Owning your own home

I must have this.

i KNOW!

Nobody needs ‘Chaos’ written on their kitchen appliance

Except TW

Maybe typical microwave buyers are men

Chaos

*jeffgoldblum.jpg*

Maybe typical microwave buyers are men

My new microwave:

Got a few interested responses to my Leasehold battles updates last time.

We tried to get the Right To Manage our block for the fourth time this June after a series of dishonest, hostile, and unethical behaviour from our Freeholder over the last seven or so years.

They objected to our right to manage, and took us to Tribunal - which we won a few weeks ago. Our Freeholder is notorious for making appeals - in fact he's directly responsible for a notorious RTM high court ruling which threw the entire legislation into jeopardy - so we're not out of the woods yet but it's the furthest we've ever got.

I'll keep you guys posted with what happens next but if he doesn't appeal our service charge goes down from £230 pcm to £130 pcm immediately. That's not the only reason to do RTM but it's definitely the easiest sell to your stakeholders.

Congrats! My freeholder / managing agent are just the same - here’s one of their previous engagements

https://www.leaseholdknowledge.com/devon-pensioners-humiliate-y-y-management-avon-freeholds-tribual

Well done! Remind me why you didn't go for the freehold?

Any recommend me a builder/damp person to have a look at some potential issues in my new place?

Based in South East preferable

Just had an offer accepted on a 2 bed in Cardiff (Yay).

Will probably have to buy before selling, as the seller is super keen, and the sale was more or less secured on that basis. My flat isn't on the market yet but will hopefully be next week.

What would be the strategy for minimising costs? Considering I'll have the return from the flat sitting in a bank not paying off the mortgage. Overpay as much as possible once funds are released is my current plan but will that only covers about 30% by next April.

Any other clever options? Anyone used a bridging loan before?

do you want the Cardiff flat that badly? I’d try to reset the vendors expectations and do it the normal way.

@Silly_Savage nice one! Where in Cardiff is the flat?

Don't get a 'damp specialist' in. Get either a competent builder or a chartered surveyor to have a look.

^yep. Unless you want to be told you need new everything and a new dpc

Not just similar but identical! I'm going to PM you, may be worth pooling resources

Thank you!

The advice we got from the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership was that with a hostile freeholder the best order to do things in is: RTM first (to reduce the amount of money the FH makes from the property) then Enfranchise (since as they're making less money there's less incentive to fight). Fingers crossed until the end of the month!

This guy has an interesting perspective on damp, especially the damp meters which are in pretty widespread use by surveyors / damp specialists. Worth a read.

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

That makes a whole lot of sense.

I hope you smash them

This. You want someone that is looking for the problem, not looking to give a solution.

Very few problems are fixed with DPC injections. Maybe a damaged damp course membrane.

It's far more likely to be damaged / worn render, pipes or guttering, poor drainage, or breached DPC.

(Or one of myriad other things. But still not needing injections.)

.

Pretty badly, yes. I guess my real question should be would it make a difference? The next few weeks are likely to be taken up with searches etc. By the time that's fine with hopefully I'll have a buyer, and they're likely to be cash or chain-free given mine is prime starter home/rental material.

Making a claim against council insurance for the leak that has damaged my daughter's bedroom

It's what you pay part of your service charge for. Get them to do it.

I'd do everything I could to avoid a bridging loan or BTL mortgage. If that meant stretching the vendor's patience so be it.

You'll have to pay the additional home extra stamp duty too, 3%. But you can get that back post sale of your other home, provided it happens within 3 years of your purchase.

Would agree, looked into both myself and decided against.