Owning your own home

Big changes coming with leasehold reform which is making its way through the House of Lords and hopefully on the statute books before the year is out. I wouldn’t rush into anything just yet.

We need more Horrors of Rightmove on this thread.

r/spottedonrightmove should have you covered

You can get plastic timber. Plaswood is a brand, there are others.

The type you see on park picnic tables and benches, usually with some scorch marks by teenagers stubbing their cigarettes out on them.

You could do all/part of the sub frame with it and have normal timber on top?

Thanks for the tag @tonylast. @Howard also really good on this stuff.

I've never gone full freehold purchase, where you take over the freehold AND the management of the building, and you upgrade each lease so each gets a share of the freehold, but I have done the Right To Manage where you take over management of the building, but you still pay your ground rent etc to a third party freeholder. It's cheaper and easier and for us it was enough to stop the nonsense major works and spiralling service charges etc.

If you want to connect me to your friend I'm happy to share my experience and resources.

I moved to a freehold property last year and I can't believe the difference it's made. Haven't thought about leasehold in months.

Started today thinking we might exchange this week but then received news that our buyer wants 6k off for a crack in some render. Ignoring the timing for a minute (their survey was done last year) I can't actually see WTF they're talking about. We had the whole side elevation rendered 3 years ago so and it's immaculate still, nothing more than hairline cracks or superficial blemishes anywhere else.

Makes me wonder what their real motivation is... stalling, cold feet, or just a fucking chancer.

just a fucking chancer

Is where I’d put my money

I do hope so, as hopefully they'll be able to get past the fact they can't just pretend defects and expect to get paid for it.

Tell them that you couldn't possibly sell to them in the condition it is, and put it back on the market. Or ask for 10k extra.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133633562#/media?channel=RES_NEW&id=video0&ref=photoCollage

'it’s normal seasonal movement and no discount will be offered'
a chancer.

Fucking state of those trousers in the video

Helping an elderly neighbour with his green waste permit and he asked what council tax bracket we were in. Turns out we but not him are one of only 5/100 properties on the road with a lower tax band (all 1950's semi's)... So this guy would like me to escalate and get his reappraised but will I basically just be fucking myself if I start the wheels in motion because we've renovated ours and he hasn't ever touched his?

Edited for clarity.

No, it only increases on change of ownership

Not sure that’s true. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/council-tax-bands-change/

Hmmmm thanks, yeah old Martin Lewis points out exactly what I'm fearful of, us few remaining freeloaders will get brought in line with the road. All I need to do is avoid my neighbour forever, easy.

You know you've lived in London too long when you see that and think its a bargain.

£1.6 million for a 3 bed house in Leeds that looks like an industrial unit is a bargain?

That's an aspirational industrial unit to you

That house/video is the epitome of "LEEDS LEEDS LEEDS" in built form.

The relevance of the McLaren is lost on me

What has McLaren got to do with it?

Also Hotpoint appliances being called high end…

If it’s not wall to ceiling Gaggeneau I’m out

It’s another customer focussed information centre for a ball bearing manufacture.
just needs a jura bean to cup, glass coffee table with copies of Engineering Today and some shiny ill fitting suits milling around.

Exclusively brought to you by Virtue in collaboration with McLaren Leeds ...

It's probably a tactic to attempt to make it go viral, and it seems to have worked if we're all looking at it here and commenting on it.