Owning your own home

Sorry to hear that, unfortunately quite normal at that point of the process. A polite no will do, something like“I am sorry that the works are inconvenient for you but I conveyed the information clearly from the beginning. Unfortunately the current financial situation doesn’t give me much room for negotiation”. At this point they should be quite invested in the process and will loose a good chunk in lawyer fees, surveys, searches… They are probably just upset and/or they are just trying their luck.

Thank you, this is good advice. I was so sandbagged by it that I became quite emotional about it at the time, but you're right. I need to keep this bland and take it less personally. It's really hard though.

We've had four quotes for felling and stump grinding the massive leylandii that's growing in the bottom of the garden.

They're all pretty steep, but one is just over a quarter of the price of the most expensive. They're all from well-reviewed and experienced tree surgeons.

The two most expensive quotes are from people who've come back for repeat visits and think it will be 4-5 days' work. The cheapest estimated 2 days. If it does turn out to be 4 days' work, but our quote was based on it being 2, and that was one of the reasons for choosing it, what would likely happen next? Could they reasonably ask us for more money or is it tough on them for underestimating the job?

(Also, the cheapest quote came from someone who the people in the house behind our garden called in to talk about cutting back the overhang. There's an outside chance that part of the reason his quote is cheaper is that they're paying him something too because they're that desperate for us to get rid of it.)

For all the arborist work we have done we get a couple of quotes for the work, decide who to use and they get paid that amount when it's done.

Not too fussed how long it takes them as long as the job is done OK

Legal ish question.

Parents bought their house in 1969, no mortgage and registered in my dad’s name only.
54 years later, dad dies and my mother wants to sell the house and move overseas.

Do we need to transfer ownership etc or can my mother just sell it. Probate wasn’t applied for as there were no assets bar the half “ownership” which has gone straight to my mum.
Or is it just easier to pay a brief to sort this all out?
Ta

Sorry to hear about your dad, I hope you and your mum are doing ok.

House in UK?

IGNORE BELOW, I DIDNT READ PROPERLY :-

There are two ways of owning:

• Joint tenants
  
• Tenants in common
  
  

Most likely your parents were JTs (based on you describing the house as having gone straight to your mum). In that case the house passed immediately to your mum, outside the intestacy rules (ie not related to the will) and no inheritance tax arises (it might not have anyway, but it’s outside the scope of inheritance tax).

If so, your mum needs to fill in a form to have his name removed and then she can sell it.

If your dad is sole legal owner you'll need something to show your mum is able to transfer the legal title - i.e. the grant of probate, probably.
You'll need a solicitor to deal with the sale so probably best to direct these questions to them ASAP so they can have a proper look at the title and tell you what needs to be done.
Probate can take a long time...

If @kilo24’s dad had the property in his sole name, it would be joint tenancy or tenants in common.

If there is no will, the rules of intestacy would apply, which would be that the first 322k of the estate would be inherited by spouse and 50% of the remainder, with the remaining 50% to children.

You might need to get a letter of administration if no will?

If it does turn out to be 4 days' work, but our quote was based on it being 2, and that was one of the reasons for choosing it, what would likely happen next?

i. Before hiring them, confirm in writing that you've agreed the fixed price of £x to fell the tree and grind the stump. You pay £x, tree is gone. Make it clear there is no extra money, and payment will only be made when the tree is gone and the stump has been ground out.

ii. Do you trust them? If not, don't hire them.

Misread!

^this, there are steps that need to be taken before she can sell.

I read the quote and they say the price they quote is the price you pay - so I think it's up to them if it turns out to be a bigger job than they anticipated.

They're well reviewed so I think they should be alright.

Just wanted to come say a quick thank you to everyone who chipped in on my requests for help with survey results while we hunted for the right place in the Welsh valleys. The first lemon of a house we passed on was a bullet very happily dodged thanks to a lot of you here, and the second place we found is better in so many ways.

We just moved in and it’s so much nicer that we thought we’d manage - 1870-ish stone cottage that overlooks a misty wooded valley full of swallows. It’s even got a huge workshop that’ll be the subject of a project thread here someday (as might the house honestly). Not exactly missing Bristol right now.

Anyway, thanks again for all the guidance I received here - you’re a bunch of good eggs.

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Holy shit that's great.

Looking forward to the project thread...

What a view! I hope you feel the same about the place in the winter.

Hah! To be fair it’s been sideways rain 75% of the time we’ve been here so far, which is probably standard - it’s bleak but I also grew up on equally bleak north Essex coastal winters, so fingers crossed it’s a good fit.

We go to a place in Carmarthenshire every winter exactly for the bleakness. Long to get out own similar cottage out there. You're going to get strong legs - bit bumpier than Essex!

That looks shit. Bet the nearest Zizzi's is ages away too. You've been mugged.

I'll take it off your hands for a tenner.

Call it twenty and a packet of scampi fries.

To be fair the nearest Zizzi is a whole 13 miles away. We have a Costa in town though for those corporate coffee vibez.

Call it twenty and a packet of scampi fries.

Deal.

Any legal eagles know if this is binding? Off the the local to procure the scampi fries now.

Your view? NOT BAD.

Straight out the front door yeah - the house is a funny one, when it was built there was a dirt lane front and back, but only the back ever got tarmac and then became the main road through the village, so the house is backwards from the road now. The front door opens onto the garden and down the valley side to the workshop, so minimal car noise and a mad view from the front.

workshop?

TAKE MY MONEY

Heh yeah... it's basically a double garage with no paved access, so useless for cars but perfect for me to cause endless problems in. Needs new windows but the roof is newish, and the floor is a mess. Does really need a project thread (if only to stop me diverting this thread). Also the 'wiring' is just a cable strung from the loft over the garden and into a very dodgy 1950s breaker box, so that's getting disconnected before the whole thing burns down.

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Nice view and hella workshop!