Owning your own home

I'm wondering how to frame my negotiation, if at all.

I think you would be gambling on whether the lease could be updated as being found 'defective'. If the lease does not allow a third party to recover 100% of the expenditure, I think you could have a good case to say it was. If it does allow a third party to recover 100% of the expenditure, and it just says that it's split 50%/50% between the upper two flats with the LG one paying nothing, I think you'll be on a hiding to nothing. There's a Triplerose case in BAILLI where this precise question is on trial and the tribunal found that the lease was not defective - unfair, yes, but not defective. Leases are under no obligation to be fair!

That's a stunning place!

bid accepted - we bid 13% over HR and I still have a niggling worry that it was slightly too high but happy we got it regardless

estate agent visited our place today and estimated our current HR value at £250k, which is about £80k higher than it was two years ago. Just hoping we get a good offer on our our place so we can afford all the improvements we want for the new place...

On your comment about sizes - are you sure? I looked at a few places round your way and the hallways all seemed way smaller, for example, even if the layout is similar.

nice, congarts ! and good luck

niggling worry

you'll forget about this soon enough

re: sizes going from the floor plan and the photos - they look roughly the same but could be mistaken !

Yeah I agree that +25% is irrational and risky as a general point. However I'm less sure it matters if the extra cash over valuation comes from selling another property in the same market. In such a case you'd (I'd) be keeping the mortgage debt roughly the same. So is it really a risk? I'd argue not.

Of course I would very much like to buy low, sell high and use the difference to fund an extension and other improvements, but unfortunately I think it's a bit unrealistic when buying and selling in roughly the same market (well, Edinburgh and Lothian, so not exactly the same but pretty close)

Congrats. And I agree the niggling worry will pass quickly. 13@% is nothing if you like it, it meets your needs and there was some competition.

Would you be willing to share a link? It might inform my own imminent offer. Totally understand if you'd prefer to keep it quiet until missives are concluded, or indeed forever!

can anyone advise on what to look out for when getting in a damp expert in?

It feels like there is a lot of potential to do something irreversible and bad. We have a couple of spots that look like rising damp, they get worse when it rains. They don't seem too bad, no mould and drys out but want to get it sorted asap. Reckon it could be from the floor having an incomplete or damaged membrane (survey mentioned this).

Old (say, pre 1920) property? If so, check out the SPAB control of damp guidance.

I'd look to the experience of someone that is independent of companies that sell or install damp proofing, if possible, for obvious reasons of avoiding potential bias.

as is the general consensus is there any invasive or non invasive works you can do to confirm? all the usual areas to look for drainage, whats on the other side of the wall where the damp is etc

If you've not already, it may be worth going outside when it's raining and seeing what the water's doing and where it's going. We were told we had rising damp in the kitchen, fixed the guttering and it went away.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109797392#/media?id=media6

here you are - i think opportunities for gazumping are pretty reduced at this point haha, so browse away.

What's the deal with Glaswegian tenements and terraces having what look like blocked off doorways to next door?

got an example?

Photos 2, 17, 21 of the one you linked to above.

I lived in a second floor flat which had the same. Lounge was shelving and bedroom housed the combi boiler.

https://twitter.com/annewitha_e/status/1282774311657517059

https://youtu.be/FW9TCBOHJ_I

Thanks all I will check out the SPAB guide house is from approx 1900

@umop3pisdn I will check outside however, there are 3 walls all in the same room affected. One of the walls is the wall that joins our neighbour so is internal although could line up with where their chimney is(?) another is the old exterior wall that joins onto the kitchen extension and no part of that wall is outside.

@user69121 exactly what I mean by loads of strong views on damp and causes!!

Builder has finished off the work they need to do for the chimney breast now. Just waiting for us to build the hearth which in turn needs the plumber to make sure we can cut off the old gas fire supply nub so we don't have to tile around it. Speaking of which, pulled the trigger on swapping the old HW tank/gravity fed set up for an unvented cylinder. We're just going to get a larger HW tank and get some pipework tidied up, but it wasn't much more for the unvented cylinder which ends up tidying the pipework anyway and negates the need for a shower pump, which needed replaced.

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Cozey got it - for easy access between flats/houses when building.

Thanks both. Seems daft not knowing after six years up there, never got round to asking.

Hi All - lurked in this thread for a long time and its been useful - thanks.

Hoping to get some advice on my current situation - we've made an offer on this house, and had a survey carried out. Amongst the usual stuff that needs doing and was visible by eye on viewing (so much textured wallpaper, pattern skirtings??), the survey pointed out that the flat roof extension at the back isn't up to snuff and would need to be replaced to meet building regs (single skin brick wall, likely substandard foundations, etc)

Additionally through enquiries with the seller, it seems the 'dry cellar' (agents' description) marked as 'cinema room/office' on the floorplan isn't actually waterproofed and flooded a couple of years back.

Am I reasonable in thinking its reasonable to negotiate based on these points or should I put up and shut up?!

Just been for my visit and am super excited about it, much nicer in person than in the pictures - the garden is incredible.

I would say absolutely! We had 3% (17k) taken off the price of a house we recently bought for more minor issues.

I remember someone on this thread saying they paid around that (who was it that had the place with the sunken bath, bamboo screening etc?). I was surprised as I expected a premium too.

Yep that was me as @tbc said. We paid very slightly more than 1.5%. But only very slightly.

It was well worth using them and I would sell through them again but probably never buy through them!

If you actually look at the photos of those two places in detail they have actually done quite a lot of work, but they give you access to a market of buyers that you wouldn't otherwise get access to. All of our contender offers were in cash, it was mad.

Basically if you can sell through them I would.

apparently TMH often use props/their own furniture to get that "look" too

We were never offered this but I guess our things already had 'the look'!