Owning your own home

My builder has put in this sink.
His plumbing runs straight into the outside drain with no u bend, bottle trap or s bend.

He tells me "straight out" is a legit thing and that there is a U bend in the gully waste outside that it runs into and that will suffice.

Am I being mugged off...?

No idea, but can't the u bend block? I've never had to empty one, but I understand that it can happen. What would you do in that instance?

Take it off, drain it, unblock it and refit it.
U bend is there to stop the smell of the drains wafting up into the kitchen and to catch debris that ends up going down the drain.

So my flat buying escapade is over.

I made an offer at £190k which was accepted. Had a survey done which said it was worth £170k, so asked him to meet me somewhere in the middle at £183k and he refused - said it was £190k or nothing. Unfortunately with the £20k + worth of work that needed doing on the place that would've put me way over my budget, so I'm out.

Surprising how much this stuff can hit you in the feels.

That sucks.

Better to make the right decision now and not suffer the financial pain later though...

U bend under the sink and straight out - my in laws have that in theirs.

see if have a gully shared with next door or something then Thames Water (Lanes) will come out for free and sort any issues with it for free - on your boundary

There is no U bend.
It just goes straight out.

I have my own gully that feeds into the Thames Water drain underneath my garden.

The question is:
Is it legit to have sink waste pipe work with no U bend, s bend or bottle trap?

Who was your (potential) lender? Worth looking into the details of their mortgage offer, a lot of lenders waive your application fees and a few other minor costs if your initial application fails to result in a purchase but you subsequently take out a mortgage in the next 12 months.

Sure there was something in addition to the application fee which wasn't chargeable second time around in my case (Halifax) but obviously going to vary from lender to lender. At least that way you've mainly lost time rather than time+£££ as a result of this.

It was Tesco - I'll give 'em a yell and see what I can get out of them. Appreciate the advice.

And thanks @Soul, you're right - no point mugging myself off just for the sake of it.

I know £20k is a lot of money, but just bear in mind how much you may spend while looking for somewhere else. I don't know your personal circumstances, but I was spending £18k a year with my girlfriend on our old flat.

What's the £20k for - a new roof?

Difficult to get your hands on that additional £20K in cash to enable the deal to complete if your lender is now only willing to recognise a property value of £170K based on their valuation though....

I underestimated slightly - it's £7k for repairs and £16-20k to get the lease extended (it's currently at 66 years).

But it's not the money in isolation - it's the fact that I'd feel mugged off paying a cumulative £220k when flats in this block tend to go for £175k-£180k WITHOUT work required. I don't mind paying a bit over the odds to get in but that feels excessive, esp when this flat has been on the market for six months already.

Your decision to pull the offer seems entirely sensible

Paying 20% over the odds seems nuts.

In another few months time, put in an offer on the same place, but at £170k.

Thanks bro, that's exactly the plan. Reminder set for February.

In another few months time, put in an offer on the same place, but at £170k.

^This. It's been on the market for 6 months already, wait it out a few more. Then offer the amount it was valued for.

Did the valuation account for the repairs and low lease?

It accounted for the low lease but not the repairs. I think repair wise I can get them done much cheaper than £7k so I'd be fine with paying £170-£180k. It's just £190k that feels like a pisstake.

Question.

The owners of the property next to me did a load of work adding loft extension etc and had builders in for a couple of months. They listed the property with Foxtons and now Theydons.

But I've never seen anyone turn up to view the property and people are living in it. Is there some kind of scam going on here?

Are you there all the time?

Are the people living in it the same ones that have always been living in it?

Are they the owners or tenants?

Ah the damp. My nemesis...

How's the Karcher Window Vacuum holding up? Interested in getting one...

What kind of scam do you think would be going on?

It's unusual in London properties because the sink is normally draining into a soil stack and the main drain which is a stinky affair. It sounds like the arrangement you have could only lead to fresh air blowing in through your plughole. I don't know if it's legit and I would fit a u-bend myself.

Your decision to pull the offer seems entirely sensible

+1. Seller just seems greedy. It's not really a seller's market at the moment is it?

Sorry it fell through though.

That's why I'm asking.

Just seems a bit odd.

They also always seem to put the washing machine on at 12am or later which is annoying.

Realised they sunk too much money into it and won't make a profit on selling so are now living in it?