Owning your own home

RE records of correspondence, it might be something that the hypothetical buyer of your flat is interested in. I'd keep it.

I know it has no legal basis whatsoever but if you do communicate with the solicitors (personally I wouldn't) I'd state that you consider the matter closed and will interpret no further correspondence from them as confirmation of that.

Then wait to see what ends up on your service charge account.

Well you can ask them to acknowledge receipt of your email but I wouldn't ask them to confirm that it is all over from their perspective because they prob won't be willing to give such a confirmation. You are basically sending them what is known in the trade as a 'fuck off and die letter'. I obviously can't give specific legal advice on your position (I am a solicitor with 11years pqe but property disputes isn't my thing) but I'm only telling you this with the hope these tips will help you put a lid on the back and forth over what really is a piddling amount of money.

If you call after, it's probably worth reaffirming anything else mentioned on that call over email after too.

So, call then email would work better.

May sound stupid but I have some sympathy for Loretta, who has been put in an impossible situation - her client asking her to collect arrears which the evidence she has show are not owed, but said client refusing to accept that.

Well you can ask them to acknowledge receipt of your email but I wouldn't ask them to confirm that it is all over from their perspective because they prob won't be willing to give such a confirmation. You are basically sending them what is known in the trade as a 'fuck off and die letter'. I obviously can't give specific legal advice on your position (I am a solicitor with 11years pqe but property disputes isn't my thing) but I'm only telling you this with the hope these tips will help you put a lid on the back and forth over what really is a piddling amount of money.

Ok, understood - I'll go with "I consider this matter closed and will disregard further correspondence should any be sent".

Yes that's fine and I wouldn't call them because calls sometimes have a habit of going off course and you might say something you might regret. You can say what you need to say in your email.

Done, lets see what they come back with.

Quite possibly because I'm a moron I'd be (in some ways) welcome going to court

I think should you end up going to court there MAY be an obligation for you to share details of any disputes should you decide to sell the flat during this period. I second what @t-v says to get some legal advice. As someone who has been through a similar thing with an even less well defined issue (for me, I was taken to court for owning dogs when my lease does not prohibit the keeping of dogs) and it STILL made my life a misery for six months. I wish I'd got legal advice before charging in. These things have a way of becoming incredibly sticky and complex even if your view on it is that it's simple.

Hopefully no-one will jump down my throat for this post, been a bit wary about posting after my last one.

Having a chat with some old clleagues last night, who here has taken a mortgage holiday?

We did - sort of.

We emailed lender at their request (they said they weren't discussing it on the phone) and I emailed asking for details about it. Didn't hear anything for a few weeks then noticed last months payment had been refunded followed by an email saying holiday in place. Not what we asked for and no clear indication (yet) about what terms it's to be paid back on. Not ideal. But immediate affordability was more of an issue - all our work since the end of Jan has been cancelled with an inability to do anything else for the foreseeable.

Does a mortgage holiday affect credit rating or mortgage prospects in future? (I'm guessing not but interested to know)

Government said it can't impact rating and I've since remortgaged with it in place (not sure if the remortgage will reset the holiday tbh so will need to confirm with lender).

We have - I applied expecting a chat with the provider but we just got a letter through saying it’s approved. Terms are clear enough - 3 months added to end of term and interest added to total (so monthly repayment increases by a few £).

It does not.

No, but I'm on an interest only mortgage that's under £400 a month. We try and treat it like a repayment mortgage when Mrs GB is working, otherwise we don't have to do anything to take a holiday on the repayment part if we want.

We haven't had a letter but hoping for the same. Just had a text and email saying it's approved, more to follow.

It will be recorded in your credit report, I'd guess as 'U', for no information (as opposed to a 1,2,3 for late, D for default, A for arrangement to pay etc...).

Credit ratings / scores tend to be entirely proprietary to individual lenders / agencies, and more oftent han not, completely opaque.

The government has "agreed" with lenders that mortgage holidays will not impact credit ratings, and may have made spey of lenders contingent on this.

(I'm not aware of any legislation to back this up, but also not privy to the terms of any agreements, so could well be entirely misguided.)

That being said, in 5 years time, it will still be on your report, and lenders may have "forgotten" any agreement.

From my limited knowledge of retail credit scoring algorithms, a U has a fairly minimal impact.

Assuming GDPR is in place when a (automated) decision is made based on a credit score, you can challenge that decsion to understad6 why it was made (although you have no right to knowledge of the mechanics).

(This doesnt apply to Clydesdale, as, IIRC, their process is manual, and on paper).

I have not.

I understand that the total term of the mortgage does not change, and so a mortgage holiday now impacts repayment and interest calculations down the road which pushes up the repayments in the future.

I figure I can afford my mortgage, am being paid, don't need the holiday... so whilst I was offered it I ignored it.

We did.
No second wage coming in steadily now (freelance4lyf). So. erm. Yeah.

Anyone have any recommendations for Air Conditioners? The heavy duty exhaust vented type. Aka a heat pump

Have a feeling we could be indoors a lot this summer...

Are you allowed to install a split unit?

I doubt anyone would stop me right now

Could just stick it on the balcony and run the hose out the window to it

I was taken to court for owning dogs when my lease does not prohibit the keeping of dogs)

Should have got a bear...

They can come under planning regs, Westminster are particularly pissy as ever.

They wouldn’t know it was there. Couldn’t see it from the street.

hah, then 800-1200 quid and you're golden.