Owning your own home

We got more leaves

Too ostentatious. I'm going through the forum checklist in reverse and slowly undoing all our gentrification.

The decorator only fitted the bottom lock plate on Monday. I might re-do it because I noticed that straight away as well.

We're in East Ham now, we were priced out of Forest Gate.

I think this house was about 50-60% what it would have cost in the Woodgrange Estate.

When we moved to forest gate just over 4 years ago we were amazed at the size of house you could get for your money south of Romford road, we decided to buy a house in the cann hall end of Odessa Road as we preferred the area. 2 kids later I definitely question the decision 😂

Wait, which is upgrade?

I bought a house!!

Roll on the next few months of renovations and trying to get British Gas on the phone to understand I've got a new house but haven't moved yet, and want to change the prepayment meter (which has a suspicious looking '£144 debt' on the little screen) - has been on hour trying to explain and moving departments so far...

Nice. Where?

Ok, so I've almost resolved this after four months in our house.

You need to sign up as a customer, you can only book the engineer to change the meters once you have been with them as a customer on prepay for 30 days.

When you sign up you will receive new card/keys, don't top up on the old cards (unless you absolutely have to).

Once 30 days pass you can book an engineer, they are currently 7-14 days to appointment (in my area of Kent). You can get the credit check side of things done in advance.

Double check all of the other components for any issues, my electric meter had a rotten back board, this needed to be replaced by uk power network so that added another few weeks, and then another 10 days until British Gas came back again last week.

I now have smart meters on prepay, but they are the same for credit and prepay, you can then call the 'mode change team' - this is the final bit I need to do, but unfortunately due to the screed laying up thread i cant access the meters until its dried out.

life saver! thank you!!

Up in Liverpool, just off Penny Lane :)
This one in the middle that needs a bit of everything doing to it

Would help if the elec/gas suppliers the seller put on the property info form were correct - just found out Octopus do our gas apparently, and British Gas, not Scottish Power as listed, do our electricity.

Awesome - looks like a nice road.

Yeah we got a message via the seller on completion saying 'btw keys for gas and electric are on the side' left both of them on emergency credit too the tightwad - this is why I said don't use the existing cards if you can help - I paid off their debt (only £31) got it back unexpectedly from supplier in the end.

Hopefully I haven’t messed it up by taking it out and plugging it back in - though doing so did set off the alarm which we hadn’t been given the code to…

Next door neighbour is lovely and gave some choice words about the seller.

Have found Octopus do both the gas and electric, which will hopefully simplify matters going forwards.

I went with British Gas because they do the chamge over free, it's worth checking if Octopus charge.

Ultimately it's not a massive issue, just a faff finding your way through it.

@amey I am ready to go and look at that house on Carholme Rd, but my wife is still insisting that we don't move south. Can you give me a long list of the pros of Catford?

Pretty sure @6pt posted one here a few years ago...

Worth it for the wafflewiches at Wanderlust alone.

I am sorry it has come to this. But that road is shit.

And yes, @6pt is still the chairman of Catford Tourist Board

Oh, what is wrong with the road?

I preferred Prince of Nunhead era 6pt.

Its not Corbett

Buy this , you will need a car for school drop to st dunstans

The one you linked to is stc mate.

ah crap!

maybe this can convince you about Corbett