Hello there, I purchased a shared ownership property (75% of) earlier in the year and completed my snagging list. When I contacted the useless housing association I purchased the property through, they told me on three separate occasions that they would ring me back and nobody did. On the fourth occasion they told me that they could not help me as I owned my house and they only deal with residents who rent from them. They told me I must deal with the builder directly. I have now been chasing the builder four times and after the fourth and final chase, the builder has told me that as they sold the property to the housing association, who then sold it on to me, I must deal with the housing association and not the builder. I have again, been back to the housing association who have again not come back to me. I have written them an email which in summary says, "You have again not responded. If you do not respond and provide some form of acknowledgement of my snagging list, I will be forced to take matters further". In legal terms, how can I take matters further? I want to threaten getting independent tradesmen in to rectify the issues on account of nobody taking ownership of these issues. I also pay £300 in rent and £45 per month in service charge. I don't think I can stop paying this and this could cause me further issues along the line. Can anyone advise me on what I can do next? Every time I ring them, I have to deal with people who don't know what they are talking about and tell me they will ring back and never do. Any help would be really appreciated as I do not feel it is fair that social housing tenants or owners should be treated in such a disrespectful way.

Hi, Sorry for the details but its been a long stressful journey that never seems to get better. We started the process of buying a new build property using the shared ownership scheme in early July. We used the builders recommended mortgage brokers and conveyancing firm. This is where the problems started. The mortgage broker messed up our income calculations and we ended up with a hard credit search from a lender that would not have lent to us. They then could only find 1 more lender who deals with shared ownership but needed 5% more deposit. We managed to get the extra 5% with help from family so continued with the purchase. We instructed the law firm and got a fixed quote. Later on they said they made a mistake and asked for more money after we had instructed them. All of this we can live with. But now, 11 weeks after we first instructed the law firm, the housing association who is part of the shared ownership transaction has said we must exchange next week and complete 2 weeks after this or they will withdraw from the sale, leaving us homeless if this does not complete as we are currently renting. Our conveyancing firm said they had been waiting for replies from the other side but did not chase them up even though it had been 20 days since they sent the queries. This left it too late for us to exchange and complete on time. We need advice as to where we would stand legally if we do not complete on time? Do we have a case to claim against someone for our financial losses so far? I can provide more details if needed. Cheers Digots

Hi there, I would like to get some advises regarding Vodafone had shared my personal information regarding (full name, address, DOB, email address) Undeniable, once a contract has been formed in between Vodafone, if without monthly payment, Vodafone will pass the information and shared with Debt Collection Agency because Vodafone appointed DCA to collect the debt on behalf. Vodafone claimed that, that clause was in the contract. (Thats what I have been told by Vodafone after the incident.) However, I do not owe Vodafone any money nor any outstanding amount, however, my account was closed yet Vodafone did not do a proper job to close my account, leaving my records in their systems as debit situation hence passing my information to DCA without me knowing it at the first place. A few months later, I got 2 letters, 2 emails from DCA (generic name Jayne Carter) asking for payment as I owed Vodafone, out of the blue, I have no ideas because during the time I had left Vodafone, I have ensure no outstanding payment, which I got a text message from the Customer Service department to confirm that (still have the text message as evidence). I went to Vodafone, they never admit it was their systems fault due to the system automatically flagged up as outstanding and and accidentally passed my personal information to DCA. During the months, no letters from Vodafone or emails to stated that I am owing them money, but directly passed my information to DCA. Numerous phone calls and complaints lodged, Vodafone finally contacted DCA to close my case and no outstanding amount. However, my concern is, Vodafone told me, they couldn't ask DCA to delete my personal information which they had passed to them in the first place because of their mistakes. I have phoned to DCA, they said the same thing and they will archive the record but could not delete my personal information even though they will not need it anymore (from my view, no reasons they will withhold my personal information). Could anyone please advice? is it worth for me to send the SAR to DCA to ask for the information they are holding? thanks for your advises and very much appreciate. Regards,

Hi. We and our neighbor have a shared roof, also the roof it’s at an angle, he’s at the highest point, we are lower. Last year we had a leak, we called a roofer to check and he wanted to check neighbors loft, he didn’t agree. We fixed everything on our side, now we have a leak again, our roofer said it’s defiantly them, but again, they don’t want to let anyone up there. What can we do? We contacted the council but both properties are freehold. Thank you

Hello For 10 years I had a quarter share in a HA flat. I always paid my occupancy charge (rent on the three quarters owned by the HA) on time. When I moved in the HA actively had a list of people suited. I got the impression that several people looked at the flat and it was sold quickly however by the time I gave up the tenancy in December last year I was told (this is not in my terms and conditions) that I must sell my share on the open market. Hopefully the contract will be complete any day now but in addition to the mortgage on my house I was told I must continue to pay the occupancy charge. I did so at first understanding that it would take a while to sell but 8 months on it's making me penniless. Is there anything that I can do? I also feel that the HA have made it harder to sell. They've discouraged enquirers (to the point the estate agent had to contact them and ask them to desist). Please help. We're talking thousands of pounds.

hi..need some advice please..my wife has her own business as a trade embalmer..this job entails travelling between funeral directors to embalm the deceased..my wife has a part time embalmer who works 3 hours a day for her in the afternoon..this part time employee also works part time for another trade embalmer and works from 9.00am to 1.00pm...they share this employee because neither employer can offer her full time employment..they have a verbal agreement that this part time employee covers for each embalmer for holidays and sick cover.....last week my wifes father was taken into hospital very ill and given only hours to live and not days, so obviously my wife was by his bedside...this however has turned into a week long vigil at the hospital with other family members by his side..he has surprised all the doctors lasting so long...this has caused a major issue with the other trade embalmer who is not happy because the part time employee is covering all my wifes work and not working for the other embalmer..she is also not happy because she says my wife never contacted her directly but used the part time employee to relay the message...my wife is saying this other trade embalmer is now refusing to let the part time employee cover her for holidays and sick cover.. she can only have her for the 3 hours a day...this is not the original arrangement they came to is this a breach of contract? we can't believe she is doing this to her at such stressful time can she sue for breach of contract

Need info on regarding a PCN on shared use taxi rank. On TSM chapter 5 7.43, it states that LA will need special authorisation from Dft on use of diagram 650.1 (no stopping except taxis). But the new TSGRD 2016 which came on force since april this year, there's a para stating: Confused with the wording but is it to say that LA will not need authorisation from Dft? Thinking of contesting the PCN as it's a non-prescribed sign (650.1) but noticed the new changes. Caught out in Aldershot station road. Pay parking until 7PM and taxi rank from 8PM . Original TSM chapter 5 wordings:

I am 68 yrs old and my daughter ( 32yrs) came to live with me after being away for 4 years working abroad. I used to get a one bedroom HB in a 3 bedroom house where I lived alone. After the return of my daughter, the council decided that we get shared accommodation each (£82 X 2/ w), which is less than the one bedroom allowance I used to get when I was living alone (app. £175./w). Th reason was that the new tenancy agreement has both our names on it. Is this a good reason? Do I stand a chance to contest this, although now the new rent has risen with the arrival of my daughter? I am on pension credit guarantee and my daughter is on universal credit, standard allowance

My soon to be ex wife has given my business partner copies of my personal bank statements. Background: there were a couple of financial errors within our company accounts which were my fault and have since been resolved between myself and my business partner. Issue: when the issue arose, my business partner went to see my estranged wife, whom he knew had access to our old joint account, which by agreement I was using as my own personal account for the time being. When he asked her for the information, she printed off all statements and gave them to my business partner. Baring in mind that her name is also on the account, I am asking if she had any right to firstly access the information and secondly share the information without my consent. Thank you in advance for any help

Hi, Some advice please. I live in a small cul de sac where we each have 2 parking spaces and also two visitors spaces which are jointly owned by all of us. One of the visitors spaces is at the far end next to a neighbours garden and the neighbours there have always used it as their own private space. They are aware it is a visitors space (because they have told me they are aware) and the deeds state this. No one has ever complained as we like them and didn't want to cause any problems. Also, most of the residents are tenants so unaware of the fact it is a visitors space, it is only those of us who own the properties who are aware. Now though, they have decided to make vehicular access to their garden across this visitors space and put vehicle gates in across the far end of it. They have not asked anyone if they agree. If they then park in their garden, and someone parks in the visitor space they will be blocked in which is tough luck. but, really, no-one will park there as by putting gates in they are inferring it is their private driveway. If the space needs maintenance then I am as responsible as they are even though I cant ever use it. When I asked what they would do if someone blocked them in they just said that no one has ever parked there before (probably because they couldn't) I cant put a bollard up as they own the same amount of the visitors space as I do. I am concerned long term they they are taking ownership of shared property which could de-value property. Any thoughts or suggestions please? Im annoyed as they are the ones in the wrong and yet I feel awkward about addressing it!

Hi all, Can someone please help. Around a month ago I completed a purchase for a £195,000 shared ownership property for which I purcahse 40% shares in at £78,000. Over a month after completing I have recieved an email from my solictiors claiming that HM Revnue and Customs have notified them that "Stamp Duty of £222 falls due on the rent aspect of the new lease. Unfortunately this was not taken into account on your completion statement and is therefore due and owing to them." A few queries on this. Do I have to pay stamp duty being that my share falls below the threshold? Is stamp duty applicable to the rent aspect of the agreement? As far as I was concerned this was all done and dusted now I get this lovely email right before Christmas. Any help greatly appreciated.

In the early months of 2010, Golden Eye (International) Ltd, a company connected with the Ben Dover porn brand, decided to chance their hand at obtaining settlements from alleged file-sharers in the UK. Although they successfully obtained the identities of alleged file-sharers through the court using the Tilly Bailey & Irvine (TBI) law firm, things quickly went wrong for GoldenEye. TBI pulled out due to bad publicity and the company was eventually fined late 2011 by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority for their mishandling of the cases. In September 2011, Golden Eye were back again, trying to extract money from Internet users via the previously untested route of the small claims court. But in December 2011 it all fell apart following proper scrutiny in the High Court. And now, in March 2012, unbelievably Golden Eye are back again with a third attempt. http://torrentfreak.com/pay-up-or-else-bittorrent-scheme-resurrected-in-uk-high-court-120309/ Posted this here for info, hopefully it wont take people by suprise like acs law. I download nothing, but always expect a letter lol

Hello I might share a water supply pipe that enters my house, with a neighbour. I live in Wales. I say might as there is no branch pipe to their house in my cellar, so the branch off would have to be under my dining room. their house unlike most in the street, has no external stopvalve in the pavement, and there is no water supply pipe in their cellar [ a tenant of the house and i investigated] my deeds do not show that we have a shared water supply pipe. i have asked the landlord and the water company to determine if they have their own supply pipe, and if they do not to make arrangement. the landlord has not replied. i first alerted them to the shared-pipe possibility in late spring 2015. i intend to replace my water pipes, and for it to feed only my house [if we are indeed on a shared pipe]. the water company is trying to avoid giving the neighbour a new supply, and is giving me laughable guff that the neighbours water supply is my responsibility lololol [ive never heard such nonsense] --- my question/s: 1. i have read that, if the shared supply is not mentioned on my deeds, that i have no legal duty to supply the neighbour with water thru my pipes. i need to quote the statute, or regulation number. what is this please? 2. when i replace my pipe and feed only my house. can the water company get a court order to force me to reattach the old water supply pipe? 3. more generally, how should i proceed thanks Jon

Hi Everyone, Does anyone have any experience/advice regarding SAMS? My late father took one of these out in 1998 for the amount £16,875. I am in the process of selling the house to fund a care home for my mother and have contacted Barclay's to find out the settlement figure on this and am shocked to discover that this repayment is going to be between £90,000 - £110, 000! (am awaiting final figure) What I would like to know is if anyone knows of any cases where these have been challenged and won, as I am getting nowhere with my inquiries and really don't know what to do about it. It seems grossly unfair that my mother now looks likely to only have £55,000 left once they have taken their chunk. I feel this was miss sold but am unable to prove this. I say miss sold as my mother did not realise the final payment would be so much as she always said 15% of the house belonged to the bank and also in the proposed credit agreement it only gives a 2 year final payment example - which does look reasonable, I can find nowhere which details further repayment projections. The repayment figure is based on the difference between the value of the house in 1998 and now. The calculation is based on 3 x 27% x £110,000 (difference in house value then and now) + original loan + 2.9% interest. Has anyone got any advice as what to do? Sue

Hi little advice needed as slightly complicated matter and having difficulty seeking advice as no one seems to know what I'm talking about (eg CAB and Shelter) I have a 50% shared property mortgage and housing association leasehold. I have received an eviction notice due to rent arrears. There a suspended possession order in place that included both the mortgage and rent aspects. Due to large legal fees on both accounts I was in discussions with the housing association and they have now obtained an eviction warrant for 9th July. I have already made an appointment to file the N244 form. The notice of eviction was an LT28 I discussed this with my mortgage company, they were unaware of the proceedings and informed me this was the incorrect form and should be for an owner/occupier. CAB have written to the housing association stating my case and offering a payment plan but they are a little hard nosed and not interested. At a bit of a standstill and unsure what to complete on the N244 as still unsure if the correct form was used (trying to speak to my mortgage company to see what they are now aware of). Any help appreciated and hope this makes sense .

My partner is going to move into my rented room with me which is in a shared flat. I am paying £370 for the room currently and our contract is up for renewal at the end of the month. The landlord is happy with her moving into my room but is going to charge £170 (half my rent value). This means we are now paying ~£540 for the room which is £140 more than my housemate pays for a room twice as large as mine. The landlords justification is that this is an industry standard (i.e. to charge half rent to the second person) is this the case? Apparently its to cover additional wear and tear. It seems more like greed to me as the deposit is to cover any damages and wear and tear should be expected and not covered by the tenant, especially not to the tune of £170/month.

My OH purchased a 40% share in a flat in 2008 the flat was valued at 175k. Soon after due to the crash of the Icelandic banks the company he worked for made his position redundant. The company lost money. He was out of work for around 4 months. It was a struggle to keep up with the mortgage payments and the rent (60%) rent (40%mortgage). My partner was self employed. A one bed flat was costing us £1800 a month inc rent/bills and mortgage. . He had remortgaged 3 times by now and my other half has been in and out off work ever since. We just kept on playing catch up and getting nowhere. With years off struggle, depression we finally decided in dec2012 that enough was enough. We handed the keys back to our mortgage lenders in March 2013. Wrote to both the HA and building society with forwarding addresses and told them both that he has no longer interest in the property. Today (October 11th) we received a letter from the HA to say that the property sold at 155k. They (HA) were expecting to receive 93k as they owned 60% and in respect to stair casing but because we handed the keys back to the mortgage provider. The lender reposed the flat. This led to them selling the flat and exercise their rights under the mortgage protection clause in the shared ownership lease. The lender recovered all the outstanding mortgage to them , 12months unpaid interest, legal and estate agent fees, together with arrears paid on our behalf. The HA received £59.8k in respect of the stair casing. They are now chasing my OH on an outstanding 33.1k. The reason we handed back our keys was because we could not afford our flat. My OH or I do not have 33.1k Any advise us much appreciated. We handed our keys back to the mortgage provider not the HA. This meant the Mortgage provider sold the flat. Took the money they lent us plus added legal selling fees etc. our shortfall is with theHA now. I've posted to get advise on what my options can be on my own thread. Please can some some help or give advise

Hi folks, hopefully someone can help. Bought and moved into a house a couple of months ago, it is an end terrace house. The front door of the house is on the side and opens into a shared driveway. The legal set up of this driveway is I believe like this: I own a 1/3 share of and have right of way across it both on foot and by car to access a gate to my private driveway at the back left of this shared driveway, and then to the road. The other 1/3 of the shared driveway is owned by the landlord of a block of around 10 flats accessed via a pedestrian gate towards the back right of the shared driveway, and the other 1/3 is owned by the owner of a massive warehouse further back and the access to which is through a closed gate which spans the whole width of the back of this shared driveway but which I have never seen used during the time I've been here. I don't have a car so I'm not bothered about not being able to access the large gate to my private driveway. My issue is that various people are parking on the shared driveway (they do not live at the flats, they are just parking to see somone who works in the shops nearby) , and sometimes this means that when I open my front door there is a car less than 2 feet in front of it. This makes it tricky to go from my front door to the street or back, especially with shopping etc. I'm aware of certain things in the highway code that say you shouldn't do something like this, but I know this isn't law. Is there anything I can do to make the problem go away? If I call the police or council would they be able to do anything / tow the offending car away? If it has any bearing, at the front of shared driveway where it meets the road is a double yellow line and on the outside of that is a single white line. Any help appreciated, thanks!

Apologies if this is in the wrong section as i couldn't find one more suitable. If this is the case could you please point me in the right direction. Ive been recently talking to a friend who has a shared ownership flat wherby they pay mortgage and rent. We discussed a number of repairs that she had paid out for herself which i thought maybe the landlord (radian housing) could possibly have been responsible for and had maybe misinformed her. If this is the relevant forum section then id like to ask for advice and or experience on the matter from those more in the know. Many thanks.

I have recently given the keys back to the bank for my house as I couldn't pay the mortgage and the house hadn't sold after being on the market for a while. The house was a 50/50 shared ownership with a housing association. The house was valued at 90k prior to the v.repossession. I only owed 17k on the mortgage so if it had sold it would have given me 28k (50%) after paying the bank. The house is now being marketed for sale for 70k. if it sells for 70k,will I get half of the remaining cash or will the housing association be eligible for half of the the original valuation of the house (90k) ? Hope you can advise,shared equity mortgages are so confusing. Thankyou.

Hi, ive been looking through a lot of info but its just confusing me to be honest can someone give me a dummies guide to these schemes! lol say for instance there is a three bed property the price range is 80'000 and you need a minimum of 45% share in it so from that information how do you go about it. My general figuring is, you get a deposit of the 45%? then you pay the monthly rent? in relation this also, whats the deal with the credit score process. Surely not everyone on these schemes are required to have a perfect credit score? but at least not in the red? yeah anyway just would be good to have some guidance,im normally okay when i read information but with so many different schemes and prices and numbers,its just baffling,wish i knew why!

Hi, I have what seems a complicated situation to me at least and would value some advice please. I am currently receiving contribution based ESA support.I split from my partner and am currently living in rented accommodation. I am receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit as my partner is currently in the process of buying me out of our joint property. I have been told that my local council regard this as disregarded capital as I intend using this money to buy a property. I am having trouble finding somewhere as the amount is right at the bottom of the market and not many properties come up and those that do are either in need of additional work, are too high up( I need a ground floor flat) or get snapped up by buy to let investors. As a result of this I am considering a shared ownership property(resale). 1) Does the local council pay Housing Benefit to people in shared Ownership properties(on the rental/service charge)? I originally phoned my local council when I moved out five months ago and they said that yes they do, but when I phoned them more recently, I have had mixed responses, one asked her line manager and they said they definitely don't pay housing benefit on shared ownership but when looking on some websites: entitled.to housingandsupport england.shelter it appears that they do and my local council's benefit calculator supports that. However this website: helptobuy Can I use Housing Benefit to pay some of the costs? "No. You need to be able to afford the initial and ongoing costs of buying or renting through Help to Buy without needing Housing Benefit to help you". I'm unsure if help to buy shared ownership is the same as other shared ownerships? Is there a national law or is it up to each council to decide? 1a) If they do pay it and I buy a shared Ownership in the knowledge that I would receive benefits to part fund it rather than keep attempting to find a 100% ownership property, would this cause a problem? 2)What % of disregarded capital must be spent on the new property? I am unsure if I spend for example 75% of my capital on a lower cost shared ownership property if the council will look at my disregarded capital and decide that as I didn't spend it all on a property they will ask for the housing benefit and Council Tax Benefit back? The problem is that there aren't many shared ownership properties up for sale in my area and they are all below my capital level or too high. 2a) Can I stair case either initially or after a qualifying period(one or two years) to bring my % up to alleviate any problems with my disregarded capital( if there is any). 3) Would stair casing be seen as deprivation of capital? As it would use my savings up quicker and mean that I'm a lot nearer to needing to claim for housing benefit in the future. ( that is not the reason I would staircase, I am simply looking to invest up to a 50% share before prices rise and to also negate any problems with the disregarded capital mentioned earlier) 4)Would any additional spending be send as deprivation of capital? Finally(sorry for all the questions) is it okay to spend some of my money on driving lessons and a car after I have bought a property as now I am on my own it is hard to get around so I need to try to sort out my own transport but I don't want this to be seen as deprivation, I would also need to buy a bed and some kitchen goods, furniture etc. How do I know what an acceptable amount is to spend on these items? I am not sure if it's okay to ask on this forum or not, but you all seem to know your stuff so I thought if anyone would know you would! The problem seems to be that I won't know for sure until I apply for housing benefit in the future, but I can't risk buying a shared ownership property if I don't get housing benefit once my savings are done.! The frustrating thing is I have finally found a fantastic SO property that's perfect and I would love to buy it, but its valued at 75% of my deferred capital for a 45% share and without further information I cannot buy it. Any help you can give as I don't know where to turn really. Thanks

Hope this is the correct section. This is a little bit complicated so i'll try and explain it all. Two years ago I decided to go back to college and then university so moved back in with my father. I was living in a shared ownership (25%) flat and had it up for sale and permission to rent it out until it sold. However my mother was being kicked out of her rented house for not paying so I let her move into my flat so she wasn't on the street. 2 years later and she still refuses to pay any rent or go to the council for rent money and i've come to the end of my financial tether. I've been using my university loans to pay for her to live there for 2 years while my father has let me live with him for free but enough is enough. She never signed any tenancy agreements with me and the bills are in my name still, including a £400 electricity bill she has run up which has meant i've had bailifts after me for payment. I'm convinced with speaking to her that she is mentally ill but the doctors wont do anything as she isnt an immediate physical threat to herself or others and after speaking to the doctor/council/CAB/Housing Assosiation the best advice I have gotten is to let the flat be repossessed and hope she kicks up and gets arrested so she can be sectioned. Now to the actual question. What is the quickest way to let my flat be repossessed? My mortgage is with the Halifax and rent with Waterloo Homes. I honestly just want to be rid of the place now and I don't care about getting a mortgage anytime soon. I'm not sure who to contact or what departments and what to say whether it be ringing or writing to someone, or what the actual process will be. Hope someone can help, sorry for the big wall of text.

i live in a mobile static home on my own there are 3 of them and the landlord has just given me a gas bill for 500 for a quarter which i think is discraceful he has split the bill in 3 the other 2 homes have 2 people in each but he says i have to pay the same as them i have my gas on for 6 hours a day i only have 3 small radiators and my hot water is on gas i do think this bill is very high how do i go about disputing it.

I've moved into a student property while I'm at university and live in a shared flat. The house is a 3 floor house with each floor having flats. In my flat our landlord advertised the tenancy with Sky TV & tv licence included in the rent. Last month all of us noticed tv licence letters coming through the post. As it was easter we ignored it. I opened one today as it was just address to the occupier and it says they're sending their 'manchester' enforcement team for a visit due to non response. As a student what can I do? I'm the only one in the house who has the Sky in my room but it was advertised in my bill by the landlord. The other tenants have tvs too but just use it for x box and stuff.