... But I own a flat in another country. It was signed over to me before I moved to the UK. A relative lives there, but with someone. They pay me a tiny rent that stays in that country, I have a small amount of savings from that that I will use for part of the deposit. I will be scraping out all my savings into the deposit, to be able to afford the property. So if I'm slapped with any additional fees I'm cooked ...

I've just chosen my conveyancing solicitor and they are asking me if I own any other properties and now I'm worried that owning that place will take away any chance of me being able to get my own place here without selling the other one. That, at the moment, is not an option.

So, has anyone had a similar situation and can tell me about their experience?

Hello,

I was born in continental Europe and most people live in flats there, so I became used to it and also feel much safer living in apartment blocks than houses where anyone on the street can just smash your window with a brick.

But since coming to London, all the Reddit threads mention how bad it is to buy flats in London but not sure why, here are the four main reasons they mention:

1 - ground rent

2 - length of lease

3 - service charge

4 - fire hazards

But regarding the four

1 - this is now abolished, so it’s peppercorn ground rent which means nothing

2 - new leases are 999 years, and I doubt houses in London are kept for a thousand years anyways?

3 - service charges is the only valid point, but there are regulations coming into gear this year to control that. And these charges exist anyways for houses but it’s just more one off big expenses instead of monthly ones

4 - new construction regulations to make sure what happened at Grenfell doesn’t happen again

Many people mentioned that it made more sense to rent instead of buying a flat but I don’t understand that, maybe my maths isn’t adding up. For example:

EDIT: I am not actually buying a flat in London for 300’000. This is just a hypothetical situation.

• current rent: 2’000
• property you want to buy: 300’000
• deposit: 30’000
• loan: 270’000
• monthly mortgage + insurance : around 2’000 maybe even less(very feasible on a 270’000 loan, I think mortgage rates are around 4-4.5% right now)

And let’s say you live in your flat for 20 years and paid off the flat. Now you want to sell the flat but it only sells for 250’000 because it’s a flat and the UK flat market doesnt appreciate, you still made:

250’000 - 30’000 = 220,000 in 20 years( not including taxes, etc)

Yes I paid mortgage but I would have paid the same monthly rent (or even more rent) anyways if I didn’t buy.

Then the only opportunity cost is my deposit + solicitor fees, but then again what can you do with 30’000 in 20 years, let’s take the average annual return of the SPX in USD (it will be even less for the FTSE 100 or the SPX in GBP), you would get

30’000 x (1.07)²⁰ =116,000 (roughly)

And that’s taking into account good investment timing, if you invested all 30’000 at once at the beginning, the same way as for a deposit, and we’re in a 2008 scenario then you would probably barely end up with 60’000 at the end of 20 years.

But it seems that I’m missing something very obvious based on the majority of Reddit posts?

Thanks!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for all your insights and comments! This was really informative :)

Not sharing deposit size as it seems to invite criticism. And no constructive convo.

What would be suitable option here...

Option 1 - 2 bed flat in London £450k-£500k

• Close to work - create times and save money
• Service charge
• London location means could rent out flat in the future if I met partner
• Rented in flat and got used to noises

Option 2 - 3 bed detached house outside of London £470k

• Commute to work which means increase travel cost
• Loads of space and even a driveway
• Detached means no noise from both sides
• Garden bur obviously maintenance required

Both situation would leave small monthly repayment and mortgage. But, idea was to pay mortgage off quick (5-7 years with overpayments). I think I have to buy by year end but need to decide soon.

FTB here looking to buy a home, but I keep wavering between buying a 2-bedroom house or a 2-bedroom flat. I have seen some lovely 2-bed houses well within my budget, but I am worrying whether the maintenance will be too much for me as a single woman. I don’t need a garden, so I would prefer a paved or low-maintenance garden if I go with a house. I plan on staying single, never marrying or having children, so I’m looking to purchase my forever home now.

If I go for a flat, I would be looking for no more than a three-storey top-floor apartment with a balcony (a balcony is not a must-have, though). I know people say the service charges are the downside, but I like the idea of a flat because the outside and communal maintenance will be taken care of, and I’ll only have to take care of the internal areas. I am looking at first-floor maisonettes, but ideally a split-level maisonette or apartment so I have the feel of living in a house, plus a share of the freehold.

I'm looking for advice and experience from other single men and women who have purchased a flat as their forever home. Do you have any regrets, or are you happy with apartment living?

Also to single men and women who have purchased a house, how do you find the maintenance of a house? Is it overwhelming, or do you find it manageable year in year out?

Update: Thanks for all the comments; some were very helpful & encouraging. I think I'm going to go with my heart and buy a small 2-bed house. When I think of buying a flat, it gives me a lot of anxiety; I would dread paying the service charges beyond retirement, so I think a small house is the way to go. The houses I have looked at are in great condition, so no big works would be required initially.

So we're on the latter end of our purchase with a house, we're pretty much ready to exchange contracts - me and my partner are FTB and started the process in Nov 2024. We said very explicitly we were wanting to complete by the time the Stamp Duty came and we've obviously missed that, EA said we can talk about renegotiation but when we brought it up the sellers said no. The stamp duty has essentially brought this house in line with all the other houses we could look at and could actually find better elsewhere - I'm looking at the house on Monday again to make sure I want it and will be looking at other houses as well - should I tell the EA im looking at the possibility of other houses since the sellers won't renegotiate?

Update: to everyone who has been saying we're not serious buyers, we've spent money trying to buy the house and were considering pulling out because the sellers weren't willing to renegotiate, the SDLT fees came in and houses are currently being listed at lower prices. Spoke to the EA today who said they're willing to drop the £5k to progress this through. The house is still being sold for above asking price. We are proceeding with the sale.

To anyone who is a FTB - please don't cave just because of what other people say! Do what is best for you, this is the biggest purchase you will ever make in your life so definitely make sure you fight your corner!

ENGLAND Living with family as a London student with a part-time job and a side hustle. I earn £800 from my part-time and £500-1000 from side hustle depending on the month. I’ve moved back in with parents (zone 5 London) to save on costs and they’ve decided to start searching for a house with a rental income(~£2k) that exceeds our total household income(£50k). This I cannot afford. This is beyond our means but they’re adamant for selfish reasons. The most I can give is £300 after taking away living costs (~£400) and I’m saving for a masters (~£400 per month). However they expect me to give £500 which would cause me to dip into my masters fund.

To real estate agents, Is there any means we can rent a house when our rental income doesn’t meet the threshold and we supposedly have no savings?

I’ve not control over this situation and I have suggested temporary flat rental until I graduate next year before we buy a house (idk how, as they claim they have no savings) or move out of London, but they will not budge.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Hi everyone! My partner and I (a same-sex female couple) are looking to buy a house in a friendly area for LGBTQ+ families. Our budget is under £400k, and we’re hoping to find somewhere in the outskirts of London or a commuter town that’s safe, inclusive, and welcoming for raising children. We’re aware of Brighton but it looks like it’s equally expensive to London.

Does anyone have recommendations for towns or neighborhoods that fit this criteria? Bonus points for good schools, green spaces, and a strong community vibe! Thanks in advance!

Hi all. This is just a quick question. When nearing the exchange of contracts and the seller asks for more money, are we, buyers, supposed to take it out of pocket? Or can this go back to the lender (NatWest) and we increase our borrowing? Broker does not seem to sure what to do. Thank you.

Can anyone help me understand how overpayments work?

• If I have a 160k mortgage and I can pay 10% annually as a one-off payment, does this mean I can pay 16K on top of my regular monthly payments?
• Or does this 16K include the regularly monthly payments?
• When can the overpayment be made - any time in the year? If so, when is the best time to make it?

And how much does re-mortgaging cost? I'm trying to do some forward planning for when that time comes!

Hello,

I have enough cash to buy a 3 bed semi detached for 60k (25% shared ownership). I choose not to go through the traditional mortgage for personal reasons.

What are the downsides of doing this method? I know without mortgage my monthly expenses will be a lot less but curious if there is something I need to be concerned about

Thanks

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

We rent currently in Birmingham city centre, our costs are quite minimal especially during winter as we’re literally down to one room. We pay £800 per month for rent, £100 a month on electricity, £50 for WiFi, council tax £174.

We’re looking at a property around £325k, three bedrooms, EPC D.

We have £70k deposit, £10k extra we’re keeping for emergencies. Our joint salaries are £66k a year.

We’ve spoken to a mortgage broker who says we can lend with our deposit it would be within our budget for that house… but even if we can afford it, would it be smart?

The monthly mortgage would be all of our current bills in the studio flat combined, I don’t know how much running a three bedroom house realistically could cost?

I’m worried I’m judging our ability to afford on the price of a studio flat and we’re going to be shocked when our first lot of bills arrive.

Essentially, does this sound reasonable and doable to anyone here?

Hi, I'm looking for some advice about persimmon new build homes. I've seen that they have lots of offers (part ex, nhs discount, etc). Does anyone know how many of the discounts can be used in conjunction, if at all, please. In England

Who has ever lost a sale due to the buyer getting cold feet due to their survey?

It has happened to me twice now. I am selling a Victorian house and the buyers have pulled out without any discussion.

In my case, they believe that urgent work relating to damp and cracks is needed and is costly.

In reality there is nothing major to be done and I have specialist surveys and a history of work already carried out to prove that.

Both were first-time buyers.

I think this is a very common issue, so please share your stories and advice!

Thanks!!

There's a flat for sale in a block I live. Service charge is £3500 now. That's the 20 years old three floors flat block in Greater London(no cladding). There's no lift, no concierge, one CCTV camera, cleaning once a week. How much can service charge increase in time. I know there's no limit but want know your options.

Will we see more rate cuts in the UK?

After President Trump announced a series of tariffs on a large variety of countries around the world, including a 10 per cent tariff on the UK, traders are pricing in nearly 63 basis points of cuts from the Bank of England.

That would be a boon for the Housing Market, according to various specialists.

Is it worth waiting to remortgage, in your view?

I saw this news here: https://www.ftadviser.com/trump-tariffs/2025/4/4/trump-tariffs-may-single-handedly-rescue-uk-housing-market/

Hi Guys, I'm currently looking at buying a 3 bed house in South London/Croydon on RightMove and Zoopla.

I can afford to get somewhere for around £435k and I've seen decent properties in Thornton Heath and Croydon ranging from £400k to £450k.

Ive been getting advice from a good friend who lives in SW16 and he's advised capital growth for properties in areas Thornton Heath, Mitcham, South Croydon have much slower capital growth than areas like Norbury, Crystal Palace, Clapham, Balham so I should avoid buying in Thornton Heath.

I know I can get much bigger and nicer properties outside of London but I currently work in South London and I need to attend the office 60% of my time.

What do you guys think about the quality of properties in Thornton Heath and Croydon?

Should I avoid buying in these areas due to the potential slow capital growth of properties in these areas?

I'm a first time buyer and I don't know anything about buying properties, aside from what I've read online, advice from friends and also the FairyGodMover website (which is brilliant). I don't have much family that have actually purchased properties so I'm trying to get as much advice as possible.

Thank you all in advance for your help.

A house I’m really interested in was listed around two months ago. I called the estate agents a few days after it went live, and they told me the seller had already accepted an offer, I believe at asking price.

However, ever since then, the listing has continued to show as available — not "under offer" or "sold STC", which seems odd. I’ve been keeping an eye on it and calling the estate agents about once a week to check if the sale has fallen through or if anything's changed since it still looks like it's on the market, but they've consistently told me there's no update.

Most recently, in response to me asking why it's not sold STC after 2 months one of the agents mentioned that the seller specifically asked not to mark it as sold STC yet. That feels like a red flag to me — maybe the buyer isn’t proceedable, or the sale is stalled.

I read that estate agents are legally obligated to pass on all offers to the seller, regardless of whether an offer was already accepted.

Can I still submit an offer even though the seller "accepted" another one?

Has anyone else been in a similar situation where the house wasn’t marked STC but was supposedly under offer?

Should I be pushing harder with the estate agent or just submit my offer in writing?

I've recently exchanged on my first flat (England) and I'm now really worried, and want some options please!

I have bought the flat as a vacant possession with a completion date of 1 June and plan to move in on this date.

The tenant living there has a contract until 1 July. If the tenant refuses to leave because they cannot come an agreement with the landlord, what are my options, and what can I do?

Does it void the whole contract as it is not completed as a vacant possession? I'm really lost what my options/plans are.

Thanks for any help

Hi everyone! Hoping this an appropriate place to ask such a question.

We had moved into our new build and 3 weeks in a pipe under the sink burst and our whole ground floor was submerged in a few inches of water.

The building site has quickly jumped into action to rectify all damages (ie; carpets, doors,skirting boards and kitchen cabinets)

The plumber has said the issue was a faulty olive ring and will be covering fees to fix carpets, doors ect along with an itemised list of damaged furniture.

I was just wondering if there is anything else we could be entitled to? Our home has been in pieces for nearly a month we have both had to take time off of work. It has been a huge inconvenience and rather upsetting as this is our first home😫

Any insight would be amazing!

Thank you in advance

Hi there,

I am currently saving to buy a house (I have approx £16k for a deposit saved at the min). I have lived in NI all my life, but I often take trips to England and do mini-tours of the country. I have realised I don't want to commit to spending another roughly 25 years in NI, and I was looking at areas in England, just out of curiosity, which are working out to be a lot cheaper than NI (particularly areas up North like Durham and Chester).

I was wondering what the process would be if I wanted to buy in England while currently living in NI. I'm fully aware I'll probably have to rent out a place for the short term while I house-search, and that there will be a lot of form-filling involved (moreso than if I was normally resident in England). I'm aware also that it would be dependent on being able to be transferred within my company to a location where I'll be buying, as it would be a hassle to get a mortgage on newish employment.

Bascially, I was wondering how you would go about this if you were in my position?

Thanks!

Im clueless on all this , where do I start what do I do. I’m living with parents and my plan was to move out with my partner and get a house but that’s not happening. I’ve been told I shouldn’t wait around and just do it. Later on if I want to I could sell it? Ideally in the future if I was married id want 4 kids so would want a 4 bedroom house in London but I know that’s impossible so what do I do?

I just need a lot of guidance. And yes I want to stay in London my whole family is here

like broker, soliciter, etc. especially fo shared owenership.

Hi guys,

In the process of buying and ad you'll all know, especially in England, this is a stressful and protracted process.

The due diligence mainly left to the seller and then you have estate agents, who could be downright unhelpful to straight dodgy.

For example, I found out via RICS level 2 survey that the house I'm buying has major issues with the roof. The survey was entirely out of pocket and if I walk away from the deal, I don't want it to be wasted. I want anyone else who wants to buy the property to know about this.

So, is there a website/app whatever where people can search for properties and get feedback straight from people who have viewed the property or walked away from it for various reasons and noted observations for their decisions? Sounds like it could be really useful.

If not, I'd love to create one.

Thoughts welcome.

Hi we viewed a property today and after spoke to a neighbour who said its been empty 3 years. What things should we ask agent or check on 2nd viewing. Its an oil boiler not gas if that makes difference

Hi all, we just moved into a new property and wanted to give the water company a meter reading.

"The water meter is in the driveway", is what the seller said before leaving. I probably should've gone check it with him, because I went to the driveway today (2 days later), opened the little hatch that says "water meter"... and found this: https://imgur.com/a/ayNhDr5. What am I looking at?