Owning your own home

Yep, in theory I don't see what's wrong with it but it does seem a bit strange. Looking at a place with a needlessly large bathroom in the loft conversion so considering how feasible it is to use some of the space with a washing machine.

Had new downstairs neighbours move in a week or two ago, a parent has bought the flat for his student/graphic designer children. They seem ok but the smell of weed is getting fairly invasive in our flat during the day and evening. Don’t really want to sour the relationship this early by asking them to please be considerate/open a window etc so weighing up how to approach it

that shit fucking stanks and can be nigh on impossible to get out of your soft furnishings. tell them to knock it on the head or fuck off outside.

dirty fucking hippies.

They downstairs?

Arrange for the washing machine to ‘leak’

Wait until they have fixed the water damage

Arrange leak again

Until they get the message

If you live above someone there are a multitude of ways you can make your downstairs neighbour’s life a misery.

I would suggest talking to them.
“You guys seem to smoke a lot of weed and it’s making my flat stink. Do you think we can work out a way to stop this from happening?”

Try the easiest option first.

Just call the po-po...

I had a similar situation but it was a new lodger downstairs. I knew the other tenant who was subletting it so I had a long standing relationship with him. I just told him straight and it was sorted.
They probably have no idea it's causing a problem and I'm sure there'll be fine.
Friendly approach will work.
Otherwise, Bastard Neighbour thread can (probably not) help :)

Undercut their dealer.

Dress up as po-po, raid them, take their stash, profit... Rinse and repeat...

Or just tell them you're po-po...

Or just watch Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and seek inspiration from that.

Any tax relief or any other special measures that would apply to a first time buyer buying jointly with a non-first time buyer if the property under 450k? Just want to make sure we are aware of any possible advantages. I already have a tiny Help to Buy top-up. Thanks!

I would think it's the opposite. You'll probably lose the SDLT reduction if one person isn't a FTB.

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-stamp-duty

Joint ownership and Stamp Duty relief
...
Unmarried people can still get a reduction in Stamp Duty, if the only person named on the mortgage deed is a first-time buyer.
...
you need to think about what would happen if you split up. If the property is in both names, you will both have a claim. If the property is only in one name, then it’s possible you or your partner could be left with nothing legally.

Yep, we did.

As @duncs wrote you can only get first time buyer stamp duty relief if you are the only person on the mortgage deeds but not all banks will allow you to do this if you have a joint mortgage.

Ohhh well, didn’t have huge hopes. Many thanks @Tomo187 @duncs

Does the non-first timer still own another property?

You could get relief* if the person who already owns a property is replacing / selling their “main residence” as part of the purchase. It’s all in the guidance notes on .gov

*from SDLT

Yes, we will use sale to partly fund purchase

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/stamp-duty-land-tax-relief-for-land-or-property-transactions#first-time-buyers-relief Chapter 6?

First time buyers get extra relief though.
They pay less than a non FTB who is moving.
Rather than just not paying the extra 3% for the 2nd property.

Cool. So you won't pay the full stamp duty on the new property if you sell the other place first.

Fucking hell SDLT is such a muddle now its embarrassing

This happened to us a couple of years ago, every night our bathroom would stink up of weed because of the renters below. I politely told them that we could smell their weed, and that my wife was pregnant and not happy about it. The place never smelt of weed again.

She was neither my wife nor pregnant at the time, but she is both those things now so I guess the lesson is, if you're going to lie to get what you want, be ready to live that lie.

Our buyers bank has agreed with their offer, the slow creep towards half a mill Warners continues