I really shouldn't of spent the afternoon on Rightmove & Houseladder

[Del Lardo]

Now deeply depressed, frustrated and wishing I'd been born 5 years earlier. I also seem to have developed an irrational (but passionate) hatred for anyone who owns property within a 1 mile radius of where I currently pay someone else's mortgage :angry:

[Dymetrie]

You're completely right, you shouldn't have done that.

But be glad that if/when your boiler blows up/roof caves in, you don't have to pay for it...

:D

[SidewinderINC]

At least you're not on there because you have to be out of your current place within the next 4 and a half weeks.

Yay for moving house, for the 5th time in 5 years. :angry:

[Dymetrie]

And to think, you were so excited about it when I spoke to you the other day!

:p

[Zirax]

Believe me I have been there many many times :( My current house was a repossession and I would have 0% chance of getting it now.

The repo's tend to be advertised in the local rag's by the estate agents (in my area anyway). Mine never hit rightmove otherwise I would again have never got it. I got lucky but mine did need a new bathroom, windows, guttering and could really do with the kitchen doing but it is liveable.

Not much I can say other than good luck :( It is a rubbish time at the moment.

[Rich_L]

You're completely right, you shouldn't have done that.

But be glad that if/when your boiler blows up/roof caves in, you don't have to pay for it...

:DThis ;D

Our boiler went bang the week before Christmas - £3,500 repair job you say (full replacement and relocation) - oh am I glad I'm a tenant :p

[Del Lardo]

You're completely right, you shouldn't have done that.

But be glad that if/when your boiler blows up/roof caves in, you don't have to pay for it...

:D

Grammar Nazi :p

It took our letting agent 3 weeks to fix a pump in the washing machine so I suspect that it would take them until summer to fix a boiler. I'd much rather give British Gas £30/month (or whatever it costs) for boiler insurance.



At least you're not on there because you have to be out of your current place within the next 4 and a half weeks.

Yay for moving house, for the 5th time in 5 years. :angry:


Been there, done that. Last time I moved I had 3 weeks notice and I was out of the UK for 10 of those days :shocked:



I know that I don't really help myself by refusing to move out of Cambridge (250k people work here, housing for 150k) but having lived in one of the surrounding villages for a year I'd rather rent for the rest of my life than live in a village. Looks like I am looking at £200k for a small 2 bed flat when 5 years ago that would have bought me a nice 2-3 bed terraced house in the same area but given the excesses of the lat few years I also am going to need to save a £20-30k deposit which could be rather tricky as I need £1400/month to keep a roof over our head and food in our stomaches as with Mrs DL on the minimum wage the can't contribute a huge amount.

Also on that front how the **** someone on the minimum wage can ever hope to own property in the South East is beyond me. Certainly in Cambridge is seems like a far better idea to quit your job, get your GF pregnant and get given one of the thousands of £200-250k city centre apartments that Cambridge council have been given by developers in the last 10 years*.














* I realise that it's not that easy but from conversations I've had the pleasure of overhearing it does happen

[Dymetrie]

Well, there's a slight difference between a water pump in a washing machine (non vital) and a boiler (vital)...

Make sure you know how to talk to your letting agent/landlord as well as knowing what your agreement says and what your rights are.

There's a huge amount you can get sorted out very quickly just by using the right language and terminology :)

[Del Lardo]

Well, there's a slight difference between a water pump in a washing machine (non vital) and a boiler (vital)...

Make sure you know how to talk to your letting agent/landlord as well as knowing what your agreement says and what your rights are.

There's a huge amount you can get sorted out very quickly just by using the right language and terminology :)

My problem was that I had far more important things to sort out at work so assumed (mother of all **** ups) they would get things sorted. After 3 weeks I realised that it still wasn't sorted so had a proper toys out of pram moment which resulted in washing machine being fixed the next day and a permanent rent reduction.

I was rather proud of my rant as it included so many long words it would have been appropriate on QI.

[Dymetrie]

I was rather proud of my rant as it included so many long words it would have been appropriate on QI.

They probably only fixed it because they didn't have a clue what you were on about, then ;D ;D ;D

[Del Lardo]

If your doing that your throwing your money away... the agreement isn't even worth using to wipe your bum it's so ****e

They are nothing nothing but monkeys and con men!

might have had a situation recently where a fully functional boiler in a tenanted property was being checked by BG for a landlords safety cert.. they managed to break it and couldn't fix it.. said it couldn't be fixed and we needed a new boiler at a cost of £3K PLUS 3 weeks of pissing about with incompetent first line engineers to finally get elevated to a senior engineer who says it can be fixed but the parts are obsolete.... One call to Valiant tells me they have the part and it's £25 but they can't sell it to me direct. Another week of trying to get it sorted and get the parts department at BG to order it!

4 Weeks on tenants have no hot water no heating.. so the bullet is bit and £3200 is spent with a private firm to install a new boiler on the following Saturday.

Thursday at about 4.30pm BG call after several irate calls to them and we go through the whole farce of what has happened, I get told again the parts are obsolete, I explain that I know for a fact they are not and Valiant have them and that it's a £25 part. called back at 5.05 and told the part has been sourced and it will be installed the next day... too bloody late have arranged for a new boiler to be fitted!

anyway it did get fitted and the boiler was fine only to be ripped out the next day for a new one and £3200 light.

So please excuse me if I think your wasting your money and that they are w@nkers!

Guess it's down to who you deal with. Parents boiler blew up on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago and BG fitted a new one on Boxing Day free of charge as part of their cover. This was a couple of months after a mates boiler blew up and he had a highly recommended local engineer mess him around for 3 weeks before finally admitting that he couldn't fix it and recommended a replacement at £3k. He decided to get the new boiler fitted by BG and instead the engineer fixed his old one.

[Del Lardo]

They probably only fixed it because they didn't have a clue what you were on about, then ;D ;D ;D

Either that or my grammar was so bad they felt sorry for me ;D

[Del Lardo]

That's true it is. But having had plumbing and electrics on the plan.. full home care thingy... I wasn't impressed or confident in them after they had previously messed up a job where a central heating pipe had a leak.. the plumber they sent around bodged the job up and my dad had to talk him through fitting a stopcock to prevent the continued flooding he'd caused, while we waited for someone more experienced to come out the next day to fix it!

Edit... so as you can imagine i'm not letting them strike 3rd time lol and definitely not recommending them!


I guess we can agree to disagree unless you fancy pistols at dawn? ;D

Out of interest was the plumber employed by BG or just a local contractor?

[Dymetrie]

I guess we can agree to disagree unless you fancy pistols at dawn? ;D

Out of interest was the plumber employed by BG or just a local contractor?

I'm going to have to agree with Lozza here.

Iirc, then BG engineers are generally local companies who are subcontracted though, so prolly luck of the draw...

[Jonny69]

I know how you feel mate. It gets me down sometimes. I see people just 2-3 years older who got their property just before the big boom and they are made for life. 2-bed terrace places round here that would have been starter homes are now way out of reach at £330K+ and the people in them bought them at less than half that. Nowhere to buy anyway because it's not worth them selling. They just rent them out at some 2-3 times what their mortgage costs them and stick the money into their main home.

Sucks bigtime. Been stuck renting for years now and it holds life up.

[A Place of Light]

The UK is moving towards the point where the majority of people rent, rather than buy, their property. This should worry the financial sector.

[Del Lardo]

I know how you feel mate. It gets me down sometimes. I see people just 2-3 years older who got their property just before the big boom and they are made for life. 2-bed terrace places round here that would have been starter homes are now way out of reach at £330K+ and the people in them bought them at less than half that. Nowhere to buy anyway because it's not worth them selling. They just rent them out at some 2-3 times what their mortgage costs them and stick the money into their main home.

Sucks bigtime. Been stuck renting for years now and it holds life up.

I wonder how long it is before sections of the UK barely has anyone under the current age of 30ish owning property there, as the population ages people who bought years ago will carry on living there not releasing stock and those who do want to move up the ladder will just rent out their existing property as the mortgage is 1/2 what they can get in rent. There are already areas in the SW where people buying holiday homes etc are forcing out the local populace who have been there for generations as there is little affordable housing and if I look at the prices in the area of Cambridge where I live (Mill Road area for anyone who knows Cambridge) you really need two people who are in the 40% tax bracket to even consider buying. I consider myself to be very fortunate in my earnings and if you had told me 6 years ago what I would be earning today I would have laughed in your face, I guess the fact that I am earning more at 28 than I thought I would be at 38 and still finding it nigh on impossible to get on that first step of the property ladder is what is really getting to me at the moment.

Having said all this if I was in the position to move to one of the other big towns/cities in the UK, e.g. Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle (i.e. not the SE) then I could afford to buy somewhere pretty easily. I know that I don't help myself by staying in Cambridge but having spent 6 years making a life for myself here I really don't want to leave :(


Now one of the things which is really getting to me at the moment (and I would appreciate peoples thoughts on this as I freely admit I have very middle class views occasionally bordering on Daily Mail :shocked:) is how social housing is handled in Cambridge. I grew up with the classic council house estate system but now in Cambridge due to the sell off in the 80s? there is not enough social housing so the council forces the developers to give them a %age of new build property often up to 40% in order to get planning permission. Now in theory this is great but let me provide an example and let me know what you think......

Just down the road from me is a new build of approximately 500 1-2 bed apartments, prime first time buyer property but only 275 were available for private buyers when they were built (and a lot were picked up by Buy To Let but that's another discussion) and 225 were given to the council for social housing. Now personally I have an issue with anyone being given what is basically prime city centre property by the state as I think it takes away any incentive to better yourself and often any incentive to work. I've had the pleasure of listening to a couple of young ladies discuss how their life plan was to get pregnant at 16 to 'get one of them nice flats' and it worked for them, they now have a couple of kids and a £250k 2 bed apartment while I carry on renting and have what is rapidly approaching a four figure monthly income tax bill :angry: I'm not claiming that these are the norm but surely having the system set up this way is going to encourage abuse?

No doubt my views will have some people reaching for their keyboards to bash my head in and if that's the case please tell me why. One of the things I like about this forum is that we have a wide social spectrum and I am always happy to have my views challenged and occasionally my opinions may be changed ;)

[Del Lardo]

TBH some bum off the street would have done a better job in both cases.. but in seriousness have no idea they all turn up in a BG van though!

I think if they are in a BG van then they work for BG directly. Still you know where to go looking for a plumber next time ;)

[A Place of Light]

In the larger Japanese cities, it's impossible for the younger generation to buy property.....even with 50 year mortgages. So, they resign themselves to the fact that they'll be renting for the rest of their lives and instead many of them plow their money into their cars. That's why you almost never see a Japanese import that's standard ie the way it left the factory. IMHO the only way to prevent this coming to the UK is to slash the mortgage interest rate. The banks play the long game, so even at a low rate they are making a lot of money on a mortgage.

[Rich_L]

It's a strange one, the desire of home ownership is very much a British phenomenon, something like 70% of homes are owner-occupied whereas in most comparable Western countries it is more like 40-50%, where things like long leases and buy-to-le is far more common than it is in the UK.

Obviously there's more to it than just the financial picture, but you can do just as well if not better by renting and investing the difference in other products (such as a investment vehicle linked to the property market), as you would by 'investing' in buying a home.

I guess the best thing is just to try and let go of the preoccupation that not owning a house is a 'failure' and enjoy the fact that the lively rental market means with a bit of luck and wheeling and dealing you can inhabit a property at a decent rate which would be far in excess of anything you could afford to buy, and still have money left on top.

[Del Lardo]

Rich, I appreciate what you are saying but my wish to purchase property has nothing to do with making money it's about having a space that is my own to decorate, being able to run cables wherever I want to and most importantly not being given a months notice to move house because the owner wants to sell/move back in.

As for inhabiting a property far in excess of anything I could afford to buy...... I suspect that the London rental market has a few more options than Cambridge ;)

[Kitten]

To be honest, you're in quite an enviable position to some. Plenty of people wouldn't be able to buy anyplace, anywhere, never mind having to compromise. It just seems that nowadays people expect to be able to buy the best house in the best area, whereas when I was younger, you bought what you could afford and traded up. You either went for a big house in a crappy area or a smaller house than you'd like in a better area (that's what I went for). I had to move completely outside the area I was born and brought up in and there's no way I could afford to move back to there now, nor could I 10 years ago. I also bought my first home at 23, when most people were still living at home. I didn't make anything out of that at all (due to divorce), however I found somewhere not a million miles away, which is quiet, bigger inside than it looks, and was a do-er uper, so relatively cheap at the time (although it took me a few goes to get the lending on it). I bought that 6 years ago, so you would have been the same age then as I was when I bought my first place. It was do-able then.

Although the prices have become stupid, and it's harder to buy for first timers, it seems that you're still in a position to do this - so I think you either have to carry on paying rent or suck it up and buy out of the 'ideal' area.. A lot of the people I know trying to get on the ladder couldn't even get a tiny home in a less than salubrious area and would love to be in your position - just able to buy somewhere!

[Desmo]

I tend not to look at house prices or even think about it. Ignorance is bliss.

I used to think about what I could have now had I been in a position to buy earlier but in reality it's pointless. Life is what it is and you get the cards you're dealt.

[Del Lardo]

To be honest, you're in quite an enviable position to some. Plenty of people wouldn't be able to buy anyplace, anywhere, never mind having to compromise. It just seems that nowadays people expect to be able to buy the best house in the best area, whereas when I was younger, you bought what you could afford and traded up. You either went for a big house in a crappy area or a smaller house than you'd like in a better area (that's what I went for).

I agree that I am in a fortunate position to stand a chance of buying somewhere in the next few years, my real frustration comes from the massive price increases in the last few years resulting in my only decision being a small house/flat in a crappy area or renting despite basically feeling like a cash cow for society. I guess what it comes down to is expectations, I expected that if I could get to point X in my life then I could expect Y only to find that in-fact I get Z and I don't like Z.


I had to move completely outside the area I was born and brought up in and there's no way I could afford to move back to there now, nor could I 10 years ago. I also bought my first home at 23, when most people were still living at home. I didn't make anything out of that at all (due to divorce), however I found somewhere not a million miles away, which is quiet, bigger inside than it looks, and was a do-er uper, so relatively cheap at the time (although it took me a few goes to get the lending on it). I bought that 6 years ago, so you would have been the same age then as I was when I bought my first place. It was do-able then.


I'm not sure if you are implying that because you could afford property at the age of 23 I should have been able to as well or if it was do-able for you then but wouldn't be now?



Although the prices have become stupid, and it's harder to buy for first timers, it seems that you're still in a position to do this - so I think you either have to carry on paying rent or suck it up and buy out of the 'ideal' area.. A lot of the people I know trying to get on the ladder couldn't even get a tiny home in a less than salubrious area and would love to be in your position - just able to buy somewhere!

Well once again the goal posts have moved, a couple of years ago before the collapse I could have got one of those lovely 90% mortgages whereas now I need to save up a ~£30-40k deposit which would be easy if I was still in shared housing but given the amount of rent I need to pay it's going to be rather tricky. I know it's a slightly strange thing to say with a Lotus parked outside but I can run that for £100/month and the value of the car has actually gone up in the 2 years & 25k miles :shocked: One of the reasons I bought it back was that I was very confident that I could get my money back if not more if I need the money when I am actually in a position to buy.

[Pebs]

I would imagine very few 'young' people can afford the house they want. Our first house was a crap house in a crap area, 3 bed terrace in Dagenham. I come from an extremely middle class background and living 30 metres from the A13 was a culture shock to put it mildly. Made a very tidy profit on it after 3 years of graft and living like tramps for a lot of it and moved up.
There's very much a culture of wanting everything NOW these days, people seem to think the world owes them something. I also agree with Rich, I don't understand the obsession with being on the property ladder.

[BBx]

I want a house :(

Since being back for Christmas, seen two of my friends with new places - one of them Repos (seem to be the best deals nowadays). Both costing not much more than my 2 bed flat.

Damn living in London!

BB x

[Desmo]

I would imagine very few 'young' people can afford the house they want. Our first house was a crap house in a crap area, 3 bed terrace in Dagenham. I come from an extremely middle class background and living 30 metres from the A13 was a culture shock to put it mildly. Made a very tidy profit on it after 3 years of graft and living like tramps for a lot of it and moved up.
There's very much a culture of wanting everything NOW these days, people seem to think the world owes them something. I also agree with Rich, I don't understand the obsession with being on the property ladder.
We're not just talking about "young" people now. We're talking about people in to their 30's which is an age where most would have expected to be owning their own home for a good few years by now. I also don't think it's so much a case of people wanting everything now these days (although that does happen a lot). It feels like some of us have been cheated almost through no fault of our own. When my sister bought her house across the road from ours she paid less than half what I did and for a larger house. This gives her a financial advantage for the rest of her life that I can never claw back. We all know that house prices rocketed out of control which has created this situation.

It's not just about wanting a massive house as your first house. I'd love to buy a bigger house at some stage in the future but I've resigned myself to the fact that I doubt we'll ever be able to afford a bigger house than we have now.

It's not something I ever really worry about, its just life and we have to get on with it. But it doesn't make it any less annoying at times.

[Kitten]

I would imagine very few 'young' people can afford the house they want. Our first house was a crap house in a crap area, 3 bed terrace in Dagenham. I come from an extremely middle class background and living 30 metres from the A13 was a culture shock to put it mildly. Made a very tidy profit on it after 3 years of graft and living like tramps for a lot of it and moved up.
There's very much a culture of wanting everything NOW these days, people seem to think the world owes them something. I also agree with Rich, I don't understand the obsession with being on the property ladder.

Agree completely Rented for around 6 years before being able to buy (back when rent was far higher than paying a mortgage - which was just as frustrating as only being able to rent now because it's too expensive to buy), and didn't get a 'nice' 90% mortgage either. Saved up and lived like a hermit for a good few years so I could afford to buy.

[Del Lardo]

I also agree with Rich, I don't understand the obsession with being on the property ladder.

Try being forced to move 4 times in 6 years, 3 times with <=1month notice and once with effectively 2 weeks notice. You soon lust after the security that comes from owning your own property.

[TinkerBell]

I have to say for me, the reason I want to be on the property ladder is I want to have my own home. I want to be able to made changes to it and know that I will always be able to live there. The most important thing for me is though when I get old I do not want to have to worry about finding money for rent because I don't own my own house.

I know at the beginning you won't own it as it will be the mortgage lender's until you pay all the money, but eventually you should own it out right :)

[Dymetrie]

Try being forced to move 4 times in 6 years, 3 times with <=1month notice and once with effectively 2 weeks notice. You soon lust after the security that comes from owning your own property.

All four of which are a contravention of the landlord and tenant act.

Maybe, rather than lusting after the security of owning your own home, grow some balls and stop getting pushed around by landlords/letting agehnts who are breaking the law?

[Del Lardo]

All four of which are a contravention of the landlord and tenant act.

Maybe, rather than lusting after the security of owning your own home, grow some balls and stop getting pushed around by landlords/letting agehnts who are breaking the law?

Erm, in each case the contract stated one month notice for tenant/landlord after a 6/12 month initial lease and three times I was given 1 month notice (and one of those times I left the country the next day for 2 weeks so effectively had two weeks to sort things). The other time I was renting a house from a friend who wanted to get some building work done so I had to be out in three weeks, I could have put my foot down and got a month but given that he was doing me a huge favour by renting me the house in the first place I wanted to return the favour.

No need to make my balls any bigger :p

[SidewinderINC]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/LettingYourHome/DG_4001391

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/assuredassuredtenants


Section 6.2 states the landlord must give 2 months notice that he/she requires repossession of the property, unless I'm missing something (which I might well be)

[Kitten]

It was one calendar month following the expiration of the original agreement when I was renting. Happened to me a few times, (rented about 8 properties over a period of 8 years) and it was 'orrible.

[Dymetrie]

Erm, in each case the contract stated one month notice for tenant/landlord after a 6/12 month initial lease and three times I was given 1 month notice (and one of those times I left the country the next day for 2 weeks so effectively had two weeks to sort things). The other time I was renting a house from a friend who wanted to get some building work done so I had to be out in three weeks, I could have put my foot down and got a month but given that he was doing me a huge favour by renting me the house in the first place I wanted to return the favour.

Which is not what you said:

Try being forced to move 4 times in 6 years, 3 times with <=1month notice and once with effectively 2 weeks notice. You soon lust after the security that comes from owning your own property.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/LettingYourHome/DG_4001391

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/assuredassuredtenants


Section 6.2 states the landlord must give 2 months notice that he/she requires repossession of the property, unless I'm missing something (which I might well be)

Yup, was updated in the reform act of 2004, previously (1998) it was one calendar month and before that it wasn't particularly specified.

[Kitten]

yup, that would make sense, I moved in here in late 2003 I think. The last 18 month rental was uneventful, compared to the few years before!

[Del Lardo]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/LettingYourHome/DG_4001391

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/assuredassuredtenants


Section 6.2 states the landlord must give 2 months notice that he/she requires repossession of the property, unless I'm missing something (which I might well be)

Interesting, I didn't know that. Is it also two months if you are running a statutory periodic tenancy (i.e. after the contract has ended and you are on a month by month rolling tenancy)?


Which is not what you said

It looks like the same thing in my head :o

[SidewinderINC]

Interesting, I didn't know that. Is it also two months if you are running a statutory periodic tenancy (i.e. after the contract has ended and you are on a month by month rolling tenancy)?


Yes it is :)

You have the rights to be in the property too, so even if you're there after the 2 months the landlord can only get you out via court proceedings if you don't leave.

[Dymetrie]

You have the rights to be in the property too, so even if you're there after the 2 months the landlord can only get you out via court proceedings if you don't leave.

Alongside this then the landlord has no rights to enter the property without your permission either (except in cases of extreme emergency like a fire, gas leak, etc...) and doing so is trespass :D

[Del Lardo]

Yes it is :)

You have the rights to be in the property too, so even if you're there after the 2 months the landlord can only get you out via court proceedings if you don't leave.

mmm, now wondering why every rental contract has always had one months notice. While two months notice would have made it a less stressful experience moving every ~18 months is still a complete pain in the bottom.

Staying in the property is one solution but it can cause problems down the line as the Letting Agents tend to get rather upset ;)

[SidewinderINC]

mmm, now wondering why every rental contract has always had one months notice. While two months notice would have made it a less stressful experience moving every ~18 months is still a complete pain in the bottom.

Staying in the property is one solution but it can cause problems down the line as the Letting Agents tend to get rather upset ;)

Why? because unsuspecting people just take the contract as it is and don't question anything. that way if the landlord wants you out and you know no different you just go along with it.

Read that pdf I've linked, it will have info on what to do if you can't find a new place in time etc. etc.
Unfortunately my predicament is all my own doing and i have to leave in 4 weeks (and currently have no new place to go, but again my own fault as I've been away for 2 weeks when I could have easily stayed to find a place)