Climbing The Property Ladder (C5)

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Please tell me someone else is watching these fkwits.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

nicanary said:

You should have watched last week's first episode. Woman on the show doing up a £300k house and only wanted to spend £2000 on the kitchen. When she was quoted £900 for fitting it, she reckoned she could do it herself. Not.

I did! I'm getting back into property development with a mate at the moment so I'm watching a ton of these shows. Not for any tips so much but more to keep me sane. Every now and then I sit in bed and wonder if I'm doing the right thing, I usually just think back to one of these shows and as long as I'm doing the opposite I think we'll be right.

Now, must go, I've got some research on picture scene wallpaper to do...

[LaurasOtherHalf]

nicanary said:

Living in Northern Ireland, we don't have council tax, just old-style rates. Why do you lot on the mainland have to pay council tax on a vacant property? It's not using any council services - no bin collection, no street lighting, no anything. That's pure greed IMHO.

It does though, if someone firebombed your unoccupied house you'd presumably want the fire service to put it out and the police to investigate?

Each borough can discount for empty properties however. In ours for instance we can get a 75% discount for uninhabitable dwellings so when doing up, first thing to do is whip the bathrooms out and disconnect the heating and services.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

nicanary said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

nicanary said:

Living in Northern Ireland, we don't have council tax, just old-style rates. Why do you lot on the mainland have to pay council tax on a vacant property? It's not using any council services - no bin collection, no street lighting, no anything. That's pure greed IMHO.

It does though, if someone firebombed your unoccupied house you'd presumably want the fire service to put it out and the police to investigate?

Each borough can discount for empty properties however. In ours for instance we can get a 75% discount for uninhabitable dwellings so when doing up, first thing to do is whip the bathrooms out and disconnect the heating and services.

Many years ago when I owned properties in England, no rates were payable until you moved furniture in. That's why I was curious.

Which would seem fairer but quite how our inept councils would check on that I have no idea! They could always pop round I suppose and knock on the door, but I'm sure everyone would simply answer "oh we moved in yesterday, we were going to let you know at the end of the month!"

[LaurasOtherHalf]

It's worth it to see Max using his new found stonemasonry skills with a Bosch "Wha'dya call it?" on the marble tops. And the ex banker in her cycling shorts, of course.