someone else buys, can they change my leasehold or get me out somehow?
Anyone got a spare £750K?

Concrete, done a few years ago, but I guess they left the sub-structure in place. That was my thoughts, so gone with another outfit who seem to know their onions.

The risk is that they install their own management company and jack up the service charges or use their own contractors to carry out overpriced Section 20 major works. Lease term and ground rent should be fixed unless you breach the terms of the lease. I'm not sure whether they can adjust other fees they might charge you (i.e. when you have work done yourself or transfer the lease)

^ Thats not much of a risk though as the S20 works have to be reasonable and if they are real shysters then you can just do a RTM (Right To Manage) manage it yourself with the other leaseholders.

If you buy your freehold then you dont have to pay ground rent, your lease isnt a slowly depreciating asset (never let it get under 80 years - check google for 90 year lease extensions to find out why). you will own 50% of the Freehold with the other leaseholder if they are happy to buy too, and your leases which would be subject to the Freehold (which you would then own) or you can buy the whole freehold if the other leaseholder doesnt want it and get ground rent off them.

You will have to pay the market price though (which is what theyve agreed to sell at).

today I finally sold the 1st piece of my soul to the devil - registered myself with a number of agents hoping they will call me soon with places that fit my bills... FFS, they are so evil... 2 out of 3 weren't that bothered speaking to me because my budget isn't in the millions... London is getting more depressing by the min...

yeah, I just need to win the lottery, then all will be singing and dancing...

MTC turned into ETRF (expensive terrace renovation folly). £110k quote for the works and the survey highlighted I reckon £50k of urgent remedial work. Vendor offered us £5k off. We pulled out. I'm HUGELY relieved. Now what?

Dream house long gone now I assume... whereabouts were you looking?

I was getting stressed just reading your updates, definitely sounds like the right decision... something else always comes along.

Don't expect too much from the agents, the only people to actually call me about places were Foxtons (for flats in Thorton Heath when I was looking in Deptford/Peckham/Camberwell).

Agreed, they have enough people calling them to not bother making the effort of calling people. I quickly realised that the day I spent going round estate agents saying what I wanted was wasted and it was best to keep an eye out myself and call them to arrange viewings.

However, after I'd been to see a few places and showed I was interested, some of the agents were then a bit more pro-active (Winkworth's and Bairstow Eve in my case) and started contacting me about properties. Admittedly Bairstow Eve becamse most pro-active when I told them I'd put an offer in on a property with Winkworth's.

Get a PAYG sim card in an old phone and give that number to the Estate Agents.

It's, by far, the simplest way of stopping the calls once you have found somewhere to buy.

Gary from Foxtons kept on calling me with suggested properties despite me telling him I'd bought somewhere and had just moved in. In the end I just agreed to the viewing appointments and never turned up. It took 3 of these before he stopped calling me.

I am not keeping my hopes up, I will be more por active myself when I get back after Easter, there are a few places I am intertested in Croydon / Norwood areas, but they all told me there is little point in even viewing if I don't have an agreement in principle for a mortgage, maybe they were lying, I don't know...

funny you said that, I even went as far as setting up a new email for that. However, yesterday, I forgot both my PAYG number and google would let me log into my new email, coz I forgot the password... so I gave them my 'real' details... nevermind... still plenty of agents I need to go to...