I think getting 60% plus of helpful responses on here is pretty good going! Ignore the others. I’d be looking for some compo from both the seller and your solicitor. I’m guessing your solicitor will be better equipped to make you pursuit of them more painful and costly. Compo will also (I am guessing) be limited to the value of your loss and you’re going to have a difficult time quantifying that.

I’d start by contacting the seller and proposing a solution that is acceptable to you. If they ignore it then legal is your only option. I’d be bloody annoyed but I’d echo the ‘keep the new neighbour sweet’ sentiment, but you already know that.

In reference to Alice Springs, an Aussie coach driver once said to me “Its not the arsehole of the world but if you stand on your tippy toes, you can see it from here”!

Luton is like that, but colder.

Good grief there’s some self righteous tosh spouted on here.

Perez ran into Button at 200kph, life ban? I think the outcome could have been more severe than a lovebite.

Joey Barton beat the crap out of a teenager in the street – life ban?

O’Driscol got spear tackled by two All Blacks – life ban?

Suarez deserves a few game ban because he behaved like a thug, or more importantly got caught. That’s perfectly sufficient. No injury and Ivanovic isn’t interested in pressing charges. I know there’s a load of football haters on here but do you seriously think Suarez doesn’t get kicked, elbowed and abused every game he plays. Occasionally he’s going to snap, I very much doubt he planned on biting someone that day…

It was just a nip! 6 game ban is plenty. Good to see Ivanovic getting on with it rather than being a drama queen. What a first goal though!

Do you have any disposable cash? If so and you are completely committed to that house just offer them £2-3k as a security deposit when you explain the timelines. They will be assured that you are not backing out and you will be sure that they don’t re-list the house.

tomhoward – re-decoration would be expected after 4 years of you living there, your landlady should sort that (as long as you haven’t gone all Banksy over their walls). The agent should have a record of your request for the cabinet? Brown walls eh? Nice…

Flying Ox – back to your issues. Yes landlords get tax relief for wear and tear – I ‘think’ it is 10% of gross rental income per year (someone else might correct that). 24 man hours at £19ph is just silly for gardening, £15ph for cleaning is also high and as for £110 to paint a door frame (that’s a days work for a painter).

Not all landlords are cocks – yours is. Fight it calmly and patiently and you will get most of your cash back.

Good work Lardman

kingisdead – there’s not enough hours in the day to type enough to satisfy the degree of pedantry on here!

Of course wear and tear is acceptable – landlords get allowances for this in their tax returns and that wouldn’t be classed as remedial. An example of what I am talking about is that if a fridge is perfectly clean when a tenant enters, it should be clean when they exit 6/12 months later. Same for cooker etc – filth is not wear and tear. Broken windows might be a better example.

Renting shouldn’t cause issues but it is clear in the OP’s case that he is being screwed. Every time this happens the outraged of this forum start spouting crap about all landlords being scum. Its just common respect – I don’t expect my tenants to hover above the carpet and not wear it out but if their kids paint all over a radiator then I damn well expect them to sort it.

DezB Did you take photos when you moved in? I do this with my tenants – present them with a folder of before pictures and ask them to sign. Do the same when they move out. Any problems are easier to solve. Its not foolproof but its an aid to understanding the terms of the contract i.e. what is and isn’t expected.

I looked at many…then bought the Dremmel anyway. I did get mine in a sale though which eased the pain. Plenty of accessory deals come up on amazon etc.

Grum – I’ll admit to not seeing the months of issues bit in your particular case so I’d agree that you didn’t get what you paid for. In your case the breach had already occurred via your landlady’s ineptitude. My mistake – I think its clear that I was talking generally – so many people think its a ‘right’ to withhold the last month of rent.

Hysterical hyperbolic – you sure?

I think that you describe me accurately in that my attitude is typical of many landlords…that being fair and reasonable. :wink:

Grum – you wanting “money in your pocket” is no different to the landlord wanting the same. You can’t expect others to play nice if you behave like that.

Toys – Contracts state the value of the rent and the rental period. If you don’t pay it, you breach the terms of the contract. Its no different to stealing. If the property is left immaculate (or at least in the same condition as it is found) then the net effect is zero. However, if there are remedial works required then the landlord has been screwed. Generally speaking here – not in this instance.

Many of these disputes (excluding this one as we seem to have a fair level of detail) are based on opinions as to what is acceptable. Very few people seem to read the contract thoroughly before agreeing to sign it. They tend to be pretty informative and can be questioned up front.

I know that this doesn’t apply in this case but anyone offering the “withhold the rent for the last month of the contract” advice is an idiot. Takes away any moral / legal high ground you might have had.

I’ve been a tenant in the past and been lucky (mostly) with landlords playing fair. I am now a (reluctant) landlord and try to play fair with my tenants. Its pretty much 50:50 as to how they treat me. Moral being – there are as many dick tenants as there are landlords.

OP – your landlord falls into dick territory. You appear to be a good tenant, even being honest that some minor jobs need attention. I’m sure he will cave when you fight back.

He claims innocence on his FS thread…

So, no fitters on here at all?

espares – OEM stuff for every model and easy to replace. espares website even has a video to show you how. Even I managed to replace mine and I’m useless at this stuff.

EDIT – too late

Sorry to come back to this but I have just had the local alarm fitter out to quote. To fit a Risco CPX wireless system he wants about 800 notes. I have checked the online price and the alarm kit costs 120 all in. Now there may well be a few extra PIRs and door contacts etc but I am struggling to see what I get for the extra 600 quid? My current system is wired but knackered and ancient.

A certificate and what I would expect is no more than a day’s labour. The insurance benefit is worth something to me as I wouldn’t trust myself to install everything but it seems steep. Anyone out there fit these things for a living? One window sensor, two door contacts and 6 PIRs needed. Phone alert to 4 numbers included and 2 keyfobs.

As in I’m not in Derby whereas the OP is – fool…

I went for Rock Door for those reasons. Maybe I was being naive but the security gumpf that they claim impressed me. £1k fitted and it was by a guy in Derby (he travelled to me). Email me if you want his details – wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him.

Thanks purist – can’t believe I couldn’t see that link!

Ton

Would such a system would I just need to replace the PIRs and control pad or do I have to re-wire the whole thing? Naive I expect but useful to know.

Thanks

Because if it goes off in the middle of the night I can get up and beat the intruder to death…or lock myself in the bathroom and wimper.

My cousin’s daughter was just over 1lb at birth and is now a healthy nine years old. Slight eye defect remains but all else just fine.

I never bought one in the end but talked to Warranty Direct. All I can advise is haggle as the longer I waited the lower the price became for the same level of cover…

pitchpro2011 – you are under performing on here, get your coat and bugger off…probably to the box room in your mummies house. And if we ever meet, yes I would like fries with my burger.

Masons Arms is good. The butcher in Grange sells salt marsh lamb – pricey but very tasty if you’re self catering. In fact there weren’t many things in that butchers that didn’t look fantastic…

South Lakes wildlife park is worth a look if you have kids – vouchers can be got from Tesco for cheap entry

hodgy – why pay for labour then? You do have the power to insist on a certain level of service. Change your lbs…

Hansgrohe are solid.

What impact have these claims had on your premiums? The other half had a huge ding put into her Stumpy during a fall recently and would be nervous riding it anymore. We know it meets the accidental damage criteria but we had (maybe wrongly) assumed that there would be more cost associated with premium uplift that actual payout. Any real world examples?

I agree with the OP’s sentiments although I would also emphasise that wanting to work and not being able to is the most soul destroying thing in the world. Government measures to get people back into work are lame and the people employed in job centres tend to be arrogant imbeciles (massive generalisation based on 100% of the individuals I came into contact with when I was younger).

Those choosing not to work should be up against a ‘system’ that ensures they have the basics to live, certainly not more than working people get. It is correct, however, that if you earn the kind of money that you intimate you are doing, then you should pay more tax. To be honest, the huge tax advantages for pensions contributions at the upper tax thresholds that people have been enjoying for years are a prime example of an unjust society.

Given that this country is run by a group of MPs that consider themselves as ‘special’ cases when any discussion on pay is held, it is unsurprising that we’re in this state. That’s where I would start in sorting all these issues – sack the lot of them, get them to re-apply for their own jobs with an acceptance that the job is a fixed salary and full-time (no directorships, consultancies or second jobs). Then we might get leadership that is devoted to the country rather than themselves.

I used to work at the London version. Odd place full of wannabe politicians – that was just the staff. Useful people seemed to dish out advice on exporting regs, legislation etc. Membership did provide meeting rooms in town which I can understand the value of.

If they are indeed your friend and you can afford to lend the money – why wouldn’t you? Maybe its down to the definition of ‘friend’, I have only a few friends – everyone else are just ‘people I know’. I’d judge it on the individual rather than just refuse to lend to any friend.

damo – have emailed you back!

Thanks

damo – its actually both, happy to go into more detail off line if you have contacts that might be interested.

Cheers

PS I expect to pay a finders’ fee!

EDIT – after your edit! Its a technology from which we expect to make a product, its not software related.

What sector are you footflaps?

I’m a start up with technology externally verified by a well known engineering consultancy. I have the pilot designed and costed by another well known process engineering outfit but I’m not linked to a university. The technology is patented here with applications pending overseas. The technology is market focussed rather than a hair brained idea that will save the world!

I guess a single investor is what I am looking for – its trying to find them! We have a couple of UK based organisations interested and a couple of more random overseas funds. I need more options though! £700k tends to be significant even for single high net worth individuals!

Angels too small generally and anyone (VCs) willing to provide funding deserves its pound of flesh – I have no problems with that aspect! Looking for a two phase investment, initially 700k to build and run the pilot phase followed by a lot more!!

Difficult place that we find ourselves in being both early stage and with high capital requirements. We have support from household name companies prominent in their fields but our technology will have these organisations as both suppliers and customers – not sufficiently core for them to invest cash.

VCs that I have approached pretty much want guarantees and seem to have lost their ‘venture’ aspect!!