We bought and are renovating 200 year old derelict house that’s been unoccupied for 20+ years and there’s a driveway leading up to the property that is owned by 2 houses down (some weird historical exchange that is shrouded in mystery). Even though the driveway is outside our house and not theirs, they use it for parking and we aren’t allowed to (I mean fair enough, there’s been no one living here for years).

Every house on this road has internet running underground from access points on the pavement, and overhead is not an option. We have been told by the installation technicians that the cable must cross the boundary of the driveway to get to our house, but that the works will be quick, and they will make good the dug ground on the very same day. And they also said that the dug route would be nicely tucked away to the side and wouldn’t at all affect the neighbours parking during the process.

They knocked on the neighbours door to ask permission to do the works today, and the neighbour refused. The technician came back to us a bit shocked saying that he’s not sure what to do other than for them to do a little survey and send to the neighbour. As of writing this he is off on another job but will come back later with a colleague to do the inspection.

What do we do? This seems so surreal. I never thought we’d be stuck without internet because a neighbour doesn’t want anything done on land they own. It’s quite an unusual situation (I think) but I guess anything goes. Do you have any advice on what we can do?

Also we are exploring buying that land but the neighbour isn’t keen unfortunately. They’re trying to sell so I suppose they’re worried having any works done or any other dealings may cause friction in their attempts to sell?

Happy housing! (Idk it’s my first time being a homeowner, ive gotta sign off with something)

——EDIT—— I should’ve specified, the land in question is NOT a tarmac made up drive. It’s literally just a patch of grassy weedy land that has nothing built on it or upkeep. ——EDIT 2—— I also should’ve specified that it states on our title deeds that we have the legal right for any necessary works on utilities through that land to be carried out. Although I think that is for EXISTING utilities, and the house has never had internet. Although it may have had a phone line in the past?

Needed more space for my family so upsized from 3 bed new build that was immaculate to 4 bedroom semi which is older. We understood that there may be a few things to deal with but cannot express how much this has got me down over the last few weeks.

1. Boiler was pretty much on its last legs and not even installed correctly. The flue was not angled correctly and causing issues. On top of this all radiators in the house were rusted to within an inch of their life. We’ve installed new boiler and radiators throughout at a cost of ~4k.

2. From speaking to the new neighbours the previous owner bought a lot of things second hand. Including the 5m x 4m conservatory. Whilst the big space looks nice, the bay windows are bowing outwards towards garden and the roof panels have slipped leading to water ingress. This was the first thing we seen after we obtained keys and we were devastated. Had a conservatory roof bloke out who basically said he wouldn’t sell us a new roof even if we wanted and pretty much beat off ripping it down and blocking up.

3. Main bathroom leaking onto floor and water coming through kitchen ceiling. We are getting this ripped out and repiped and tiled with new suite for ~7k.

4. Downstairs toilet cistern wasn’t attached to the wall and is leaking water. We had this turned off and isolated. Whole thing will need to be ripped out and replaced at some point. Same with the en-suite.

5. Sheer filth. Never seen anything like it in my life. Took me and my Mrs days and weeks to clean the grime away. Carpet on the landing stunk of cat urine so I ripped out but have to have floorboards for now until we get main bathroom renovated.

We had 40k to start with, which we were hoping to use some of to make the house look lovely. The majority of this money is now dedicated to getting the house habitable and safe for my family.

With all of the issues all at once, we don’t have the spare cash for a new conservatory, the cheaper option we thing is to do away with it.

We bought a couple of years ago and are unexpectedly in a position to upsize so are selling because we've found a bigger place. Our buyers have asked whether we had a survey done and if they could see it. Yes there's an argument about them being "cheeky" or charging them for the privilege, etc., we're not really fussed about that side of things - it's not wholly unreasonable and might speed things along.

Our survey didn't flag anything of major note - usual arse covering by the surveyor, some issues that having lived here we know aren't issues, one or two things we dealt with since, etc. Potential damp on one wall got flagged ("high readings") which I suspect was overkill as we've had zero evidence of any issues there at all. A few things they might be worried about, as with all surveys, but nothing we've had any issues with (and frankly that survey missed things we definitely did have issues with!)

Anyway, my thinking is if we don't share the survey they'll probably get their own one done which will likely turn up the same (or new) issues anyway. Presumably there's a chance they try and save a few quid by not getting one at all, but that seems unlikely. If we do share our survey they might take things in stride or want additional investigations, money off, etc....but then that would happen with a new survey anyway.

Just wondering about the practicalities, anyone with a similar experience, pros and cons etc. Not a generic "screw 'em, make them pay for their own" answer, because that doesn't really help anything.

We had a mold surveyor come in recently for various concerns and they rated our air quality ‘hazardous with a serious risk to health’ due to severe damp.

We are just renting - is this normal? Should we get a second opinion?

Exchanged contracts 3 weeks ago, due to complete in 2 weeks. Seller is now refusing to let us view before completion, stating it does not suit as she is in the process of moving. We just wanted to cast a quick eye over it to make sure no big issues between exchanges and completion - anything we can do?

TIA

Just to add - we did a viewing the day before exchange. FTB so not sure what normal process is. Estate agent had told us previously that a pre complement viewing is fairly normal. Thanks for all the info.

We instructed our solicitor at the start of September and have just received confirmation of completion date for start of November. I know we’re still not there yet but we’ve been really lucky with how things have gone so far I can’t actually believe it.

The thing that took the longest is waiting at the start for 3 weeks for the offer to be accepted. Other than the from start to finish this has taken 2 months.

*Edit - No chain, ftb moving into an empty house

Hi All

we had a buyer on our house and they pulled out this week after about 4 weeks of progress being made, putting us back to square one.

We have come to the realisation/acceptance hat we are likely not to find another buyer in the next few weeks and collapsing our chain.

Therefore we are likely to decide to take our house of the market within the next month, look to do some changes to the house to improve its presentation etc and come back to the market next March/Apr as a new listing as it will be stale listing and not do anything further.

In terms of price wise we feel the price is fine for the size of the house etc as there have been a few houses sold stc for the same price bracket within a 1/2 mile radius in the last month as been keeping an eye on the market, so feel the pricing is fair.

in terms of what ideas we currently have is
1)replacing the carpet on the stairs/landing to match the bedrooms (the carpet is battered and needs replacing)
2)replacing the carpet in the lounge to an earthy brown and painting the wall behind the tv in green.
3) adding more picture frames/plants etc on the landing/lounge to make it appear more homely.
4) replace the vanity units in the ensuite. We want to replace these and have new ones when we moved so thinking doing it now and take the units with us.
5) in the guest room we are thinking of getting rid of the bed/bed units and replace with a sofa bed(something we have decided to do when moving anyway)

does anyone have any other ideas we could potentially do to improve its presentation and increase its selling chances for when we revisit it next year.

link to our property as below:

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/73675982/

any advice is appreciated.

London clay has been in the news lately, and there's been a lot of posts on this sub about huge new cracks appearing in people's homes after this summer's historic drought. Tl;dr - all of London is essentially built on clay, which expands and contracts depending on rainfall. While this hasn't really been a problem for centuries, it is increasingly going to become one now. Drought conditions make London more than anywhere else in the country susceptible to subsidence risk. Subsidence can make properties un-insurable, un-mortgageable, and potentially unsafe to live in - so, essentially unsellable.

As someone who is about to buy a period property in London (Victorian) - those with the greatest risk of subsidence, given their shallow foundations - this is freaking me out. British Geological Survey released this summer indicates 54% of London properties will be at risk of subsidence by 2070 under high-emissions scenario, 26% under moderate-emissions scenario. Certain boroughs & property types are more at risk, but these numbers aren't good for anyone.

I know many people may shrug and say 'shit happens, you can't control this' - but for those of you trying to buy property in London right now, how is this information impacting your decision making, if at all?

So I'm looking at a new build apartment, it's through a first time buyers scheme. I've been in contact with the sales department and they have said the following to me:

"You can obtain an AIP and use your own broker for the process if you wish but you would need to be qualified by our panelled broker either way. "

Why do we need to be qualified by their panelled broker? What does this mean? What does this entail?

I'm very confused on this and just want to make sure I'm not walking into a big red flag!

If the offers over price is just a gimmick price to get eyes on the property, why can't you just transparently tell us the real amount the seller is looking for instead of making us waste time guessing?

And when we believe your messaging, why is that a problem? We saw a beautiful house which was listed for 380K. We left it alone. It was reduced to 360K. We offered 365K as FTB buyers no chain. Apparantly the owner still wants home report or close to which is 400K. Well your price is your price and it's your house I respect that, but if you failed to achieve that price from people with a 380 budget, aren't people with a 360K budget likely to offer less?

We’re relatively new home owners and are looking for reputable local kitchen fitters.

How do you usually find them? I reached out to a company which doesn’t cover my area but they recommended someone. I can’t seem to find any online presence of them.

There are also others that seem to have good online presence. Is it always important to look for some online presence or reviews when looking into good kitchen fitters/builders?

Disclosure: this account is affiliated with a paid planning-document preparation service. This is an England planning-process discussion, without commercial links or an offer of representation.

I am interested in how residents distinguish a request to change a proposal from a suggestion that a detail might be controlled by a planning condition.

Those routes seem easy to blur. A revised window position would change the design being considered. A condition could, where suitable, control a specified aspect of an approved proposal. Simply asking the council to “sort out privacy later” does not explain the requirement or whether it would address the concern.

The current NPPF’s decision-making chapter asks authorities to consider whether conditions or obligations could make an otherwise unacceptable proposal acceptable. It also sets requirements for conditions, including a planning purpose, precision and practical compliance and enforcement. That leaves a real assessment to be made; it is not a promise that every concern can be resolved by adding one.

For a resident’s comment, I would begin with the relationship shown by the drawings and the existing feature affected. Then ask a focused question about a potential change, rather than write a condition as though it has already been accepted.

An example question could be whether a different opening arrangement would address a particular relationship with an existing private sitting area. The council would still need to consider the design, suitability and any enforceable requirements. An effect caused by the overall footprint may need a different assessment from one associated with a single opening.

Has an officer’s report helped you understand why a concern was dealt with through a revised design, a condition, or neither? It would be useful to hear what made the reasoning clear.

Please discuss anonymous examples of the decision process, rather than judge a live application from incomplete plans. Official guidance is linked below so the discussion has a shared starting point.

Sources (checked 14 October 2026): NPPF Chapter 3, DM1–10: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework-chapter-3-decision-making-policies-dm1-10 Use of planning conditions: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/use-of-planning-conditions

Prepared with AI assistance.

"When an offer is accepted, the buyer will be required to pay a non-refundable Reservation Fee of £7925 including VAT (in addition to the final negotiated selling price), sign a Reservation Form and agree the Terms and Conditions prior to solicitors being instructed. If you require a copy of these documents, or for further information, please contact the Purplebricks Secure Sales team" direct quote

can someone explain what the hell this reservation fee is and if this is basically a legal scam? Also what if my mortgage provider fails to give mortgage do I just lose my fee altogether? This seems like a new legal scam of 2026, although id love to put in an offer and try to secure landing on this flat

Just trying to get a rough idea of how long we might have left as the estate agent just gives me boilerplate answers every time I chase. Chain is like this:

(England)

FTB

Leasehold flat (6 floors so BSA) - "Working through BSA things"

Us - Sale and purchase done

New House - Sale and purchase done

End of chain - Sale done

The leasehold flat have had surveys, mortgage offer, searches and management pack back since early September. This week the update was simply "Enquiries remain ongoing on the leasehold property, including Building Safety Act (BSA) matters." They have given no indication of there being an issue and the flat is in a building with regular enough and recent transactions so not expecting a building issue.

I guess this is just the usual 2 weeks lag between solicitors and management companies...

So bloody slow.

We have seen a house that we love which is going to best and final and I have a few questions. Our house is sold to first time buyers who are renting. It sold for more than what the house we want to buy is currently listed for. The house we're viewing is in a new location, with scope to extend and is honestly the best thing we've seen for months. As it's less than our budget, we are potentially competing with first time buyers. Besides the obvious, putting a strong offer in, how can we sell ourselves? We intend to send our agreement in principle, although we hope to port our mortgage (not sure if we should mention that?!). Do we need to tell the EA our LTV? We will also mention that we can move in with family if needed while we wait for this house. Should we disclose any additional savings (not exact amounts)? TIA

I’m looking to purchase a maisonette which comes with an allocated parking space. I’ve been there twice and couldn’t find any bay with my house number on because all of the paint has faded away

I’ve checked the land registry and old google maps photos and can confirm that I do have a parking space. When cross checking the position, another car has been parked in that spot on both occasions that I visited

Would it be unreasonable of me to ask the seller to get that parking bay marked and numbered prior to purchase? I don’t really fancy having to fight my neighbours about parking from day 1

Based in England

We've viewed a house we want to offer on but we're unsure as the seller seems to be unsure about actually selling. He wants to move away with his partner after his wife died a few years ago, he went to the area he was looking at and apparently got put off by the prices in the area and he also felt guilty about selling the house he lived in with his wife so he took it off the market briefly. The estate agent has said he's now convinced him to sell again.

I'm quite nervous about getting an offer accepted and then getting partially through the process just for him to change his mind. Though I know that could happen with any property. Would you go ahead with an offer?

Hi,

We’ve viewed a property that ticks most of our boxes after a really long period of not finding anything suitable however it comes with a list of covenants. The most important ones are:

13.6 Not to use the property for any purpose other than as a single private dwelling in one occupation only.

13.6.1 Not to plant any hedge or tree on any part of the property which exceeds 3.0480 metres in height and not to allow any hedge or tree on the property to grow to a height in excess of 3.048 metres.

13.6.2 Not to do or omit to do or permit or suffer to be done or omitted to be done any act matter or thing on or about the Property which causes or may be or become an annoyance nuisance damage or disturbance to the Transferor or the owner/occupier for the time being of the Retained Land.

13.6.3 Not to make any alteration or addition to the exterior or external appearance of the Property or the building on the Property except at the rear of it

13.6.4 Not to open any new windows or other opening (whether temporary or otherwise) on the south side of the property overlooking the Retained land

Long story short, the neighbour lived in this house and sold it but kept a strip of land and added these covenants. He is now 82 and they date back from 2000s.

We don’t plan to make major alterations, plant any trees but find the point about nuisance very broad and personal. We do have a very active toddler and do like to host the odd bbq in summer. The house is detached so the main concern would be the time spent in garden.
Are these massive red flags? How would he go about challenging these?

Which would you prefer to live in a 30s semi or Victorian terrace?

Im in the process of buying a 2 bed masionette leasehold. It was advertised as having a front garden and toof terraced area. It also had the floorplan on there.

Simce the Leasehold document has come back this garden area can only be used as walk way and is not included in the lease.

My conveyancer asked for consent for me to use it as a garden and they have said no.

The estate agents have said the garden area doesnt affect the price and that the valuation stays the same but i dont believe this to be true. They have also said be reassured that the current owner and previous owner have used it as a garden so it should continue to be fine.

This feels like really fraudulant advice simce they now know there is no consent to use it as a garden.

What should i do ?

Hi all,

It's my first time renting in London and my lease ended on a Sunday. The estate agent I was supposed to drop the key off to was closed on a Sunday, so I kept it and aimed to drop it off the next day. Got swallowed up by work, didn't hear anything when I emailed and then dropped it off on Wednesday.

Management are now charging me two days rent (£90) and the cost of a lock change (£30) - though over the phone they said a new tenant had moved in on Monday. They also have previously made a copy of my key as they needed access to my flat and left their copy in mine, so they had two spare keys (the original spare, and a copy). Is there anything I can do or have I been silly? Any advice really appreciated.

Third time moving so I should really know this but when should we instruct a solicitor for our house sale - our house is sstc but we haven't found anywhere to move yet.

Wait until we've had an offer accepted on our purchase?

Are there any good news stories on this sub? Midway through a sale and purchase and just see so many horror stories on here regarding shit surveys, damp, mould, no maintenance and its pure stress. Anyone got a positive story? 😅

Hi everyone, looking for some advice or to hear from anyone who has gone through a similar situation.
We found our dream house, put in a couple of bids, and finally had an offer accepted. Right after acceptance, I called the estate agent to request that the property be marked as Sold Subject to Contract (SSTC). However, the agent advised us that the seller requested it remain listed for "personal reasons." In hindsight, that red flag should have tipped me off, but we moved forward.

Fast forward three months: we were fully prepared to complete in just 5 days. I had already transferred our funds to our solicitor in anticipation of completion. Then, out of nowhere, the seller’s wife called our solicitor directly. She informed them that they are currently going through divorce proceedings, their financial settlement hasn't been resolved, the court is involved with the property, and as a result, completion cannot happen.
Looking back at all the paperwork and official documents, only the husband’s name was listed as the owner. We had no idea a wife even existed, let alone that they were going through a divorce, until her phone call to our solicitor.

We have asked our solicitors to reach out to the seller's side to ask what the official next steps are, as we are completely clueless about where this can even go from here.

My partner and I are absolutely distraught and feel like we’ll never get our dream home. We've invested so much time, emotion, and money into this process. Has anyone been through something similar? What typically happens next in this situation, and is there any chance this sale can eventually go through? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.