Leasehold reforms to be implemented as confirmed by Andy Burnham PM about half an hour ago.

Details on sky news live blog

As title says: we’ve just had our survey come back and it’s raised a red issue that the house we are buying doesn’t have any smoke/CO alarms at all currently. Obviously not bothered about this from our perspective as happy to buy some to fit immediately - however I am slightly baffled by this and wondering are there people out there who just live without them??!

All we know about the sellers are they are a very elderly couple. To add onto this the windows also are ancient and were also raised as not suitable to evacuate through in an emergency! Borderline debating whether to ask them to get a couple cheap ones before exchange for their own safety!!

A while ago, having accepted an offer from a buyer who is still keen and ready to exchange, I offered on a house that I thought I had previously lost the opportunity to buy. The seller accepted my offer on the understanding that we were committed and in a strong chain. Although I couldn't guarantee this, the odds were good and so we proceeded.

We were supposed to exchange last week. My buyer was ready but my seller said they were having some issues. We agreed to exchange today instead, but the seller has gone silent. Her EA is saying - when we rang them - that exchange will be later in the week, contracts are in the post etc etc. But they won't reply to anything in writing and the seller is refusing to acknowledge or reply to messages.

I'm gutted. I've spent all day trying to get an update on what's happening but nobody has replied and the seller's EA only responded because my (ex) partner was on the phone to them.

We're separated and I have spent weeks packing up the house. I've got rid of loads of stuff, donated some, recycled some. My ex (who wants his half) says that I should sell, put it all in storage and find somewhere to live while I look for another property. But I don't want to do this. I can't afford rent (I'm mortgage free) and I have no wish to pay for storage for my stuff. He's suggested staying with one of my kids but they both have tiny houses far from my work.

I've been in tears since I got home from work. I know people face disappointment like this every day, and I previously had a buyer drop out. But this seems particularly difficult to deal with because I have certain access issues and this property was suitable for me - I haven't yet seen anything else and I feel that I want to stop now. I can't, obviously.

I'm just devastated that we got this far and now the seller has not only decided to pull out but hasn't even communicated this and has just gone silent. After they made such a fuss about my being committed.

I'm still going to have to tell my buyer.

Just needed to rant, really. I know I'll have to just get over it.

https://www.ft.com/content/e9b9a8fa-bbce-44a0-adc4-c1f1cc9f2113?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Also archived at: https://archive.is/UZ8Ml (the archived link is not paywalled, even if artificial stupidity fails to understand it)

From the article:

the building’s managers stopped food delivery drivers from entering the building and limited guests to staying no longer than 14 days in a 90-day period.

Rubbish could only be placed in the building’s chutes before 5pm, when tenants were often at work. The pool had to be booked and was often unavailable.

the building told tenants in March it would charge £60 a month for internet use.

A tenant who sent multiple emails outlining residents’ concerns was evicted shortly after, according to a notice seen by the FT.

------------------------------

full article:

When the first residents moved into a luxury apartment block near the Shard last summer, they were anticipating its amenities: a cinema, rooftop pool, orangery, gym and sauna.

What they were not expecting: all the rules for living there. Current and former tenants say that London’s Shard Place — where a one-bedroom flat costs £4,300 a month — has delivered on its promises of high-end finishes and “astonishing views”.

But they say they also assumed their money would buy greater convenience. Instead, the building’s managers stopped food delivery drivers from entering the building and limited guests to staying no longer than 14 days in a 90-day period.

Tenants also found themselves in disputes over the prices for internet access and charges for gym induction. “I feel like I am fighting about something new every week,” one tenant wrote in a text message last August, calling the state of affairs “so draining”.

In October, the same tenant wrote: “Why am I paying so much to feel like an imposition and not get services I get in comparable buildings.” The 27-storey tower had been hotly awaited. Located near the Shard in London Bridge, it was completed five years behind schedule and ran more than £200mn over budget, according to accounts filed with Companies House.

Like a small but growing minority of London housing, Shard Place is “build-to-rent”: none of its 176 flats is available for sale. Even in the tightly managed world of build-to-rent, its rules have made it an outlier. Some buildings have loosened their rules in the wake of the Renters’ Rights Act, such as no longer charging fees to have pets, said Karen Standing, who oversees the build-to-rent segment at estate agency Hamptons. Shard Place does not allow pets, except for guide dogs. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, the Labour government’s flagship effort to help renters, landlords cannot have a blanket ban on pets.

Shard Place was built by the same firm that constructed the Shard and the next-door News Building, and is managed by Qatari state-owned Real Estate Management (UK). This is the company’s first major foray into build-to-rent housing. Build-to-rent landlords say the arrangement offers benefits, including increased security. The trade-off, however, is less control.

Tenants began moving in June 2025. They could choose from light and dark colour palettes with pre-selected furniture. Shard Place pledged to make living in central London an “effortless experience”. Instead, almost immediately, tenants encountered snags. Rubbish could only be placed in the building’s chutes before 5pm, when tenants were often at work. The pool had to be booked and was often unavailable. Food-delivery drivers were barred from entering the building or leaving items with the concierge. Guests had to be fetched from reception and were not permitted to use the pool.

In contrast, Greystar, a landlord that owns nearly 22,000 build-to-rent properties across the UK, allows collection points for food deliveries and guests to use amenities, said a person familiar with the matter. For some Shard Place tenants, the most concerning restriction has been the limit on guests’ stays to 14 days in a three-month period without permission from management. The policy, which had not been outlined in the tenancy agreement, said “anyone staying beyond the permitted guest period may be considered as residing in the apartment and will require a Right to Rent check, in line with UK immigration law”, according to a copy reviewed by the FT.

Home Office guidance says house guests such as friends or family would not ordinarily be treated as occupiers for the purposes of such checks. “The landlord can only [limit guest stays] if the lease allows it, and it would be quite unusual,” said James Naylor, a solicitor specialising in property disputes. “I have very rarely seen leases that specified something like that in 25 years of practising law. I’m not aware of any statutory obligation or requirement that entitles them to do this.” Some Shard Place tenants had relatives visiting from abroad, who were helping to pay the rent.

These family members would not be able to pass a Right to Rent check, which requires permission to live in the UK. One tenant was advised to add their family members to their tenancy agreement, which they declined to do to avoid potential tax implications. In another instance, a tenant wanted a key card so their partner could enter the flat without them. Knight Frank, one of the estate agents responsible for letting the building, suggested adding the person to the lease. “But we had only been dating for four months,” the tenant told the FT. “It would have been crazy . . . We could break up tomorrow, and then what would I do if they had a right to reside here?” “Knight Frank wanted me to define the relationship faster than my partner did,” the tenant added. The tenant later moved out. Knight Frank declined to comment. Shard Place said: “Shard Place is one of London’s most desirable addresses, with the majority of our residents choosing to stay with us for the long term. “We will always put the safety, security, and comfort of our residents first, and we actively welcome feedback so that we can continue to offer and improve the premium service we provide to them.”

One resident, who liked the building’s proximity to London Bridge Underground station, moved in after leaving a build-to-rent place in Nottingham. Although she loves the building itself, she has been put off by various policies, including having to pay a one-time £50 fee to use the gym, which she says she had not been told about before signing her lease. Marketing materials seen by the FT do not mention the fee. “Why would I pay to use my residential gym? It just did not make sense to me. I got to talking to other tenants later on and it was a thing that we all bonded over,” she said. She was also flummoxed to be informed that she had exceeded her permitted use of the cinema. “I had never been told there was a certain amount of slots for the month,” she said. Not being able to take guests to the pool is “absolutely ridiculous. I can’t be paying that amount and you guys tell me how to run my apartment,” she said. She is planning to move out in October.

One issue that united residents earlier this year was internet access. After mistakenly charging some residents a lower fee, or in some cases nothing, the building told tenants in March it would charge £60 a month for internet use. Residents balked at the short notice, the inability to choose their own internet provider and the price. Average entry-level broadband prices in the UK are about £25 a month, according to Enders Analysis.

A tenant who sent multiple emails outlining residents’ concerns was evicted shortly after, according to a notice seen by the FT. “We are very sorry to hear reports . . . of how dissatisfied you are with our operational services, amenities, and third-party service providers . . .  “We feel that Shard Place is not the right property for your needs and we regrettably will not be inviting you to remain in Shard Place beyond the 12 months of your fixed term tenancy,” the notice read. “It is unfortunate that you have not enjoyed your time and Shard Place Apartments, and we hope that you find a property more suited to your needs.”

Many residents said the building’s staff were pleasant to deal with. The management has responded to some concerns. Residents can now drop off their rubbish 24 hours a day. The gym hours have been extended. Additional key cards have been dispensed for some guests.

The process, however, has left some luxury residents feeling powerless. Under build-to-rent, “I thought I’d be safer, but I had far less agency than I would have in a normal situation”, said one tenant. “I thought being across the table from a corporation would make things more professional but they had outsized bargaining power. It amplified bargaining inequality rather than producing better service.”

Hi all.

I am currently renting a flat, which has been sold. The sale has all been rushed through along with the survey. My view is the sellers want it all done whilst furnishes as the moment the furniture leaves problems will show themselves.

As the tenant, i am aware of quite a few issues. The buyer has had their surveyor around to do a homebuyers survey, but we all know these are a bit hit and miss. What is the consensus on me contacting the surveyor to advise them of a few issues that might have been missed?

As an incoming buyer i would 100% want to know these things, and one of them would (and did) stop me buying the flat myself.

1. moths, there is a real problem here and long term. The carpets in most rooms are moth eaten, but are covered with my own rugs to hide them. Landlord previously had a moth removal company before we moved in, and i have previously been asked not to mention moths when any viewings happened...i doubt they will put this on the TA6 form.
2. Likely EICR fail, the hall lights are powered via an extension lead that plugs into socket of one of the bedrooms (one bedroom had a corridor added and turned into two) There is literally a plug in the socket and the cable then goes along the floor into the wall/ceiling.
3. Terrible acoustic performance, you can hear the upstairs neighbour fart, cough, sneeze, pee and all sorts. So prepare to be woken up by the sound of upstairs peeing (or worse). Obviously music, TV, them singing also can all be heard quite clearly. (once turned off a film just to listen to their music for a bit it was that clear)

Appreciate thoughts / comments.
Like i said, i would 100% want to know these things before shelling out some £450k ish on a flat.

Extra item

• i don't need a landlord reference

Wife is pregnant, so we are planning to add a second toilet downstairs for her ease. However builder suggested that we can also add a tiny standing shower room.
Initial idea - add WC below under stairs.
Builders idea - close the kitchen door, use the space between outside understairs and living room wall to add wc + standing shower. This would mean kitchen is accessible only via dining room (and not via hallway)

Question - do majority people dislike having a second bath downstairs (in addition to a toilet)? i.e., could it make the property leas desirable to future buyers?

I bought my house for £190k in Feb 2024. I owe £91k mortgage which I took out on a 30 year term, at a fixed rate of about 4.6% for 30 years. So would have to port the mortgage if I move.

I hate (HATE) my neighbours and would like more space (this is a 2 up/2 down and I’d like a 3 bed with a dining room/space).

Edit to add - I’ve redone the kitchen and bathroom which were very outdated when I bought it.

I had a valuation with Rice Chamberlain who advised - don’t sell now, it’s a terrible time due to the Iran War impacting on house values, I’d only get around £205k now. Sell in Feb/March next year to get £220-230k.

Then I had a valuation with Dixons who were VERY chirpy and excited and recommended going on the market next month and they could possibly get me £220k.

I’m leaning towards RC’s advice as it felt more honest. But then a friend suggested that yes, if I sell now, I wouldn’t gain as much equity - but equally, the house I’d be looking to buy would also be lower value/cheaper. So if my priority is upsizing (rather than cashing in) then I should take advantage.

What would you do? Sell low and buy low sooner, or wait it out to possibly/probably sell high and buy high next year?

I’m not in a desperate hurry to move, but I think if I’m still here in 12-18 months time, I might lose my mind. My neighbours don’t work and they scream at each other all day. I work from home and have a young kid who’s starting to pick up on their arguments.

Any advice from grown ups much appreciated.

Flat reduced in value

Is it likely the sale was discounted to a friend or family member or have flats really lost this much value?

I am hoping it was an investor, otherwise some poor couple are going to have to restart their property journey. An investor would have atleast made £360k in rent.

Hi all
Pulled out of a house a few days ago due to the sellers encroaching and resurfacing a path that is not theirs in front of their driveway to make the driveway wider. The searches showed highways were responsible for the path which has a covenant in place on it due to services being underneath it so what they’ve done is actually a criminal offence and the land can never be claimed by them. Our bank pulled the mortgage offer once we informed them what we had found and no indemnity insurance provider would provide cover for it because of these reasons, we put all this forward to the sellers and estate agents who were selling it. Today I see it’s been relisted despite us informing them and the agents what they’ve done is illegal. I’m torn because I don’t want anyone else to waste money on searches like we did or maybe miss the problem that we found and be stuck with the liability but equally I don’t want to be involved with it anymore. Any advice?

Hiya, so I recently ended my lease and while there, there was an issue with mould in my room. This was brought to my realtor's attention and he gave me advice about how to manage it but that was it. I regret I didn't form a paper trail of it as it was all spoken word. I took steps to manage the mould but it did not help

Now that I am no longer a tenant here (we were renting for the year), I've received an email regarding this mould from the realtor telling me that the landlord had to do a full redecoration and clean and it was significantly more than my deposit. They also claim that it was a result of improper ventilation and not anything structural. Now for most of the time I did have my windows open, and a humidier (one of those box ones not an electric one) in there. The landlord is now suggesting that I am to pay the full redecoration costs - I'm just looking for some advice in regard to it as I'm unsure of whether the landlord should be required to get the building assessed to prove that it was ventilation and not a structural thing, as if I am to pay this I'd prefer to be certain. As I'm aware that if it was fully ventilation issues then of course I am liable and happy to pay as it's fair. I will of course be requesting a full invoice of the billage and expecting my deposit that I paid to be taken out of this as is in the contractual agreement.

Is this a legal requirement of landlords, or could I request

(England)

Edit: we are in England, London

We were issued a Section 21 eviction notice at 21:30 on the 30th April.

We were given a date to move out of 12th September as that was when our first year of tenancy was up and was the earliest the break cause could be relied upon.

We’ve emailed the estate agent basically saying that we won’t move out as the Section 21 is no longer enforceable after 31st July and they can’t have started possession proceedings until after the move out date issued in the Section 21. Is this accurate?

We haven’t heard anything back for about 3 weeks now (which has been a persistent issue with our estate agent) but don’t really know how possession proceedings work. Could they have applied for possession before the 31st July and we just haven’t heard from the courts yet? Or are we right in saying that this is basically unenforceable? Or is there anything else we’re missing?

We were told it’s because the landlord wanted to sell, but later we asked about purchasing the property from the landlord and were told he isn’t intending on selling (I know this doesn’t mean much in the form of the Section 21 but it feels like he’s less likely to issue a Section 8 considering that).

Thanks in advance for any clarification anyone can provide!

Hi everyone,

I’m in a really stressful situation in England and could use some advice on how to handle an unresponsive letting agency. We want to keep this flat, but we are running out of time.

The timeline:

Early August: Paid a holding deposit (~£160) and passed all referencing. The landlord officially accepted our application right at the beginning of August. Our proposed target move-in date from our initial application was this Saturday (Sept 5th).

Aug 25th: After weeks of silence and chasing them for updates, the agency finally replied. They stated the previous tenant had moved out, but their inspection found maintenance issues. They said they are waiting on quotes/landlord approval and therefore "cannot confirm the move-in will take place on Sept 5th".

Aug 26th & Sept 1st: I immediately emailed asking for any sort of estimated timeframe for the works so we could plan our lives. Total radio silence. I’ve also tried calling their main office constantly today, but no one is picking up.

The crisis:

We strictly have to hand the keys back for our current place at 10 AM this Saturday. Because of financial constraints, we cannot afford open-ended temporary accommodation or hotels while we wait. Instead, we are being forced to relocate to a completely different city to stay with family.
Because of their delays, we are now having to cover extra, unexpected costs for a storage space and a moving van to move our belongings twice. Furthermore, because the agency won't give us even a rough estimate of how long these repairs will take, we are completely paralyzed. We cannot apply for annual leave from work because we don't know what dates to book, and commuting/working from another city with zero timeline is putting our jobs at genuine risk. The main issue is that without a timeframe, we simply cannot plan anything.

My questions:

1. How do I escalate this? They aren't replying to emails and aren't picking up the phone. Are there specific magic words (like threatening to report them to their redress scheme/The Property Ombudsman) that will force a corporate agency to finally respond?

2. What can I reasonably push for? Can I ask them to let us move in while non-essential works are completed, or give us a strict deadline for the quotes?

3. How should I word my next email? I want to apply maximum pressure to get an immediate update on the timeline, without them spitefully cancelling our application.

Any advice on how to navigate this and get them to pick up the phone would be massively appreciated. We are so stressed out!

Thanks.

Getting actual advice on this but thats taking time, so going for the Reddit test.

Splitting from my wife and selling the family home, I'm buying a flat the same day.

Ive spent the last 3 months staying at my families home to keep things civil.

My conveyor thinks that because I'm staying here, I will need to pay the higher Stamp Duty as this is now my main residence.

All bills and post still go to my house as this is just a stop gap.

Answers on a postcard for this one as I'm getting different opinions.

I think im okay for standard rate.

Hi all,

I would love some outside perspective. Me and my husband were first-time buyers on a share of freehold flat in London, and it was only very late in the process, close to exchange, that we found out the service charge confirmed by the Estate Agent was not the correct one, and that it had jumped by around 40% this year.

When we asked our solicitor when she'd actually received this information, the answer was vague, basically confirming that service charge details aren't usually flagged to clients as soon as they're received (her words: "it is common that leasehold properties have fluctuating service charge accounts, depending on the works required that year for the maintenance of the communal areas, the figure can increase or decrease accordingly"). We ended up pulling out, and we're now considering a formal complaint about how late this was communicated.

Has anyone had a similar experience, a solicitor sitting on service charge or management info until quite late, only for it to become a dealbreaker near exchange?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I currently live in a flat with 10 homes and our management company is Principle Estate Management. It’s a new build property and under shared ownership in Essex. We’ve all just moved in around November last year however they recently emailed us about a month ago to advise that they’re raising the service charge. However in this time the flats have not been cleaned, residents are cleaning the flat building themselves and the grass of the estate has only been cut 3 times despite us being advised this would be done every two weeks. We’re looking into our options and I just wanted to find out if anyone has any advice on either changing their management agency and how they went about doing this? Also if anyone has undergone the process of right to manage and what needed to be done and any issues (if any) have occurred? I’d really appreciate any help anyone can provide as they’re increasing the service charge despite not actually carrying out any of the services they’re charging for.

The landlord on our 1-bed house increased the rent last year and (via their estate agent) has issued a Section 13 notice to increase it further this year. We believe this will be above current market rates and intend to appeal to the first-tier tribunal.

We have evidence of lower rents for similar properties in the areas in the form of current and historic property listings over the past 6 to 12 months. However, we're aware that this is considered to be "weak evidence" and that agreed lets are more compelling, i.e. the level of rent set in tenancy agreements. Short of knocking on lots of doors and annoying the people inside, does anyone have any experience (and success) of getting agreed lets data? We could call estate agents and ask nicely, but we're not sure how helpful they might be.

Any advice on preparing evidence for the tribunal would be gratefully received.

Hi I have this nightmare neighbour downstairs he keeps playing music with a booster and a speaker on and he has about four or five all over the house now we don't have sound proofing in this place because the council hasn't put any in

He plays it ridiculously way too loud with the speakers we have complained to the council but she's either on his side or she just tells us not the bang on the floor and that's it you don't really do anything else and that doesn't fix the problem i have disabled people who live with me he has actually threatened a disabled person he got up to his face and threatened him but no reason at that point as we haven't seen or heard him for at least a week or two possibly more and today he started doing the loud music again we have also complained about the threats he's making to the council and the police

Nothing seemed to get done and she always on his side or she moans at us for not reporting it to her but every time we do she doesn't do anything also just blame us again she seems to be protecting him for some reason even though he is told us multiple times he's been kicked out his last place because of the same things he been arrested for three times since moving there and one was for GBH and he has always got his so-called friends there and they smoke drugs they do drugs and it's smells absolutely awful so disgusting it makes you feel sick because you get smell it through the floorboards also complained about but nothing gets done.

We just don't know what else to do because nothing seemed to be working they seem to be on his side all the time even though we have lived here for 20 30 years we have never ever had a complaint or a problem like this with a neighbor we've never had to make a complaint against a neighbor we've had about three four neighbours downstairs since being here we have never had it issue and if we had we sort it we talked and that's it we've never had to take any further than that we definitely never had to call the police on anyone

He has complaint against us when we first complain saying we would laugh and giggling too loud which it would just ridiculous we are a family and the only said that after we put our first complaint in he's now saying the banging that we do (only when his music is too loud) affect his mental health even though it's not even music it's just noise it's the same three beats over and over again he listened to that hardcore house drum and bass music with no lyrics it's just that over and over again really loud you can hear it outside sometime you can hear it down the road we mental health issues so the banging he listens to doesn't help us we've even got a person here has been put on a special mental health list.

We are just so lost we just don't know what to do nothing seemed to have worked he seems to be getting worse the council don't seem interested in bothered what else could we do any advice would be really appreciated

Really sorry about the long message and the spelling I do suffer from my own issues and really sorry if it's not allowed please delete

thank you

I [28M] am supposed to be moving into a new apartment later this week. Agreed to the contract and signed everything on 11/08/26, sent off all relevant references, all through their fancy new AI 🤮 chatbot service. Despite calling them regularly for the past 3 weeks to get an update on things, I was never advised of anything that was missing, until I called today to double check and was informed that my employment referencing hadn’t been received as the email to my employer (unable to disclose due to the nature of my work) had bounced (likely due to it coming externally from the organisation). Cue half a day of me going into absolute panic mode trying to find an alternative form of reference they would accept. At this moment in time I don’t know if they’ll accept what my manager has sent them. I am supposed to be moving in on Thursday. I have arranged movers, WiFi installation, got friends and family to take annual leave from work to help. And I have to be out of my current place on Friday?

How screwed am I?

And do I have any legal recourse if things aren’t processed tomorrow?

I'm currently renting alone in a Long Assured Periodic Tenancy, but with the new academic year approaching, I'm looking into the possibility of flatsharing. I do have another prospective tenant interested, and I trust him enough to flatshare - in fact I trust him enough to be liable for his portion of the rent, if that makes paperwork easier.

The tenancy agreement specifically prohibits subletting.

From what I can gather, my options are: 1) amend this tenancy into a joint tenancy for £50 + subject to landlord's consent, or 2) request the landlord's consent to add him as a permitted occupier.

Would anyone suggest one option over the other? Would it be better to approach the landlord or letting agency first?

During move-in, I briefly talked to the landlord about flatsharing, she advised against it as "the flat is a litte small for two people". We're students so anything bigger than a cupboard is considered enough space.

thanks :)

Edit: England (London)

I've recently had an offer accepted to purchase a house. We haven't begun the mortgage process or conveyancing because when we viewed, I asked about building regs for an extension that was carried out recently, so when we submitted our offer, I stated that we would want to see the building regs signed off before getting the solicitors to begin billable work.

We have instructed a solicitor, and we have all the paperwork ready to go ahead with our mortgage application. But I've asked the solicitor not to move forward with any billable work until I've had confirmation the building regs have been signed off.

It's been a week since the offer (so not long really), the vendor arranged for a surveyor last Thursday. I was shared a text (copy, not screenshot) that was signed off by a building surveyor confirming they were happy with the works and would be issuing a completion letter shortly. I asked the EA for a copy of the letter once this had been received.

I'm wondering if I'm being pushy here? Both the EA, my mortgage broker and the solicitor have said this can be handled through the conveyancing process, but I can't help but wonder why I should start committing money when something outstanding like this was flagged.

Hey guys, so I viewed a property last Thursday that had been on the market for just over a month. It’s listed at 300k (North West England) however it needs some work doing to it.

There were 3 viewings on Thursday, including me, and despite the work required I really liked the house and the location was great. Given that it’s in need of work, I decided to offer 275k and accepted that it’d probably get rejected.

The estate agent phoned the following day to inform me that there had been a similar offer and the vendor had rejected both offers. The estate agent then told me that the vendor had told him that they would be willing to accept 285k. I spoke with my partner and we decided that we’d offer the 285k, so we did. This was quite late in the day on Friday so the vendor didn’t respond before they closed.

Fast forward to today, the estate agent phoned me to say that the vendor has changed their mind and wants more than they said they be willing to accept. The estate agent was frustrated because he said it makes him look like he’s made it up and I’m frustrated because I’ve offered what they said they’d accept and they’ve changed their mind. They’ve got a couple of viewings on Friday and want to ‘see how they go’ and accept the risk that their our offer might not be there next week.

I feel quite stuck because I have room to increase my offer however I’m reluctant because now if the vendor says they’ll accept X amount and I increase my offer, I can’t trust that’ll be it done.

From the sellers point of view it’s a win win because my offer will just sit there and they either get a better one this weekend or they just accept mine.

Has anyone had a similar experience and how’s best to play it? The not knowing isn’t very fun but maybe I’m just being impatient!

Hi,
I am buying a property which was for auction but had an option of Buy it now with reservation price of £7k.
I put an offer and owner has accepted it and they are not going for Auction . I am a cash buyer. State agent mentioned I will have 56 working days to transfer property otherwise my deposit will be lost.
I am a first time buyer. Do I have to worry about the process not being completed in 56 days and me losing the deposit? Or it is normally completed in this timeframe?
Thanks

Buying an older house. RICS survey came back relatively clear with no major structural issues, cracking or signs of subsidence. The survey recommended a CCTV drainage survey as they couldn’t inspect the underground drains.

Estate agent says these are pretty unusual unless there’s evidence of an actual issue, which there is not.

Would you bother getting one as a precaution, or is this fairly standard surveyor suggestion?

Anyone had one done and actually found anything? Cheers

I’m soon moving to London on work assignment for a bit over a year and my office is in Southwark, near Tate Modern.

I’m looking for a nice 1 bedroom flat for around £2000-2,500/month.

My main priority is being within a 15–20 minute walk from work. I’d rather walk than depend on the Tube or bus and get stuck in traffic/crowded transport every day.

For evenings and weekends, I’m happy to use public transport, so I don’t mind being a bit further away.

I’m working with a housing agency, but I’m also searching on my own. What areas would you recommend, and should I be able to get a good studio for maximum £2,500?

I’m currently looking at Bermondsey, Southwark, Borough, Bankside, Waterloo and possibly Canada Water as the furthest option. All areas I have visited and explored a bit before.

I’m also considering Elephant & Castle, but I’ve heard mixed things about the area. Is it actually a nice place to live?

Any advice on areas or what I can realistically get for my budget would be appreciated.

Many thanks all!!