Owning your own home

I don't see how the landlord would have a valid claim for anything other than contractually agreed amounts.

If the tenant breaches the contract then, I guess, it's a whole new ballgame.

What does that sound like?
Too informal? Should have been more formal?

In this case, I think starting to put stuff in writing is your best bet. If it ever turns messy, written communications will stand up much better in court than an alleged telephone conversation.

What wvm said. Without written notice the tenancy cannot formally be ended, so legally you can stay on.

Give your landlord a ring, explain your issues and try to reason it out, then give proper written notice as wvm prescribes once you are ready.

If you are confident you made yourself clear that the 6th wasn't a certainty I don't think there is a moral issue so no need to worry about gitishness. :)

Disagree on Catford.

It has bit and bobs of decent housing stock but the fact remains it will always be carved up by infrastructure, which limits the amount of pavement life and the amount of community/smug middle class momentum.
Think about all the places that have blown up.
East Dulwich - urban village, small roads, local shops and restaurants.
Stoke Newington - same
Walthamstow village - similar
etc etc

That's not to say there aren't the odd row of shops that might end up with a half decent cafe or pub, but as wider area it will always be limited and the whole sale goldrush that we can see in Brockley is unlikely to happen there.

anecdotal - 4 of my peers have moved to Catford and they have ALL fucked off elsewhere as soon as they have had kids. It's just not a pleasant environment to exist in.

I love living in Catford! Yeah it's got a massive gyratory in the middle of it but it's got plenty of pavement life and smug middle class busybodies. We went to a pop up supper club in the shopping centre last weekend, the Turkish and Italian restaurants are brilliant, the Catford Tavern was ace and its reincarnation looks like it might be even better when they start doing food and the council is totally redoing the (pedestrianised) bit between the shopping centre and the stations (including hosting a farmers' market). And that's just the centre - the bit where we live has its own mini high street, with a family run butchers and Co-op and chemist and cafes etc, and that bit has nice wide pavements and bike parking is also being given a makeover - council funded but largely led by the local community groups.

I don't think there'll be a goldrush and I am perfectly happy about that - but on balance, if prices were the same in Catford and Brockley, I'm pretty sure I'd choose Catford.

And longer term (I appreciate this isn't particularly relevant as it'll be years, but I think the fact that it exists shows that the council are aware of the problems caused by the infrastructure and the smaller scale stuff they're doing now is part of a wider approach to tackling it) there is the Catford Plan.

And it's got a giant plastic cat.

I remember there was an 'lfgss recommended' solicitor in this thread somewhere. I can't utfs to find them... does anyone have any details for a good one.

Martin Browne @ Gisby Harrison: http://goo.gl/YojEA1

Martin Brown at Gisby Harrison has sorted the conveyancing stuff for at least three first time buyers on this thread, including myself.
Would highly recommend.

Great minds think alike...

Just mine thinks about an hour faster!

Another satisfied customer here. They were a very efficient company to deal with.

Great minds think alike...

Just mine thinks about an hour faster!

I. Was. In. The. Slow. Read. Ers. Group.

And it's got a giant plastic cat.

Pity about the lack of giant plastic Ford.

Great - thanks guys, will drop him a line

Anyone got any recommendations for a decent firm or roofer who could look at a roof and give us an estimate for repairs in SE London? Specifically Crofton Park / Brockleyish?

In the process of hopefully buying somewhere down there and looks like the roof may need a bit of work.

also in the market for a decent, honest, non-cunt roofer.

been let down by four individuals on 4 occasions. in my experience they just don't bother to pitch if they get a better paying job elsewhere.

Did you try the cunts I gave you deets for? We've had them around twice and they are pretty good. A. E Elkins, I think.

i remember now - and i remember losing the fucking post it note with the number on. drugs were probably to blame.

let me google the name....

http://aeelkins.co.uk/ ... 75% there!

Mrs Sparky was in two minds about a place in Norwich. She was quite far through the process but they were being funny about paying for some repairs that they said would be done as part of the deal. The agent said she should just take it because there was a queue of other people ready to offer more. She ultimately said 'forget it, I'm out' and they came back with a deal for quite a few grand less. All these raising prices seem to be nothing but froth...

Fuckers. did she take the deal? I wonder how far they would have dropped if she pushed.

This is why it's best not to get emotional about a potential place of abode.

It's just a house, there are many like it.. (but this one is mine.)

Fuckers. did she take the deal? I wonder how far they would have dropped if she pushed.

It's complicated. Basically I've bought a place in London on my own because she dilly-dallied about moving to London for a couple of years, now she's planning on coming in July but needs to do something with the deposit she's saved because inflation... So she's in two minds. I don't think she wants to become a landlord, particularly, but what else to do?

Stock market? Contribute to paying off a big chunk of your loan? Coke and hookers?

Stock market?

Too scary.

Contribute to paying off a big chunk of your loan?

I can't repay early, plus this is my little bit of stability at the moment and I'm enjoying it.

Coke and hookers?

Not really her style.

Put some into stocks? Is it scarier than doing nothing and losing 5% per year?
Stocks are a lot easier to deal with than a house and tenants.

Can you not overpay at all? It's not the same as repaying early.

Heroin and squat parties?

George Osborne today slashed the CGT allowance for second homes Sparky- that means your girlfriend took take a substantial hit if/when she sold up.

Most lenders let you overpay 10%, you can save loads doing that.

George Osborne today slashed the CGT allowance for second homes Sparky- that means your girlfriend took take a substantial hit if/when she sold up.

Most lenders let you overpay 10%, you can save loads doing that.

So I heard. Maybe I'll tell her to put it all in bitcoin.

Probably a repost but about time

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25219129