Owning your own home

banks have been misspelling all manner of things over the last 10 years
derivatives for small companies who didn't understand what they were getting into
redundancy insurance on mortgages that weren't worth the paper they were written on, so many get out clauses
the big banks must have been fined $50bn for various misselling convictions since 2008

you aren't cynical / paranoid
they are out to get you

Isn't there a risk of the council coming along and telling them to alter it? Or did the surveyor miss that on the plans?

The house was built by a husband and wife couple, she was the architect and he was the builder- very familar with both the local planning team and what they could get away with.

It was almost comical, looking at what passed initial planning permission and what ended up being built.

Numerous complaints were made to the council/planners, who (in essence) put their sunglasses on and said "deal with it".

This was in a conservation zone, yada yada.

Just do what our neighbours did and get the scale on the drawings wrong when applying for planning permission- their diagrams had the house in-line with the others in the street, when built it was significantly further forward etc etc.

Not sure how long ago it was, but if you still want something done you could report her to RIBA? I'd imagine they would take a dim view of those sorts of shenanigans

Has anyone done buy-to-let? In another city? I've given up hope of getting on the ladder in London so am looking in Bristol.
Google research is inconclusive: is it true that to qualify for a buy-to-let mortgage you need to already own property?

As long as you can stump up a 20% deposit and you can demonstrate a rental income of 125% of the mrotgage you should be golden

I was emailing my mortgage bloke this week and I had this:
"Yes you definitely be able to borrow more on residential rates with your pay rise. If you buy as a buy to let it doesn’t really matter as it is underwritten on the interest only payment being 125% less than the rent it would receive, let me know if you want any figures"

I seem to recall an article around 18 months ago suggesting that around 500K households couldn't handle a 0.25% increase. The last thing the government wants in an election year is a repeat of the 80's defaults, so you can bet the "independent" Bank fo England monetary committee will have one eye on their future knighthoods well ahead of pulling the trigger.

Plus, cynical old bastard that I am, the "ooh, rate rises are coming" article is now about as regular as the "eurozone is all doomed, just you wait" article that fills Saturday finance pull-outs that are basically paid for by the mortgage lenders who are pissed off with folk like me bumping along nicely thanks on their standard variable ever since it fell through the floor about 5 years ago. "ooh, fix your mortgage before it rises" scaremongering has been going for 2 years at least.

Jesus, I really am a cynical bastard. Must get out riding more now the rainy season is coming to an end...

I don't think you're cynical at all. I think you've summed it up pretty accurately myself.

banks have been misspelling all manner of things over the last 10 years
derivatives for small companies who didn't understand what they were getting into
redundancy insurance on mortgages that weren't worth the paper they were written on, so many get out clauses
the big banks must have been fined $50bn for various misselling convictions since 2008

Yet still we bailed the fuckers out, and they continue to prosper at the taxpayers' expense.

Yet still we bailed the fuckers out, and they continue to prosper at the taxpayers' expense.

The government works for us though don't they...

Well some fuckers keep voting these cretins in - it's not me.

imagine that, 12%
much pain
many default
wow

wow
such fixed rate
very fucked in 2019

good call
it's nice to know where you stand, 5 years of exactly the same amount every month, no surprises

I might have found a house for sale (freehold) on a piece of land that I think lends itself well to a knock down and rebuild. At the moment, there exists planning permission for a large extension to the existing building. Am I crazy to think that it might not therefore be too far fetched to imagine that it would be possible to obtain permission to build an alternative house on the same site?

Subsiduary topic - has anyone any experience of self build?

Write to the local authority's planning dept. with an informal enquiry (you could phone, but councils like paper and tend to have formal response time targets for written correspondence). They should be able to give you some advice and hints about what they would and wouldn't approve. Doesn't hurt to ask.

You tend to need to submit something called a Pre-Application submission to get advice whether a proposal may get planning permission or not. In London local authorities charge a small fee for this service, but it only takes 21 days to get an answer.

My service charge has been changed from quarterly to bi-annual. Can I tell them to piss off? Where would I find the terms surrounding these payments?

My service charge has been changed from quarterly to bi-annual. Can I tell them to piss off? Where would I find the terms surrounding these payments?

Huh?

Y U care?

Think of the extra interest you'll get keeping the monies for 3 extra months.

Because they want it up front. How is that any better for me?

Are you leasehold or share of freehold?

Leasehold and I would think you are screwed, share of freehold and you might get heard.

Share of freehold.

It's not that big of a deal but I find it a bit rude that they just change the terms and expect me to pay twice as much in one hit.

If it's share of freehold then you (technically, they may laugh at you) employ the managing agent directly, and I believe you can stand as one of the directors of the company that manages said freehold.

Which would hopefully mean that you have more chance of succeeding in a negotation.

We have the same thing- the managing agent want us to pay every six months, we don't- we send them a payment every quarter. They accept it.

Ta. So I could probably send them the quartlerly payment tell them to 'deal with it'. I'll see how much cash I've got and make the call later.

Worth a go- Me Julie basically just told them we were going to pay quarterly, we did, it's been three years.

it'll be in the lease, don't assume the landlord is following it even if an ex-LA flat, Camden bill my annual service charge in advance but there is no ability to do this under my lease, the first letter back is a pain, and they chase but they've not risked it reaching trial. You need to read the "small print".

ps I'd make sure you pay the ground rent even if small.

My ground rent and service charge for the first half of this year are due on Friday.
My flat has just gone on the market, so I dont really want to pay 6 months service charge, and the whole years ground rent, as I doubt I'll see any of it back if I complete by the end of April..... Advice?

Can I say here is money to cover until the end of April, and if sale hasn't completed by then, I will pay ad-hoc?
It's a leasehold, BTW. And the guy who owns the freehold is a fairly substantial cunt.

I doubt I'll see any of it back if I complete by the end of April..... Advice?

You will.

Slisiters will make sure you only pay up to the day you complete. Your buyer will pay the balance to you as part of the transaction.

You will.

Slisiters will make sure you only pay up to the day you complete. Your buyer will pay the balance to you as part of the transaction.

This. It happened to me from the other side when I was buying and worked out ok.