darrude

Hi. Yes, this is how it has been done before, so it's not exactley an issue. Regards, Darren.

Hi, Thank you all very much for your replies, I'll be a little less obtrusive than I planned in the letter that I am going to send to them! We are actually in a ground floor apartment, but one side is against a stream (the side where they don't clean the windows as often as they should). Access into the stream is awkward, but not difficult or particularity dangerous. During heavy rain the stream does get to the point where it would be Knee deep and quite fast flowing, but generally it is ankle deep and very gentle (to give you an idea of how gentle, a family of duck live on it. There are apartments above ours which I assume have the same issue, but we never see our neighbors as we have our own front door, which is quite a bit away from the communal door. Also we don't have access to the main building (even though we have to pay for the lift maintenance communal area maintenance, which is I think is part of the reason I feel so aggrieved that they aren't even cleaning all our windows). I would assume that the cleaning of the 4th floor windows would be more challenging than our windows. Again, Many thanks for your thoughts, I think the first step I will take is to write a constructive letter explaining my concerns and how I feel we are been unfairly treated to prompt them to come back with a solution. Darren.

Hi, I've not been on here in ages but remembered how good some of the advice is on here so I've come back in the hope that somebody can help me! I know this isn't possibly the best forum for this issue but I'm not sure where else to go and any help or advise would be appreciated. I've bought my first house (well apartment) and we pay quite heavy service charges (over £100/month). For this they are supposed to clean all windows (albeit at an unspecified interval). The issue that we have however is that some of the windows are difficult (but not impossible) to access and the management company seem to have decided not to clean these for the last 12 months). What options do I have for forcing them to provide an acceptable service. I have complained several times but just seem to be ignored. Many Thanks, Darren.

I like how they say if you are watching a copy you are funding organised crime. Won't this mean that it will go back to the old day's of buying knocked off cd's etc from car boot sales and end up funding organised crime. Why the music / film industry can't use P2P technology to there advantage is beyond me, or do they think £17.99 is good value for 1hour 30mins of watching average film that will be out on sky 6months later! how many people would bother with a phone line and broadband now a day's without been able to download anything. mobile PAYG broadband would work out much cheaper.

I have seen this particular EA advertise the offers in the local paper asking people to come in with higher offers. I personally think it's disgusting. If i was selling a car and agreed a sale, I wouldn't then ring everyone else who had shown interest and say they can have it for £50 more. It should be off the market.

hi, I put an offer in on a house about a month ago and it got rejected. I've just had an answer phones message from the EA saying that they have just had an offer accepted and would I like to make another offer..... hardly fair on whoever is buying the other house is it! i wondered is this legal, if they want to sell it that way send it to auction. Darren.

Well who'd of thought that might happen! +1

we actually were going to go for this, the thing that got me was how much the minimum amount was, that the agreed to lend me. It was 20K more then I myself had budgeted as my maximum, and the maximum amount they would lend was crazy, from memory about 50K over my maximum. I wonder what the quality of life for those people that got onto it is or will be after there fixed term.

Is that the government bailout of the housing market over then?

shocking, I can't believe rental properties don't have to go through the similar safety checks as places of work. Technically they are commercial properties.

i 2nd that

my affordability calculations are based on 12%, and no overtime, which is when things are getting tight, especially if inflation shoots up like it probably will. the interest on the mortgage will be over 6%

that's interesting to know, we looked at another that we both really like, but so overpriced. I guess the only issue would be getting the seller to drop to your valuation. Would be a good negotating tool to use if you knew the seller was desperate. Thanks.

thanks for feed back everyone. i have had a good think and spoken to my mum and dad, and we decided to make a silly offer, 145,000 which has already been rejected. The estate agent has said that 160,000 would be accpeted, but I said no to that. they explained what a bargain it was and how it's alrady had a considerable reduction, to which i replied, well it was obviously massivly overpriced then! anyway's I'll leave it for a week then remind them offer still stands, if they don't want to take it and get rid quick, then i'll wait and buy it, or something similar next year for the same price!

thanks for the replies guy's, I guess my best estimates won't be too far off then. Agree about stretching myself, I could easily afford the repayments, just struggling with the deposit. I could get a loan to get the deposit difference but it doesn't seem right to do this, and i'd have no safety net on my finances. Do many people take loans to cover deposits, are you allowed to do this? think i might see how long it's on the market for, fingers crossed i'll have saved enough by then. Many thanks for your quick reponces guys.

hi all, I'm after some advise if possible please. We looked at buying a house in march / april which we really liked (wife pregnent so need the extra space). It was originally on for 225,000 and then reduced to 215,000. From my own research I valued it at between 165,000 to 175,000 but the seller would not accept under 190,000. anyway the house (we think) has now been reposessed and is on the market for £165,000. by really streching ourselves we can just about scrape together the deposit (originally we were looking to buy using 15% deposit via the mychoice homebuy scheme), but then I started thinking, how does the mortgage company work out the value. Do we have to pay for the survey for the value to be calculated prior to knowing what deposit we will need. How likley is this to be the advertised price, could it work in my favour etc (i offer 150,000, get valued at 165,000 and i don't need any deposit). Is there any way of working out the figures without spending any / too much mony (don't want to apply for a mortgage at £800 and then pay a survey at £500). Thanks in advance, Darren

i wonder what difference the MyChoiceHomebuy scheme has made to these figures as I guess they are all going though now from the sales in April. They force you to take out a mortagage above your means!

Good point, well made! thanks.

I've just offered 150 on a house on the market for 190 and the EA (they bought in april 2006 for 175) and they weren't at all shocked or taken back, wish i'd of offered less now.

if the debt / credit crisis continues then IMO things will only get worse for northern rock, even with the BoE helping out. if rates come down though and they can pull through then your on to a winner...... how many millionaires will be opening a savings account with them, and who's going to take one of their overpriced mortgages out, can they revieve themselves on existing custom, and how many are still planning on leaving despite of the BoE / government promises.

I know there is a tie in with Sainsbury's and HBOS, HBOS basically run sainsbury's Bank, don't know what this means in terms of operation / risk, or really what it means. guess it's pretty much like Virgin Credit cards which are actually MBNA re-marketed.

COULD NOT AGREE MORE, THE THING I DON'T GET IS NEARLY EVERYONE KNOW'S THIS AND NOTHING IS DONE.

No the welfare system is for bum's who can't be ar$ed working. My wife got made redundant about 2 years ago, no help at all, we never got a penny, a friend of a friend i have never works more than 3 months in a year, gets a house enough money to go out etc, always has a new mobile etc etc.