I wonder if more folks will do this?...

[ricc]

A brave few i have seen, very very hard to get a good person at a fair price, some here want a grand up front before starting work.

Pretty much the reputation that Irish workers have over here.

Our retirement flat needed a new pressurised water heating system.... which needs building regs certification..... got a local plumber to do the job..... first time I've ever paid a plumber to do anything.

 

[trevskoda]

Last 3 big jobs i got done were not right and i have had to go over them myself, driveway laid in sand when i was not keeping an eye on the job, i ask for 4 inch of concreat under it to support weight of boats and camper, 6 slabs laid in the morning as it takes time to do right, went in for coffee and back out half an hr later to find 20 or more laid, what he had done was a quick lawer of sand and downed the flags fast so i did not see whats under them.
Next job was plastic gutters and flashing around front porch, charged £700, weeks later a chap i was doing an engine for worked in the biz said i was robbed as the whole house would have been £190.
Then lead roof section put down in one length were it should be in 1 mtr overlaid strips to stop cracking with summer heat, which it did.
Foundations of porch not dug deep and it started to lean forward and crack away from the house, the list goes on.
So in efect cr-p work done my bandits in my eyes, most have now been corrected by me and some still ongoing.

 

[Boris7]

Last 3 big jobs i got done were not right and i have had to go over them myself, driveway laid in sand when i was not keeping an eye on the job, i ask for 4 inch of concreat under it to support weight of boats and camper, 6 slabs laid in the morning as it takes time to do right, went in for coffee and back out half an hr later to find 20 or more laid, what he had done was a quick lawer of sand and downed the flags fast so i did not see whats under them.
Next job was plastic gutters and flashing around front porch, charged £700, weeks later a chap i was doing an engine for worked in the biz said i was robbed as the whole house would have been £190.
Then lead roof section put down in one length were it should be in 1 mtr overlaid strips to stop cracking with summer heat, which it did.
Foundations of porch not dug deep and it started to lean forward and crack away from the house, the list goes on.
So in efect cr-p work done my bandits in my eyes, most have now been corrected by me and some still ongoing.

Sounds like bad management to me

 

[trevskoda]

Sounds like bad management to me

I cannot be in two places at once and expect people to do the job requested of them,, these days as semi retired i stand over any if not all jobs and dont pay if not up to scratch, problem here is you have to watch they are not linked to paramiltery types and you end up with a hiding, i have seen it happen.

 

[Caz]

Since 2018, landlords have been required to install insulation, draught-proofing and other measures to ensure that their properties have at least an E-rated energy performance certificate.

Your son could raise a complaint with the local council and has the right for an independent EPC at the landlords expense.

No point in complaining, if he did then he'd have to move out anyway whilst the work was done and then they'd put the rent up. The flat is cheap to rent for a reason.

 

[trevskoda]

Many here pay cash in hand under the norm price, no taxman or councils know whats going on, so many homes not up to scratch by miles.

 

[Thistle]

The sad thing about many people choosing to become permanent van dwellers is the vehicle’s they buy, often tatty ageing badly maintained vans with a rushed sub standard self build or worse someone else’s sub standard self build.

A diy roller paint finish seems mandatory!

The vans are then filled to the gunnels with possessions and I suspect many with 3500kg vans are significantly over weight, at least the ones I see parked up regularly around here seem to fit the above description.

it can’t be a particularly pleasant experience especially if they have kids and pets and it’s probably pretty grim in the winter.

I suspect only a very small percentage stick with it for more than a few months.

 

[Vinie]

I find articles and comments like this really hard to read. I’ve always lived in rented properties, not through choice, and have so far lived in 37 different properties in my lifetime. I feel like people who live in private rented or council/social housing are so often judged as not working hard enough to buy their own homes. I have always worked really hard and I’m desperately trying to save a deposit to buy something before retirement, so I am not having to pay rent on a pension. I bought my 34 year old campervan in 2018, when I was at risk of becoming homeless, but couldn’t move into it - it wasn’t in the great condition I was led to believe it was in and I couldn't find a driveway/field, etc for secure parking.
It’s think it’s easy for people to say you’re throwing money away if you pay rent, but I am aware that I’m paying for a service - to live in a house owned by someone else. I just wish that everyone who rents out property looked after it in return for my money - my current landlord is not keen. I’m now stuck in the situation of trying to save a deposit alongside paying rent, with rapidly approaching retirement.

 

[trevskoda]

I find articles and comments like this really hard to read. I’ve always lived in rented properties, not through choice, and have so far lived in 37 different properties in my lifetime. I feel like people who live in private rented or council/social housing are so often judged as not working hard enough to buy their own homes. I have always worked really hard and I’m desperately trying to save a deposit to buy something before retirement, so I am not having to pay rent on a pension. I bought my 34 year old campervan in 2018, when I was at risk of becoming homeless, but couldn’t move into it - it wasn’t in the great condition I was led to believe it was in and I couldn't find a driveway/field, etc for secure parking.
It’s think it’s easy for people to say you’re throwing money away if you pay rent, but I am aware that I’m paying for a service - to live in a house owned by someone else. I just wish that everyone who rents out property looked after it in return for my money - my current landlord is not keen. I’m now stuck in the situation of trying to save a deposit alongside paying rent, with rapidly approaching retirement.

You are to late, i stated saving from about 11 years of age, buying and selling to gain, and no it was not easy by any meens, bought my first home almost outright at about 25 years of age, small motgage and refit and sold again for big profit which went to the next and so on.

 

[Vinie]

You are to late, i stated saving from about 11 years of age, buying and selling to gain, and no it was not easy by any meens, bought my first home almost outright at about 25 years of age, small motgage and refit and sold again for big profit which went to the next and so on

You are to late, i stated saving from about 11 years of age, buying and selling to gain, and no it was not easy by any meens, bought my first home almost outright at about 25 years of age, small motgage and refit and sold again for big profit which went to the next and so on.

What was the point of your comment, apart from gloating or expecting congratulations? We all know how people buy and sell houses with big profits. Pity you didn’t manage to grow empathy along with the profit.

 

[Wully]

Too many old codgers staying put in family homes 3 4 5 bedroom houses with 1 or 2 old fossils rattling about in them and they are living longer as well.

 

[Thistle]

@Vinie
Unfortunately this thread like so many on forums do has gone completely off topic hence my recent comment.

People may often unintentionally offend but thats just the nature of forums. Fortunately forums aren’t the toxic foul mouthed illiterate cess pit of humanity the likes of sites like Facebook have become, so I doubt anyone here would intentionally gloat over yours or anyone else’s circumstance.

 

[maingate]

What was the point of your comment, apart from gloating or expecting congratulations? We all know how people buy and sell houses with big profits. Pity you didn’t manage to grow empathy along with the profit.

You are obviously not happy, as can be seen by your comments to Trev.

My advice to you at this stage in your life is to stay as you are and apply for an OAP Bungalow when you retire. You can apply for Benefits such as having your Rent paid, Council Tax help and various top up Benefits. As Trev pointed out (without malice or gloating) you have left it too late.

 

[trevskoda]

What was the point of your comment, apart from gloating or expecting congratulations? We all know how people buy and sell houses with big profits. Pity you didn’t manage to grow empathy along with the profit.

No empthy just facts of life, hope you do well and sort things out.

 

[trevskoda]

You are obviously not happy, as can be seen by your comments to Trev.

My advice to you at this stage in your life is to stay as you are and apply for an OAP Bungalow when you retire. You can apply for Benefits such as having your Rent paid, Council Tax help and various top up Benefits. As Trev pointed out (without malice or gloating) you have left it too late.

Thats a good idea, he will get all benifits and a dry warm home, a friend of mine has done the same and is better of now than he ever was in younger days.
No malice intended by my post, good luck.

 

[marchie]

Too many old codgers staying put in family homes 3 4 5 bedroom houses with 1 or 2 old fossils rattling about in them and they are living longer as well.

Also a lack of supply for us 'old codgers/fossils' to downsize to, Wully, and the modern boxes tend to be more expensive than the draughty piles with the leaking roofs etc. And, if you feel that you've only got a couple of years left, where's the attraction in paying £10,000+ buying/selling costs when staying put has less upheaval and the pension/capital can pay the extra heating bills

Steve

 

[maingate]

Too many old codgers staying put in family homes 3 4 5 bedroom houses with 1 or 2 old fossils rattling about in them and they are living longer as well.

Oi!!!

I resemble that remark.

 

[Fisherman]

I think we have to look at why house prices and rents are to high in this country.
We have the same issues here in Scotland, but not to the same degree as you have in most of England.
Ironically one of the main reasons for high prices, is the same problem we suffer from within our pastime. NIMBYSM, plain and simple. Getting permission to build homes or even extending an existing property in the UK is fraught with planning issues. People complain when a builder wants to build near them, whilst complaining that their children can’t afford to buy a home for themselves.

Also we are building too many large properties, ignoring the fact that in todays world more people are living alone. There is a shortage of smaller more affordable homes throughout the U.K.

Land banking by large builders creates problems. All of the large house builders have large plots of land, but won’t build on them until the market is right for them. Near to us is land bought by a large builder 40 odd years ago, and a shovel has not penetrated the soil in all of that time.

If we are to bring down house prices or at least stop them from rising, and thus bring down rents we need more homes. Plain and simple. Right now the supply and demand situation is skewed heavily towards home ownership, rather than providing enough homes of the right type for those who need them.

We need a government who will look at the planning laws and change them to make it easier to build homes, and limit how long land can be banked for by builders. We also need to wise up and accept that we may have to accept homes being built near to were we live.

 

[Fisherman]

Also a lack of supply for us 'old codgers/fossils' to downsize to, Wully, and the modern boxes tend to be more expensive than the draughty piles with the leaking roofs etc. And, if you feel that you've only got a couple of years left, where's the attraction in paying £10,000+ buying/selling costs when staying put has less upheaval and the pension/capital can pay the extra heating bills

Steve

I totally agree Steve. We live in a large extended 4 bedroom house, that we love in a village and a street that we love. Not only that we like our neighbours and that’s very important to us at our time of life. I get Wullys point but moving is simply not an option I fancy at our time of life.

 

[Wully]

Steve I mean council houses or what’s left of them get all the pensioners out and give them a transit van and a map each then point them south towards France and Spain and tell them we’ll have your boat people but your getting our pensioners. I’d make a great politician me.