HousePriceLottery

Here's an interesting turn up for the books, seems a coalition of pro electoral reform groups are planning big demos across the country tomorrow to push for electoral reform. Timed to put lots of the pressure on the Tories perhaps? TakeBackParliament

A good friend of mine sold his big house in Edinburgh this time last year. Medium high end type of place (6 bed victorian end of a row of terraces in great school area), the sort that usually had people knocking the door down. It even featured in the Scotsman property of the week thingy. Was on offers over at a sensible price.... he got one bid exactly at the offers over price. That's how much prices had fallen then, a year earlier he would have had several bida at probably 20-30% over the offers over price.

We're going to see her on Friday, might need to restrain the wife though as she's very angry. Our MSP is coming to visit us the week after as I think tenancy laws are a devolved matter.

Interesting comparison of tenant rights across the world on this website, will use it as ammunition when we go to our MP and MSP to talk about this issue: http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/...lord-and-Tenant http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/...lord-and-Tenant http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/...lord-and-Tenant Even America is pro-tenant!!

The thing that is driving my wife insane is that we did everything we considered to be prudent: * We didn't buy a property we couldn't afford * We saved our money carefully for when common sense returned to the world * We went for a landlord who was renting long term and through a reputable agency Now we are being punished on all fronts... * If we'd overstretched ourselves we'd be benefiting from lower interest rates and new government schemes to avoid repossession * Our savings are being eaten away by government induced inflation * Our landlord wanders off scot free and we get left dealing with the mess, leaving us out of pocket * Squatters probably have better security of tenure than we do! Makes you wonder what the point of being a good decent citizen is. It's some society our government has created for us isn't it.

The Agents have been pretty good about it, they offered to relocate us on good terms but they don't operate in the town we live in any more. I've also already told them no more cash, they agreed that was fine in the circumstances. If I could find the landlord I'd make him an offer for the place but he's disappeared, he's Chinese so probably headed back there. So we're left with buying at gun point before all the bank's funny money drains out of the market or renting which means at least another 2 moves before my son starts school (which is when we really need to buy by to get in a good catchment area). Some choice huh.

Landlord's done a runner, bank repossessing the house we are renting. Won't tell us how long we have until _after_ court order is granted. Could be anywhere from 4-8 weeks even though our lease isn't due to renew till July. Bank say lease isn't valid as they weren't informed the property was being rented. CAB and Shelter not been much help, apparently Scottish law isn't great in this situation. This is the second time we've have to move when one of our children has been under 6 months old, this time we have a baby thats 3 months. How on earth do the muppets that legislate in this country think they have done a good job with Short Term Assured Tenancy? It's a disaster for families... there's no stability in your life just wondering where you'll be when your kids reach school age.

Does this seem like a fair appraisal of the governments approach to our economic woes... So are we now all about to become forced borrowers?

My comment to channel 4 on this: Feel free to send them your opinions on the quality of Allsop and Spencer's advice... http://help.channel4.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBC...T_TITLE=General

This is a worthy effort and I'd be happy to contribute. It's very clear some revisionism is now taking place and it is sickening.

Simple they aren't using monetary inflation to price you out of food. They are just using a wall of existing money to price you out of food by all buying into it at the same time.

No the problem is caused by too much capital being controlled by too few gamblers. Everything the hedge funds are touching right now is being distorted. You can switch back to gold standard, but these guys will still own all the money and they will still invest it in the same way. What we need is to encourage investment diversity, and more importantly long term investing, and break up these mega-fund's who are all placing the same short term bets.

Did you actually read this article, or were you too busy kneejerk reacting to the mention of the EU regulation? Seems spot on to me, the city of London is an orgy of greed. We have just witnessed the largest misallocation of capital in history and it can all be blamed on these guys. The only effiency in capital allocation there is the way they allocate into their own pockets... Bring on the regulators.

Agreed and if you are at all interested in my humble opinions, it looks very much like inflation rather then deflation. The global economic situation pretty much precludes deflation now. Wage inflation... this was one I had a big argument with a friend about a couple of years back. He was saying you don't need to worry about buying an overpriced house because if interest rates do go up it'll be because inflation will be on the run and that will mean it'll erode your debt. However I wasn't so sure since we've entered a situation where inflation can exist without the same rise in wage inflation. We've seen this at work particularly in my industry (tech sector) for years now. So my retort was when inflation comes this time it will actually erode the standard of living, and people's ability to service debt, this being the end result of globalisation that most people hadn't grasped at the time. FTSE - investors seem to be living in lah lah land, long may it continue. Dollar and Sterling sliding off in a death grip, sterling to eventually out do the dollar in that respect. Unemployment, as Yazz once sagely said... the only way is up baby.

Are you kidding these two would be offering you a half price ticket to own all the capital loss on these overpriced rabbit hutches!