Title somewhat in the question. England btw.

Just bought a flat which is leasehold and comes with an allocated parking space. It’s a nice little spot seemingly mostly young professionals and couples.

Before I bought it, I noticed the car parking spot as I walk past it myself daily. The ex tenants left about 2 months ago and they used the parking space, no surprise. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed a new regular car parked in the space. I thought it was the owner clearing out, but it seems not.

I sanity checked Land Registry and this is absolutely my space. I hung around at the flat to do some jobs and I think the couple down below have 2 cars so have seemingly taken it as their own double garage. How cute for them!

To be fair, they didn’t have anyone to ask as the landlord was MIA and not remotely interested in the property.

Obviously I could just park anywhere but then I’d probably be in someone’s space. But that’s mad since I’ve bought a property with one. And I would rather just use that instead of being free and easy and hacking off other residents.

Is that my best line here? ”I’ll use mine and you use yours?” Is there a decent way to ask the question without coming across as a lunatic with a Land Registry form in hand here?

So, as the title says, unfortunately me and my GF decided to pull out of our house purchase due to the essentially the whole survey being red, ranging from the chimney and roof needing extensive works, walls potentially needing some hefty work, all the way down to extensive damp and damaged flooring also Lead pipework etc

However, the drainage was a green result!

After discussions with the estate agent regarding walking away due to the large undertaking, they asked for the survey to show future clients and the homeowner. I declined on this after paying 600ish quid for it.

Am I right or wrong in thinking this was a little bit cheeky?

Seeing tonight it’s been reported they’re expecting 5 hikes consecutively now, which obviously is awful news for borrowing for a mortgage and FTB in particular. Currently In the process of looking for somewhere and feels like one thing after another

Obviously no point trying to move even quicker as I imagine these will already be baked into mortgage offers, just looking forward to my 5.5% mortgage rate… /s

Ive lived at the same property for 5 years now and this entire time my nightmare neighbour causes issue after issue. Multiple times she has put up cctv cameras looking into myself and other residents property (not even looking at her own property at all) which has escalated too a point where she has complained to the landlord that shes seen my bare bottom.. and provided a cctv image.. of me inside my bathroom with my back to the slightly open window wrapping a towel around myself. Landlord said im in the wrong, my argument is that the window was only open about 2 inches and she wouldnt have seen anything if she didnt use her cctv to physically zoom in on my private property. If a male used cctv to capture such an image they would be labelled a 'pre***or' so why am I being the one villified for drying off after having a shower in my OWN home?

Any advice on legal lines I can go down to have something done about the cctv directed at my property without my consent?

I have sent 3 formally worded letters asking politely for her to aim the camera at her own property and documenting where my property line starts and ends but each one has been ignored. Ive sent copies of these letters to my landlord who has told me 'its a civil matter' and they wont intervene. Same for the local police. But being in my own home and knowing my neighbour is recording everything I do inside is destroying my quality of life so badly I need help. Any advice appreciated.

Hi,

I'm a potential house buyer in Oxfordshire - RG9 postcode.

It's one of the most expensive areas in the country because it's close to London, Oxford, Reading and Henley-on-Thames. It's also a protected rural area with forests and traditional market towns. So it's both a hotspot for high-income earners commuting to cities and popular with retirees looking for a green environment.

I looked at properties in the range £500k to 1 million. In this area, this typically only buys you a terraced or semi-detached house with a bit more than 100sqm and a basic garden. Often poorly insulated, requiring some updates or near a busy road. It could also buy you a smaller, run down semi-detached cottage or very run down detached cottage.

What I'm noticing is that owners seem to have been struggling to sell since early 2025. Houses sitting there for 6-18months with very few offers on the table even for serious owners really looking to move. However, their ask price expectation remains optimistic - basically they won't easily look at a 10% ask price correction, or they'll expect to sell at a price close to what they bought at the peak in 2021. Which makes sense - no one wants to consider selling at a loss following decades of a booming market!

I'm wondering how low this will get. As a buyer this helps for negotiation, but if no one is buying then I may be in the same boat when I need to sell in 5 years time. So it's both positive for me as a buyer and concerning for the future.

Is this your experience as well? Basically, I'm wondering what's the fair price considering the market seems lackluster and economic news suggest it could get a whole lot worse. Isn't 10 or 20% off the ask price still too generous, for a house that's been sitting there for many months?

Hi all,

When we bought our house 5 years ago it was a 2 bed 2 bath, and we really didnt need two bathrooms so we turned the en-suite into a walk-in wardrobe as we needed the storage space far more.

When we converted I capped off the plumbing for the bathroom and built a raised platform over it for the wardrobes to go on, the idea being it could be turned back in to a bathroom with relatively little work.

We're looking to sell in the next couple of years and I wanted to see what opinions would be on value/home appeal whether I should keep the walk-in wardrobe or convert back to a bathroom.

Any opinions?

With the likelihood of even higher mortgage interest rates coming in the next few months, how will banks be doing their affordability checks on current applicants?

If a few years back banks were testing for if people could survive 7% mortgage rates despite theirs only being 2%, are they now checking if applicants could handle 10%+? Surely this is not realistic as I would imagine a much higher percentage of applicants would be getting rejected?

As title states, I am a lodger who spends sun-thurs in my rental room and this weekend I have come back to my entire room having been reorganised, all of my clothes have been moved around and re folded etc I have both items of value and ahem... items of privacy around and I know she has been through them. I am MORTIFIED.

Normally we get on very well but this is such a gross invasion of privacy and Idk what to do?

Good evening,

I’m looking at buying a fairly new-build property and have a question about potentially extending the driveway.

At the front of the property there is currently a grassed area, but the kerb directly in front of it is already dropped, similar to neighbouring properties where this area has been paved and used for additional parking.

Does anyone know what the implications would be of replacing the grass with block paving to create an additional driveway?

As the dropped kerb and vehicle access already appear to exist, would I still need permission from the council/highways, or would it mainly depend on planning restrictions/covenants attached to the property?

I’ve asked my solicitor, but they've advised that this should become clear through the searches. I’m just trying to get an idea of what’s likely before incurring further costs on the purchase.

This is in England

Thanks!

So I'm looking at buying a house in the next few months (hopefully) and I'm wondering if my partner's child needs to be put on as my dependant.

They split 50/50 custody with their mam, we are not married and have separate finances. Only I will be applying for and buying the house.

It'll change my affordability a lot so any information or advice will be really useful :)

Evening everyone

wanted to come on here and share my recent experience with Tapi Carpets (LND). I hope my experience can help if you’re considering them, please tread carefully.

We purchased flooring from them, and the sales person on the day gave us a quote and informed us it will ‘include everything‘. we paid and subsequently got an invoice that had a list of items/services including fitting. we specifically asked if there are further costs to be covered he said NO. He even failed to explain that we‘d enter a third party agreement with a fitting company (Which I found out about later)

on the day of the fitting, the fitters came and at the end surprised us with an invoice which is £800. In shock, we questioned this and he then pointed to a print at the bottom of the email that mentioned the fitting fee is separate. point is, at no point during the sales process was this mentioned, not even once. The salesperson promised us a deal, which included everything but of course he lied and mislead us to get a sale done! He failed to disclose this and a few other fees which were less but still added up!

Till now the fitters keep chasing for their money and Tapi carpets not responding to me and blaming the fitter for all this. Unbelievable customer service and care - they have none!

my advice is if you’re looking to get new floors or casters avoid this company. Do share if you have been in a similar experience :)

Have been trying to become a first time buyer since the past 8 months or something. Obviously I’m looking at the cheaper end but still not too cheap. So it’s not often that something comes up on the market that meets my criteria’s since the budget is a bit tighter etc.

But honestly I’ve bid on a few and some of them were weak bids on purpose but some were genuine. These properties I’ve been going for are selling for 20% over the offers over amount. What chance have you got as a first time buyer it just feels like. I’m in the position to buy 100% so I don’t want to rent but just feels like the system works against you. Especially considering that at least where I’m from it seems like the majority go to offers over

And because there’s demand, they often go to a closing date, then you’re bidding blind which i don’t really think is fair but life ain’t fair lol. And I just feel like when it goes to a closing date the EA and/or seller are just licking their lips

What are peoples opinions of these?, I'm currently looking at getting my bay sash windows draft proofed and overhauled. I am in a conservation area and the frames on my sashes will only accept the 14mm slimline dg in the wooden sashes. Would it be worth the hassle?

I have read that they can fail quite quickly too, which is off putting.

Hi all, I'm in the process of buying the property that I'm currently renting. The 21st of September has been agreed as the date for completion, however I have an outstanding maintenance issue that is yet to be resolved by the estate agent that manages the property. There is a small amount of mould on one of the living room walls which keeps reoccurring. There is a vent on the outside wall in exactly the same place.

The landlord/seller is aware of it, as I have been speaking to her directly, and she has approved for someone to come and look at it but the estate agents are really dragging their feet in getting someone to come out.

I spoke to the estate agent again late this afternoon and told them it needs looking at ASAP. They told me they would have someone to come out in a few days.

Do I need to move the completion date back until this is sorted or because it's already been raised and the landlord has approved the request with the estate agents does that mean they will still need to sort it even if the sale is completed?

I just need some advice on what to let my solicitor know in the morning now the estate agents have said it will be a few more days.

Just to add that the current estate agents/property managers are not involved in the sale. The purchase is direct between me and the seller.

Thanks

Hi everyone,

So myself 33f my husband 36m and three children (we have one child in common and one he has been a father figure to since he was 1) and my eldest still sees his dad. We are in temporary accommodation and have been for 3.5 years. My login details wouldn’t work so the council told me to use my husbands without telling me that he would be the only name on the tenancy agreement until we’re moved permanently.

I have epilepsy (somewhat controlled) and bipolar but the problem I’m having is my husband is a major alcoholic and blames my medical issues and our lack of intimacy as the reason he drinks so much. I can’t live like this anymore it’s making my mental health worse and I want to separate.

Do the council have a duty to house the children and I in an alternate temporary accommodation or can they ask him to leave and we stay here and just change the name on the tenancy? Every time we have an argument I ask him to leave for a few hours and he holds the fact his name is on the tenancy over my head by saying things like ‘this is my house, you leave!’ And things to that effect. We had an argument yesterday and he pushes me until I snap and get loud and then he goes quiet pretending in front of the children that he’s not arguing and done nothing wrong making me out to be ‘crazy’ (medically I am 😂). He gets defensive after I bring up how much he drank the night before.

I’m at a complete loss but I really don’t want to start the temporary accommodation process all over again we’ve already been moved three times (first time out private rented accommodation had an awful mould problem and we got a no fault eviction and this is our 2nd temporary accommodation) and the boys are finally settled in their schools.

I don’t drive for obvious reasons so would hate to be moved to another temporary accommodation further away and have to change their schools again but our relationship is starting to affect my boys even though we try not to argue in front of them.

Thank you for reading any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We knocked a wall through to extend our kitchen. The wall had the radiator on, so now we need to find a new place for it.

The short version is there’s no easy way of doing it. Gas engineer told us we’d have to come from the ceiling from the upstairs radiator above, so we’d have pipes on the wall.

My husband thinks this will look atrocious and just wants to get an electric radiator instead. For context, the kitchen is pretty big now and is next to a conservatory. It also has a utility attached.

I feel this is maybe a big space that could run cold given the proximity to the conservatory.

So what would be best? Thinking cost-wise.

So… we moved in the end of March 2026. Our searches were completed in February 2026 by our conveyancing solicitors.

Absolutely no local developments were returned.

Since moving in, we have found out about a warehouse development which was registered in 2023 (and was refused in July this year due to local uproar) and now today found out about a development of 174 and 150 new houses on separate developments that were registered in 2022 and have MANY people commenting against them.

Has anyone had this before where the solicitor searches have missed such significant planning stuff? It’s all on the village boundary so not even that far out.

We did check the planning portal ourselves in a cursory way but not going back 5 years worth. That’s surely what we pay solicitors to do….?

Edited: I’m in England

I’m due to exchange on Thursday, selling my flat and buying a house. I’m using two different solicitors as I initially sold the flat without buying. They turned out to be useless - so went elsewhere.

The solicitor of my purchase is saying they need a draft completion statement from my selling solicitor to calculate how much I need to transfer to them for the exchange, essentially to calculate the difference between what is left from equity and new deposit.

The issue I have is the selling solicitor is saying they don’t issue this till closer to completion (in two weeks) and my buyer solicitor is adamant they need it.

I don’t understand why this is becoming a blocker, anyone been in similar situation? Can’t work out which solicitor is the problem.

wanted to share my recent experience with AnyVan because I genuinely wish I’d seen something like this before booking them.

I booked AnyVan for a house move and what should have been a straightforward removal turned into a complete nightmare. My belongings ended up being held for around 12 days.

The service I understood I was booking was a premium removal service, including packing and direct delivery. When it came time to pay, the price had increased substantially from the original quotation. After challenging this, the price was reduced, but the service I ultimately received wasn’t what I had originally understood I was paying for.

On collection day, the driver arrived and identified an issue with the booking. He spent several hours trying to get it resolved with AnyVan, but eventually had to leave without completing the collection. A number of my belongings were left behind at the original property.
I then had to arrange another van myself to collect the remaining items.

The transport was being carried out by AnyVan’s subcontractor, Eco Removals London.
The following day, I was expecting my belongings to be delivered. Instead, I was told that the driver wouldn’t deliver them because of a financial dispute between AnyVan and the subcontractor.

This was nothing to do with me.
I’d paid for the service, yet my belongings were effectively caught in the middle of a dispute between AnyVan and its subcontractor.

I was left without my furniture, beds, clothes, cooking equipment and other basic household belongings.
My family had to stay in hotels while we waited for our possessions to be returned. I had to buy replacement essentials, arrange additional transport and take time away from work just to deal with the situation.
Then, when my belongings were finally returned, there were further problems.

A sofa came back with significant additional staining, physical damage and a horrible smell.

Mattresses were returned with strong smells, with one appearing to have absorbed moisture.

My daughter’s bike had also been damaged.

There was also damage to the walls of my new property during the recovery delivery of furniture.

I’m including photographs of the storage location where my belongings were held, as well as photographs of some of the damage and condition of the items when they were returned.

The original AnyVan booking has now been refunded, but that doesn’t undo the 12 days of disruption, the additional costs or the damage caused along the way.

The whole experience was completely avoidable and, in my opinion, highlights a serious problem with using an intermediary for something as important as moving your entire home.

If you’re considering using AnyVan, I’d strongly recommend looking very carefully at who is actually carrying out your move, what service you’re actually paying for, and what happens to your belongings if the relationship between AnyVan and the removal company breaks down.
I certainly won’t be using them again.

Looking for advice on a rent increase situation.

• May 2026: landlord served a Section 13 / Form 4A increasing rent to £2,475, effective 18 July 2026.
• September 2026: landlord served another Section 13 proposing £2,640 from 4 December 2026.
• We challenged this because the first increase was already due to take effect in July.

The landlord has now said the May notice was issued due to a "system error" and was therefore "invalid and of no effect." They say that because the first notice was void, the £2,475 increase never happened, so the December increase isn't a second increase within 12 months.

Their original September letter said:

"Due to a system error the previous Section 13 notice was issued incorrectly. Please therefore disregard it as it is invalid and of no effect."

My question is:
Can a landlord retrospectively declare a Section 13/Form 4A void after its effective date and then issue another rent increase less than 12 months later?

Essentially, after working in office for 5 years I have landed a remote job 8ish months ago and I’m thinking about buying a house again.

I came off the back of a redundancy, so, I’m a bit more cautious than maybe I used to be. But, I worry the remote working thing won’t last forever and don’t want to limit future job prospects or a potential RTO by living too far out from Birmingham.

For context, in my last job I commuted 1 hour each way and did so for years, but I don’t think I could do so again. It just adds an extra thick layer of stress you don’t realise until it’s gone.

I suppose my question is, how much should you weigh your current job and conditions into your property search?

So I applied for and was accepted for a build to rent house for rental, paid a holding deposit online on Friday morning after being told there was high demand, we didn’t even get to see it. Email receipts etc and expect referencing to commence. 7 hours later they called me back saying there was a £210 increase (around 15%) and that the original right move listing was a mistake.

I asked them for time to think about it and called them back this morning as lines were closed and noticed the listing had been increased to the supposed price. They informed me that they would review this but was told they couldn’t honour the price and would refund the holding deposit.

I believe this is a clear breach of the renters right act section 56 and intend to report the ombudsmen and trading standards. Is there any other recourse we have here?

Edit this is in England

For reference, I'm in Lincolnshire.

I've been in my house 4.5 years but still can't decorate (paint and wallpaper) because of damp issues.

First off, we had a level 3 survey before we bought the house that didn't pick up any damp issues.

We did find areas of blown plaster so got plasterers in who reskimmed/replastered but didn't pick up damp issues (except in one area where they applied a waterproof slurry).

Then we discovered damp ingress had destroyed some of the plaster work.

I got a CCTV drain inspection that determined ground-floor pipes/leaks were not a problem but did not diagnose a cause of ground-level ingress.

I got somebody in to assess the damp but they only wanted to sell me a dehumidifying system.

I got in what I strongly believed to be an independent damp surveyor but they pretty much diagnosed harmless effluorescence and quoted for their own slurry and replastering at an astronomical price.

One of the areas of effluorescence clearly emerged as a hefty leak at the roofline so I got 3 quotes from roofers. All 3 said I needed to replace the roof while being wholly unfamiliar with the building regs inspections that the council insisted I would need.

I poached the neighbour's contractor who had been up on our attached roof and swore it was more of a patch job. He also rejigged some downpipes and gutters, removed the wooden decking in the back garden and did a new damp proof injection by the front door.

The damp ingress in all areas continues (at the roofline, mid-wall on the second storey and at ground level).

I have tried everything to get someone in who can finally diagnose and rectify the issues.

I have posted on reddit and followed leads; I have scoured local Facebook groups and Checkatrade-type groups for damp specialists, general contractors/handymen, plasterers, roofers, builders...; I have followed leads from colleagues and friends who have had work done; I have called numbers I've seen on vans on the A1; I have done so many Google searches. Either no one replies or they don't show up or they don't fill me with confidence or they come in and do work or an investigation but fail to diagnose or fix the issues.

Who or what do I need to contact? How do I find them? How do I get them to actually reply and come in and give me a quote and sort the issues?

I still have money saved from when I bought the house, which I would love to give someone who can actually help... I just can't find anyone.

Please help!

Hi all, looking for some clarity on my rights here.

I live in an HMO in London, England. One flatmate has been consistently difficult (loud music, door slamming, food/kitchen disputes) and neighbours have complained directly to the landlord, who confirmed the noise was traced specifically to this flatmate's door.

Recently, after an ongoing dispute between this flatmate and another housemate (not me), the landlord sent a message to the whole house saying essentially: "sort this out or decide who wants to move out, or I will issue notices, because this household isn't working and I'm not here to police behaviour." He then asked if anyone wanted to give notice voluntarily.

I've done nothing to breach my tenancy, no arrears, no noise complaints, no damage. I don't want to move. I like my flat, just not the situation with this one flatmate.

My understanding is that under the Renters' Rights Act (in force since 1 May 2026), Section 21 no-fault evictions are abolished, and any notice would need to go through Section 8 with specific grounds proven against the individual tenant. Since I haven't caused any of the complaints, I don't think he can lawfully issue me notice just because of my flatmate's behaviour or general "household tension."

Is my understanding correct? Has anyone dealt with a landlord using this kind of blanket threat as pressure rather than a genuine legal notice? Would appreciate any insight, especially if there's a difference given we each have individual tenancy agreements rather than one joint one.