Owning your own home

1. Conveyancing docs
   
2. Mortgage docs
   
3. Land registry
   
   

1&2 should be tucked away somewhere safe where you won’t lose them.

Is that fast?

Faster than @6pt :)

What's the first port of call for finding out the length of the leasehold on my ex council flat?

Land Registry. Pop in the postcode and you can get a copy of the registered title for your flat for a few quid. The details will be in the Property Register which will be the first bit of the registered title.

Using a chap recommended by the forums own Big Red Machine to finish my flat off and impressions are very positive- the chap is managing a number of other chaps (plasterer, plumber, joiner, sparky, flooring person) whilst we are in Sicily.

Being kept well informed of what is going on, and certain decisions are being referred to me- quite enjoying the morning email on that point.

Costs are what I'd call controlled but escalating, as more things to do are uncovered. I'm going to put a stake in the ground at £18,000 but that might be (hilariously) low. We shall see.

It's amazing how many credit card companies will give you interest free on purchases for thirty months or so these days...

who dis

So, about £700 later I now have super cable to my shower and the 9.5kw tank installed.

Does it work?

Does it fuck.

On the plus side I now have a nice outside sensor light, the shower switch is now legal and the cabling no longer hangs in the water that the washing machine piped leaked out.

So, back to youtube videos to find out what else I can replace. Microswitch was mentioned.

When should you extend?
Because, I'm happy in mine atm. There's a plan of sorts to maybe move at sometime and well 125 would be better than <90 right?

#don'ttalkaboutcompulsorypurchaseorders

That's my outside shower for summer.

Also amazing how few decorators accept credit card payment

Indeed. Fund decorator costs by offsetting all other day to day costs on to zero percent credit card. If you started two months ago...

Cash makes tax evasion (by both parties) so much easier.

Survey question.

Chap I work with who is an engineer and used to work in residential sector is saying that I would be better off getting specialists in than doing a full structural. Reason being that the full structural is limited and often the report is wishy washy and full of recommendations to get specialists in to investigate anyway.

So I' debating getting

1. Drainage survey with cctv done.
   
2. Timber and damp survey. This should indirectly find any issues with the roof and chimney.
   
   

And then structurally I can check for subsidence by just doing a walk around looking for cracks myself.

Between those 3, I think I'm covering all the important stuff, and I'm going to get a more thorough survey than an all in one jobbie.

Am I mad?

And then structurally I can check for subsidence by just doing a walk around looking for cracks myself.

cracks can be plastered and painted over. not all cracks are evidence of subsidence.

get a blue top survey done.

I went basic/free bank valuation and a proper full fat specialist structural survey on mine, was £1100 inc VAT.

Structural is difficult beyond visual without being invasive, i.e. removing render\plaster and digging trial pits, hence why surveyors cover themselves for that eventuality.

Some of our walls that looked the worst were actually fine, and others which looked fine with render and plaster on were screwed on the inside...

^ beware new paint & new plaster

Forgive my ignorance, but if new plaster, new paint etc covers defects, and a surveyor can't be invasive, then what use is it!?

Well they obviously have a more trained eye, so will spot things that could be an issue. But they will still supply a report with lots of Mays and Ifs.

Forgive my ignorance, but if new plaster, new paint etc covers defects, and a surveyor can't be invasive, then what use is it!?

You are buying their indemnity insurance? If things really go tits up you can sue them?

Nope. I just checked through some docs and I've got 97 years (ish) on the lease. So, nothing to fret about in the next 5 years (which is when/if we sell).

I asked this question of lewishamhomes
1) What is the length of the leasehold?
I can confirm your lease expires on , you have 97 years remaining on your lease.

You are buying their indemnity insurance? If things really go tits up you can sue them?

I like the way you think

House buying adventure / headaches continue.

A few pages back I mentioned some issue that came up with the house we've had an offer accepted on. Seller has said that they're not willing to do the repairs or knock money off the house. Say they need the full amount of the current offer to cover their onward move. Not really our problem but whatevs.

After some back and forth, they've agreed that they will get quotations on the work that we want them to do and reimburse us by that amount on the day the sale goes through (obvs will need to be in writing and OKd by solicitors).

All seems pretty roundabout but, from my admittedly naïve perspective, I can't see an issue. We'd get the inconvenience of the work being done but they'd be paying for it.

Any thoughts?