Owning your own home

Not sure if this is the right thread but here goes. Bees. In our wall cavity.

We had new Windows fitted and I haven't got around to making good the render and now there is a steady stream of bees into the cavity (can't see them in the roof). I like bees but I'm rendering the front next week and ideally I'd like to sort the back too. How do I loose the bees please?

Shurely letting the bees loose is the last thing you want to do?

Are they honey bees?

http://www.bbka.org.uk/help/do_you_have_a_swarm.php

They can/will help if they are.

I think they are 'solitary' or mortar bees. I thought they were bumbles because some are huge. There hasn't been a swarm that I've witnessed. Internetz says wait it out till winter which is possible but we're having a ground floor extension soon and that'll be blooming awkward.

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Whole hearted recommendation for a conveyancing solicitor: Caroline Sherry at Glazer Delmar, East Dulwich.

Answers phone, calls you before you call her, does what she promises, on time, sensible, helpful. I can't fault her.

@inchpincher In that case - phone Oprah.

Not the bees!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d4MqTCIDKhU

Urgh. I applied for planning permission for a bike shed in the front of our house and since then I have been deluged with snail mail spam by every building trade body you can think of. Fucking annoying as well. It's a bike shed. I don't need an architect or windows.

This is a common occurrence?

imagine the ballache you'd be having if you called it a bike loft.

I only quote for bike residences. Or possible a space informed by a liberating mode of personal transit.

Got home to find a notice of arrest warrant for the guy we bought the house from. He owes the authorities money. This exact same thing happened in our last place. Why can't pricks just pay their fucking bills. Will have fun telling popo he's not here tomorrow.

Had another through yesterday for someone I've never even heard of who owes Tower Hamlets 12k!

Exchanging and completing today. Someone further up the chain is emigrating to NZ and terrified that leaving the EU will devalue their £. A fair worry, but it would have been nice if they'd realised before this Monday when suddenly everything was massively urgent and needed to happen very soon or they'd pull out.

Renting out my house in Wales (damn inconsiderate tenant of mine went and got married and has bought a house with his wife, good thing he's an old mate of mine or I'd be ticked off).

Anyway... We thought the letting agency had another tenant lined up for the end of the month which would give me a couple of weeks to do bits and pieces to the house. Call on Thursday morning to say that they've dropped out due to a bereavement. Call last night to say another tenant lined up, but they need to move in on Saturday.

Yay, I really wanted to take a day off today, drive to Wales, sort out a fresh Gas Safety certificate and look at all the other jobs that will now need to be done around a family in my house.

#owningsomeoneelseshome

#firstworldlandlordproblems

If you don't want to drive up there you could always not drive up there. But then you wouldn't get a tenant paying you rent. So... That's kinda your job.

What salary multiple are banks currently offering for two people, both working, no kids?

Depends on the deposit, 4.5x is pretty standard, 5x with some, and maybe even 5.5x with one or two lenders subject to outgoings (student loans included)

I'd just use use some online calcs to workout what you could be lent, found them very accurate. You've also just made me workout what our multiple was, 4.7x. Preferred not knowing that..

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/mortgages/our-mortgages/mortgage-calculators

I'm just doing some sums to show Mrs Sparky what could happen if I sold my flat and we went hunting together. The answer, I think, is "Sparky would stress out about mortgage repayments".

It's only debt. Just more of it.

It's only debt. Just more of it.

On that note, we're trying to decide whether to overpay our (fixed) mortgage payments or save/upgrade the home. We can afford to overpay quite a lot.

Just thinking ahead to eventual interest rate rises and remortgaging in 2yrs time...

Does anyone have any experience of renting their flat/home out? I'm looking to go work abroad for 3-4 months and want to rent my flat out whilst I'm gone. I know our bank would look to charge a fee and change the interest rate for a long term let but should I expect the same for a short term let?