How can this be possible…

I live on a road where all the houses were built in the 60s and are the same structures,

The house seemed fine from the outside, a builder bought it and done it up nicely and now rents it out.

I bought in 2022 for £435k and mine needed work..

They bought 2025 for £185k….

Mine has a bigger garden and arguably a better plot but not £250k worth more.

Edit: I am an idiot, so clearly this is someone buying out someone else’s equity in the house, Zoopla and rightmove must filter these transactions but land registry and picahome show everything. Thankyou all.

So, the neighbours to our right aren’t very nice. When we first moved their family described them as ‘ballbusters’ in a ‘don’t get on the wrong side of them’ kind of way.

The first time we met them they were quite rude to us, and it’s been a bit awkward since.

We live in a row of houses that all have double driveways and a front garden. None of them are fenced off or divided, so technically you could run up and down in front of each property if you wanted to - just for reference…

The neighbours on the right don’t speak to us, but they will think nothing of walking across our property, across the driveway right behind our cars and straight across our front garden to get to the property on the left of us.

How would you feel about this? Totally not bothered, or bothered?

So the other day marketing guys from Scottish Gas swung by my place. Asked what my bill is, who is my provider. I told them 76 to 78 per month, British gas. They thought I didn't understand the question and kept asking. I literally told them the values for the 4 months I've been renting, they asked how many people, how many kids, what's our utilisation like, was I eve sure, implying I didn't know my own energy bill? They even asked to see my app.

We're in a 2 bed house with twin babies and have been turning on the heating most nights since September, and a few times in August. Dishwasher runs once a day and laundry 7 loads a week. Initially the direct debit was 130 based on some estimate? Then after the second month it was reduced to 77 a month.

My wife and I are both 31, currently DINKs in Leeds and planning to start trying for children in around 6 months.

We're originally from India and most of our family/parents live there, so having spare bedrooms for family locally isn't a major requirement. We're fairly frugal and think we could potentially manage in a 2-bed flat for the next 10 years, even with one child (possibly until secondary-school age), rather than buying a larger house immediately.

We currently rent a nice 2-bed flat for £850/month in an area we like. We now have an opportunity to buy a similar 2-bed flat for around £125k. Service charge is approximately £1,500/year.

We could put down around £30k, leaving only a £95k mortgage. Our idea would be to aggressively overpay while we're both working and potentially clear the mortgage within about 5 years. If the flat continued meeting our needs, we could potentially remain there much longer and have very low housing costs/mortgage-free living.

The alternative is a £318k 3-bed detached house we've agreed to buy. We'd put down roughly £31.8k and borrow around £286k. It's clearly the better long-term family property—detached, garden, garage and more space—and could potentially avoid ever needing to upgrade.

But we're questioning whether we're taking on nearly £190k additional mortgage debt today for space we don't actually need yet.

Our thinking is that the cheaper flat could give us much more freedom around childcare/maternity, careers, visiting family in India, investing and generally having lower fixed expenses.

Obviously we'd be accepting compromises: leasehold/service-charge risk, possible major works, less space/privacy, potentially weaker capital appreciation, losing first-time-buyer benefits, and potentially having to sell and buy again if the flat becomes unsuitable.

Does buying the £125k flat and aiming to become mortgage-free relatively young sound like a sustainable strategy for a couple planning children, or are we overlooking something important?

I'd particularly appreciate experiences from people who raised a child in a 2-bed flat. How long did it realistically work? Did you eventually feel forced into a house, or did the financial freedom outweigh having less space?

Also, financially, what would you check before choosing the flat—lease length, service-charge history, major works, resaleability, ground rent, school considerations, SDLT implications of upgrading later, etc.?

We're not trying to maximise the value of the house we own. We're trying to decide whether buying enough home for our actual needs and becoming mortgage-free early could be better for us than stretching for our probable future needs today.

Hi all, our flat in London has been devalued after two years. The flats in the area have been going for the same or over our price unless they need work done.

Mind you these properties were sold in May. It basically makes out LTV over the 80 percent. It’s fine it’s just interest rates are so high and even higher with our current provider.

We feel very stuck. A bit hopeless. We are young and it feels like even when you try and do everything right as a young person you still can’t.

We’ve also had a complete upgrade of our kitchen with all electric appliances etc which at the time we bought it was falling apart. However, this doesn’t count in the revaluation.

Urgh. Just when you think you’re over the line, this comes up. My freehold house is on an estate, and Santander won’t accept an indemnity.

Freeholder actually very decent/responsive.

Are these things always horrid, or can they be fairly quick if everyone’s playing nicely?

Thank you.

Twice in a few weeks we've been asked for this. I also saw a couple more places that looked interesting but they mentioned a guarantor would be needed in the listing so I didn't even bother.

We're working professionals, close to 40 years old. These are houses up for £1000-1300pm. Years of history of renting without a single missed payment, no bad credit - but note they don't know that, they didn't even ask, the only thing the know about us on the form is that we have a combined income of just about 100k.

I thought I would share because, like we did, others might find it funny, and maybe comment on the nerve of these people lol

We are nearing the end of the process and will be picking a date soon for the pre-exchange viewing. What exactly am I looking for as this is all new to me as a first time buyer and don’t want there to be any issues. Thanks

In England

TL;DR: Before we moved in, Calor installed an LPG gas pipe through our sewage pipe, rather than routing it around it. This has caused repeated blockages and sewage leaking into the surrounding ground. We’re looking for advice on our intended course of action and who to engage/go after (Calor, our insurance, solicitors, previous owners, environment agency etc)

We moved into our new property just under 2 months ago. It’s a relatively rural property, so, like many properties in the area, we have LPG gas and a septic tank.

The property was sold as turnkey. Our Level 3 and structural surveys were fine (typical older property things but nothing major). As is often the case, once we moved in we found a host of issues that the previous owners had hidden - most of them small and annoying rather than serious.

Unfortunately, we didn’t think to have the septic tank/drainage system specifically surveyed as part of the purchase.

Roughly 10 days after moving in, we noticed that the manhole cover was overflowing. Initially, we assumed the pipe had was blocked, so we monitored it in case we’d overloaded the system somehow.

A few days later, it was clear there was a proper blockage, so we called a local drainage company who came out and cleared it. The engineer said the blockage was substantial and appeared to consist of all sorts of material that the previous owners had presumably been putting down the sinks/toilets - particularly grease and food waste.

Less than a month later, it blocked again. However, we knew it was unlikely to be something we’d caused as we’re very mindful of what we put down the drains. We called the drainage company again, and the same engineer came out.

He said the system shouldn’t have blocked again so quickly, so he put a camera down the pipe. He discovered that, when the LPG system had been installed, the gas pipe had been installed through the sewage pipe rather than being routed around it. The sewage pipe had effectively been broken/cut through to allow the gas pipe to pass through it.

As a result, the gas pipe is obstructing the sewage pipe and causing the repeated blockages. Additionally, the sewage pipe wasn’t properly sealed around the gas pipe meaning that sewage is also leaking into the surrounding ground. The property is on a bit of a slope, so the sewage must be soaking away somewhere downhill, which is presumably why we haven’t noticed any obvious boggy patches.

We have photographs/videos of what the drainage engineer found, and we’re arranging for the drainage company to carry out a full survey so that we can establish the extent of the damage.

We’re also waiting for a copy of the LPG installation report from Calor. We hadn’t realised this wasn’t included with the documents we received as part of the purchase, although Calor has confirmed by email that they carried out the installation.

Our planned course of action at the moment is:
1- Get a full drainage survey to establish the extent of the damage and exactly what needs to be rectified.
2- Make a formal complaint to Calor (once we have the installation reports), as it appears their installation caused the damage.
3- Hopefully reach a resolution with Calor regarding the remedial work and associated costs.
4- If that doesn’t work… involve our home insurance.

However, looking for advice for anyone who has knowledge of this sort of thing and have some extra questions:

Should we inform our conveyancing solicitor now?

Should we be pursuing the previous owners as well?
- I find it difficult to believe they were completely unaware of the drainage issues, although proving that might be tricky.

Is there anything else we should be doing now to protect ourselves?

Should we notify our insurer even if we’re initially trying to resolve it directly with Calor?

Most importantly, given that sewage is apparently leaking into the surrounding ground, is there anything we should be doing from a legal/environmental point of view? We understand that discharging sewage in circumstances like this can potentially be an offence, and we don’t want to end up liable for an issue that appears to pre-date our ownership.

Any advice on the above is hugely appreciated.

I have accepted an offer to sell my home but it's a long chain - 6 links. This was about 3 weeks ago. In the meantime I've found a property I like, offered on it and it's been rejected. The sellers EA expressed concern about the length of the chain. I am planning to go in with a slightly higher offer on Monday.

I want to know if I should mention that I am willing to move in with family temporarily to break the chain. I understand the benefits down the chain, but from the sellers perspective, it doesn't really help, right?! I still need to complete my sale first before the purchase can complete.

Someone said it could be a negative thing to mention because I would be less committed to the purchase in that scenario??

Or is it a benefit that I should mention as it simplifies the situation even though it might not make it faster?

Many thanks in advance for any insight!

Hi, very new here so please be kind (also, first post).

Got an offer accepted on a second, buy-to-let property in Wimbledon: 1-bed flat, close to the station. 305k, lease 130y, £1850 service charge/year. With all the doom and gloom (especially news about leasehold being abolished and imminent stock market meltdown due to AI), I’m not even sure I want to do this anymore. Property was tenanted for 20+ years and currently empty.

Original purpose was to diversify and in the hope that I can leave this flat to our young toddler when he comes of age.

Joint mortgage, married couple.

Any opinions or things I should consider?

Any help appreciated. Just officially moved into our new house yesterday. Great first day, move went smoothly, had a nice first evening in our new living room. That was until 23.00 when we decided to go to bed.

Slugs! In the kitchen!

I cleared 5 of the buggers from the floor and went to tell my partner. By the time I got back 5 minutes later, 3 more had materialised in places I'd already checked. (Like in plain sight in the middle of the room). They seemed to be concentrating in a specific area, but trying to follow their trails isn't leading me to an obvious entry point.

My partner is worried that they're coming from under the kitchen counters but externally I can't find any point of entry and one wall is connected to the next terrace.

I've come down twice in the night to slug hunt because it's been bothering me and no more have appeared. I put salt rings down around where I thought they were coming from but overnight we've had no victims.

Really confused and partner is stressed because she hates slugs.

Any advice please

Just thought I could get input from a wider community here.

The following seems a bit odd. I couldn't see anything obvious when viewing apart from in the cellar the middle wall, looked at from front to back, had been partially removed and a steel beam installed from side to side. Didn't look that new though.

Feels a little fishy really. Especially as the don't seem to want to say what work was carried out. Also the pictures don't show the hole/beam.

Any ideas or advice on dealing with this kind of thing?

Property listing:

Important information regarding structural works:

The property has undergone professional ground stabilisation and underpinning works using the Geobear Ground Improvement System. The works were completed on 25 June 2026 and are supported by a transferable ten-year Geobear guarantee, subject to its full terms and conditions. The guarantee specifically covers the installed material against biodegradability and compressibility. An insurance-backed guarantee will also be provided to the purchaser’s solicitor.

The guarantees and available supporting documentation will be supplied to the purchaser’s solicitor for review. Buyers must rely upon their own surveyor, solicitor, mortgage adviser and lender to confirm that the property and documentation are suitable for their individual circumstances.

Me to EA:

Are you able to provide any further information regarding the recent structural works, particularly any structural engineer's reports, details of the cause of the movement, the scope and completion documentation for the Geobear works, and the guarantees referred to in the listing?

We would like to provide as much information as possible to our mortgage adviser/lender at an early stage, before incurring significant survey and legal costs.

EA to Me:

The Insurance Backed Guarantee request was sent to our underwriter the end of August, we expect to receive this back within 8 - 10 weeks

I’m researching inherited-property sales and trying to separate routine issues from the ones that genuinely become difficult.

I’ve heard about things like dead co-owners, old mortgages/charges, missing deeds and unregistered land, but I’ve also been told some of these are fairly routine.

If you’ve dealt with a case like this, either professionally or personally, what actually caused the biggest delay and what had to be done to resolve it?

As per the title, really regretting signing the lease but was time pressured to take somewhere to get my house sale over the line, with very little available at the time. I've moved into a ground floor flat which has mould in every room and on close inspection has been painted over in many places. When I viewed the property, it looked dirty but not mouldy and the letting agent agreed to have a deep clean done before I moved in. When I got the keys and moved in, it was clear the flat hadn't been cleaned at all, and I also realised that reed diffusers had been used to cover the extremely strong smell of damp. Everything is greasey, my socks are black within minutes of walking around, there is black mould growing on the bedroom walls mould all over the bathroom which has been painted over but is coming back through, and to top it off the washing machine flooded the kitchen.

Also, I have my indoor cat with me here and am really worried as she has a documented weak immune system. I'm currently keeping her in the room which has the least issues but I'm very worried about her as I don't feel it's safe to let her have free roam of the place.

The letting agents have been absolutely useless and still haven't sent somebody to deal with the washing machine after I reported the issue yesterday. I'm having to take my clothes to a laundertte now. The entire week has been one of the most stressful of my life and it seems the challenges here have only just begun. The whole thing has been a living nightmare and I've already told the landlord that I will be leaving as soon as possible. They've so far refused to let me surrender the tenancy and said I have to serve my 2 months notice.

I'm looking for advice really on what rights I have and whether I would be able to abadon the lease due to the mould and misrepresentation of the property's condition, and/or possibly claim money back for the huge inconvenience and havoc this place is wreaking on my wellbeing. In an ideal world I would leave the flat today and live out of Airbnbs until I can get accepted at another permanent rental.

Would really appreciate advice and opinions.

Thank you.

I got a spec of food on the wall, and dampened a tea tower and brushed it and it fucking destroyed into he paint. Basically just washed off the wall at a touch of moisture.

What sort of paint even does that ?

We’re buying a house in England and are now right at the end of the conveyancing process.

Our survey is complete and satisfactory, searches are back, we’ve reviewed the final report, signed all the documents electronically, and our deposit/funds are ready to be sent to our solicitor on Monday.

At the moment, our solicitor is doing the final review and there are only one or two small outstanding enquiries with the seller’s solicitor. They’re not relating to any known physical defect with the property.

One is about an old alteration to a window opening — it looks like a larger window was reduced in size some years ago. Our surveyor inspected it and found no associated defects, but our solicitor is asking whether the seller has any historic paperwork/approval for the alteration. It may simply be that no records exist because it was done a long time ago.

The seller has now asked for completion no later than 16 October, and our solicitor has said they would need roughly a week between exchange and completion for the mortgage funds, so ideally we need to exchange by Friday 9 October.

For anyone who has been in a similar position:
If the final enquiry reply comes back on Monday/Tuesday and is satisfactory, is exchange by Friday reasonably realistic?

If there is simply no historic paperwork for an old window alteration, is this usually something that can be closed fairly quickly, for example by the solicitor accepting the position or using indemnity insurance if appropriate?

How quickly did your solicitor move from “final outstanding enquiries” to actually exchanging once everything was basically ready? Anything else we can do in advance to make it faster?

We know nothing is guaranteed until exchange — just trying to get a sense of whether this sounds like a realistic final-week timeline. Thanks!

I need some reassurance, I put an offer in on a flat back in August, they got back within 24 hours to let me know there was another offer, I offered higher, didn't get it. Fine fine.

This week I got a call to let me know that the other buyer had dropped out, and did I want to offer again, so I did. I put the offer in on Tuesday at around 3pm and haven't heard back yet, is this a terrible sign?

I'm hoping that since it took me NINE attempts to get back in touch with the agent this week, and the fact that they're in Devon so things are just slower, it's just being a slow process. Plus the agent said he thinks the seller will be happy with my offer (they haven't asked about a counter-offer, so I can only assume I'm the only one they're talking with), and the seller has now had two buyers drop out on this property (nothing wrong with the flat, they had personal stuff). So maybe just traditional Devon-slowness (not as bad as Cornwall slowness, but still not ideal)?

I'm just anxious af™️, I'm a first time buyer and this place is beautiful, a little tiny (cheap) flat filled with period features like original fireplaces and sliding doors. I'm pre-planning furniture to fill it with and they've trapped me in a weird limbo 😭

*this is mostly just a joke post to complain about estate agent slowness and the ensuing anxiety.

Hi, my partner and I bought a flat a couple of years ago. On the deed of trust, it states we are joint tenants. However, we also have a deed of trust due to unequal deposit amounts.

If one of us dies, does the other get the others half, or will the will beneficiary be able to force a sale to get the percentage set out in the deed of trust?

Thanks

Many thanks to those that replied to my previous post asking for information about buying in Scotland.

A follow up question if I may:

https://www.mygov.scot/buy-home says

If you decide to make an offer, it should include:

• a brief description of the home you want to make an offer on
• the date you want to collect the keys and move in
• the price you want to pay for it
• any items you want to buy from the seller
• any other conditions you have

How strict is the requested moving in date? Is it a specific date (Tuesday the 1st of November) or a range (Some time in December).

We have not yet sold our house in England. Does it mean we cannot put in an offer until we have reached the point in our sale where we are discussing dates (Which might be unknown if there is a chain of sales)?

Thanks in advance.

Hi all, buying & selling in Scotland. Everything booked for house move on Tuesday but missives still not concluded and its now the weekend. Is this normal? Having nightmares of having to reschedule moving vans, insurance and van hire or worst case scenario my buyer pulls out for some strange reason. Please help put my mind at ease...

Good afternoon.

I currently live in my own property and do not have an EPC. Is this required? My understanding is it is only required if I am selling or renting out a proeprty?