stillill

How did you get on with the council ,OP? Find myself in a similar situation with a flat I've just rented. Viewed it once for about 10mins, looked fine, bit grubby etc., all current tenant's furniture/bed/wardrobes etc in situ. No smell of damp etc. When I got the keys to move in, all the furniture had been taken out, fine. However what was now visible were large bubbling areas of plaster on the wall which had been hidden by furniture. Worse was actually a largeish patch of crumbling plaster (back to the brick) purposefully hidden by the landlord by moving a small bookcase in front of it. Also, where the wardrobe and chest had been removed, the carpet was badly discoloured from damp. On investigation I lifted the carpet and found the underlay and floorboards wet to the touch. Instantly contacted estate agent who was 'shocked'. They have said they're currently getting quotes for damp course work, but the amount of upheaval this will involve depresses me a bit. They also noted some damp on shelving so will be getting that re-done. Am considering the 'just leave' option rather than hang around while works are done. The 'loss of enjoyment' factor and fit for human habitation considerations will need to be looked at. However, I'm concerned at what my rights are as the property was in this condition when I started the contract, so I worry it's just going to be 'buyer beware' and I'll need to leave, and the upheaval that involves.

I found it a bit confusing that over the last 2 or 3 days, the Bbc website has not given much coverage to this. Even on the Scotland page, this by-election was not on the front page. When the Glasgow East by-election was on, it had wall-to-wall coverage. And perhaps the SNP capitalised on that by getting more people out to vote against Broon. Now Labour have won, it's THE top story on web, radio, and (I imagine Tv - I refuse to have one). It felt like "keep this story off the media, non-Labour voters may then forget to vote". Academic really. Heard the winner ramble on about how Brown was the "leader of this country" (eh?) and was the man to save us. Then the next story was "BA report massive profits plunge and banks refuse to pass on IR cuts". Please Brown, do the decent thing...

Very sensible, bad news does not make for a healthy mind. Thanks for your good posts (I've mostly lurked).

Down the right hand side there's a link to 'Credit Crunch halts U2 Tower in Dublin' hehehehehehehehhe http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...ower-block.html

I don't own a house, but have £40,000 in the bank. Sure as **** they'd be getting their fine out of me (if I were a smuggler). They'd probably put it up to £80,000 since the house that I was going to buy has dropped in price so that £40k would go so much further... *mind boggles* Make the thieving twunt homeless at least...

"Normal people" in my office, non-HPC forumites, are openly discussing prices continuing to fall for another 2 years. None of them are surprised, and they're homeowners. Good good.

Does that mean if I take all my savings out the bank, I'll hasten the crash?

Next door neighbour's lodger used to work for a Labour MP (B**l R****l). She filtered letters to him from constituents. They would receive the letter, look up if they were a member/donor of the Labour party - and only act/take seriously those from party members. Surely some Data Protection Act crime, in addition to the obvious 'you didn't vote for me so I don't care' attitude. I suppose they must be inundated with letters from lowly constituents, how can they ever hope to cope... Do you think that happens with the emails we send? I was pretty depressed when I found that out... Democracy? hahahahahahah Still, you have to try I guess.

Yeah, I hope my bonus is paid out of the USD profits!!

So I don't get it, are you guys laughing at Iceland? Or Brown? I signed it, with £10k stuck in Icesave.

http://www.order-order.com/2008/09/flashba...ight-touch.html CBI Speech by Brown Horrocks in 2005

Erm.. no. And that's not what he was saying. He's saying the Govt. were happy to suck up 40% of those massive bonuses for years. Now for some reason those massive bonuses are "a bad thing". It's not like slackening the rules, de-clawing the FSA, rigging interest rates, using a useless inflation index, raping pensions etc etc could have contributed to the "every man for themselves" mind-set of our financial companies. The price of a tin of beans is a drop in the ocean compared to cost of the bailout, the wiped-out wealth and the forthcoming recession. Doesn't make it a helpful comparison.

Don't be a tosspot letsdance, just cos you haven't got the money to spend on whatever you want. Stick to you completing your Bowie 7"...

I noticed Peston having a dig at Brown on his blog. Maybe he's realised the cat is out the bag and there's no point defending the sociopath to the ridicule of his own media career - This is Brown's mantra, and I read it as a "scales falling from the eyes" realisation on Peston's part. Also, apparently on the Continent, the Europe-wide bailout is referred to as 'The Sarkozy Solution', not Brown's. Spinning to Joe Punter that he's saving the world. It's some Swedish technique they used in the 90s to get themselves out a similar crisis.

Well I applied for this via i-Protect (one of the MoneySuperMarket leads)... and got declined! I applied for £1500pcm insurance, paying a premium of £45pcm etc. Filled in the details, salary, no debts etc. Then put in my employer RBS(!) must have set off alarm bells... I see tonight that iProtect are no longer listed on the msm site, must have had their pay-out fund in Iceland... May try another provider tomorrow.

Sh1t, should have bought a house, my money would have been safe there and I wouldn't be accused of being greedy or stupid. Oh well , one lives and learns. Or left it under my bed - safe! Or left it in all in a UK bank - safe! Or bought gold - safe! Spunked it on booze and birds - ...

Cheers for all the replies people, just reading through them. Tbh, I never even thought of housing benefit. I didn't get it when I was on the dole once before (went back to parents), and didn't think I would this time - I've got loads in the bank and figured they'd make me use that. Don't fancy spanking 12k of my own savings to cover my rent for the next year if I could pay a premium each month til I get canned... ps I work for a Big Bank so looks like I might have a hefty premium... Just finding all the restrictions a bit heavy duty. If I'm made aware of or made unemployed in the next 4 month, they won't pay. Guess they have to protect themselves in some way... Better get on to an advisor.

Or spending working hours posting on interspaz message boardzzz. Everyone on here independently wealthy, yes?

Did a quick search but couldn't find anything. With the current economical ups and downs, I wouldn't be surprised to be made redundant in a few months. My brother is also in the same position, and took out Mortgage Protection Insurance to cover his mortgage for 6 months or something if he loses his job. I've just taken on a 12month lease on a flat, wonder if I got bumped if there is equivalent income protection insurance that would cover my rent? Anyone had experience of it? Is a gloomy friday thread...

Put your tin foil hats away. Today is still on air. Give it til after nine then go to the archive and get the full 3hr stream...

33 yo single software dev in City, flatsharing, earning 100K, savings 100k+. Looking to continue renting for another 6-12m (City way collapse and I don't want a fat mortgage). No hurry to buy but may move into 1-bed rented flat for a change.

I know it's all in jest, but the continued slighting of Scots as being tight and English-hating is pretty tiresome and off-the-mark. Let's have some jokes about Jews being stingy, Pakistanis owning corner shops and German's being war criminals to balance it up a bit, eh?

Ah that's the only thing I've ever knowingly stolen... Chopper 'Song of The Surfer' from a signing at Forbidden Planet. Even got Colin MacNeil to draw a little picture inside for me. Then I legged it, was only 14 and had spent my pocket money on cider...

No, let's be aware that the tax revenue generated by the bankers pays for a lot of our pensions, and several large financial institutions have already left for Switzerland due to the heavy tax burden imposed by Labour. Yes, they get rich along the way, that is capitalism. You're not totally daft are you? You want to have a look at the civil service if you want fat cats and snouts in troughs. There's nothing wrong with bonuses as an incentive to work long hours in a draining environment, miles from your family. Doesn't your employer give you a little bonus gold star on your name badge when you do well?

The Conservatives need to watch that they don't become complacenet. Who knows who at the Beeb is buttering them up to stick the knife in at the behest of Brown/whoever? If they take their eye off the ball, Labour-media could make life very diffcult for them. Cameron is electable just the way he is without some self-congratulatory "Cameron-on-Cameron" puff, and Nick Robinson is pretty sickly - it could go either way. As long as he doesn't try and out-Brown Brown ("Fairness for all?" f---- that, opportunity for those who want to take it).