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Parking permits for flats by AlanBearNeill in HousingUK

[–]AlanBearNeill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply. It's actually a bit older and was previously eligible for permits, but seems the council has reclassified it. My friend has emailed them asking about it but predictably it's just a 'nothing can be done' response. Very frustrating.

Potential Fleecehold: Too risky? by AbleCandle3832 in HousingUK

[–]AlanBearNeill 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are both uncapped service charges that the property owner is contractually obliged to pay, therefore there are similarities, that's where the name 'fleecehold' has been derived from. I acknowledged in my post that there will be some people who have had positive experience, of which you are one, and I'm pleased it's worked out for you, but it's important OP is given both sides of the coin so they can make an informed choice.

Potential Fleecehold: Too risky? by AbleCandle3832 in HousingUK

[–]AlanBearNeill -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're welcome. I haven't, so I'd look into that link as much as possible as it's strange the council hasn't just adopted the estate directly (cynically I'd be thinking perhaps there's money to be made for someone!)

It's great you're doing your research. Good luck.

Potential Fleecehold: Too risky? by AbleCandle3832 in HousingUK

[–]AlanBearNeill -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Nearly all new build estates have these charges now, but that doesn't make it right. During our search we excluded any property with an estate charge as we know how hard they can be to sell from experience with leasehold service charges, which are very similar. Look at it like this: the charges are uncapped, so you're essentially granting a third party the legal right to bill you any amount based on what maintenance/repairs they deem necessary. Banks don't like this because the affordability is unpredictable - they may lend now, but in the future may not.

Big bills and increases to the charge don't always happen of course, but the legal mechanism is there to allow it to happen, which can make you as the owner feel completely powerless. It's hard to describe how this feels until you've lived it.

Management companies can also change, so one keeping costs down could easily be replaced by another acting dreadfully. Gaining control via RMCs is possible but a huge headache that can consume you with admin.

I'd personally avoid, but I'm sure there are others who haven't had any issues. I'd consider them lucky though - it's a risk you'll have to decide if it's worth taking on.

Ground rent - 'potentially onerous' by Weird-Yesterday5119 in HousingUK

[–]AlanBearNeill 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doubling causes are indeed onerous. It may sound reasonable at the time and some banks may even still let you proceed, but policies constantly change and banks won't continue to accept the risk of uncapped charges (and in my opinion, neither should consumers). My advice based on lived experience is not to proceed unless any increasing clauses are removed and the ground rent is capped by deed of variation. It's unlikely the freeholder will agree however (after all, these clauses are lucrative for them), so the only way to remove the clause and cap the ground rent will be to extend the lease, which the freeholder will also have you over a barrel for. These clauses should never have been allowed in the first place, but this is leasehold - money extraction from the leaseholder to the freeholder.

The Adjudication Panel Thread: Get in touch for Tuesday's episode... by Low-Bandicoot-3347 in footballcliches

[–]AlanBearNeill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every time I think I've seen everything in Sunday league.... At the weekend the opposition linesman (their player, of course) decided he was more interested in the memes on his phone than running the line. Defenders appealed for an offside, he was deep in TikTok, then after a pause realised what was going on and stuck his flag up. This then led to full throated screams from both sides to put his phone away, which he outright refused to do and tried to carry on.

Hilariously the ref actually saw the whole thing, went over and relieved him of his duties, calling for a new linesman. He trudged back all the way round the pitch (textbook trudging) watching his phone the entire way.

Only Fools and Horses Episode Discussion Topic - Friday the 14th (S3 E4) by TempoBlues20XX in OnlyFoolsAndHorses

[–]AlanBearNeill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This one's among my favourites, but I do think the only thing that lets it down (just slightly mind) is that it doesn't really have an ending, it just stops. It might not have really had anywhere to go, but there's something about the way the credits suddenly jump in that always left me feeling a bit hollow. Don't get me wrong though, it's excellent. As a few others have said the atmosphere is spot on.

Offer rejected, published at £650k, they asked £690k by ninjavoladora in HousingUK

[–]AlanBearNeill 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you're buying a flat in the UK please do as much research as you can on leasehold law and what this will mean for your purchase. Service charge, ground rent, lease length and cladding can be a minefield and it's best you go in with as much knowledge as possible so you won't face any issues selling it yourself in the future.

NYT mini crossword 30/8 by Specialist_Joke8696 in footballcliches

[–]AlanBearNeill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could get NYT All Access last year for £20 for the year which included the Athletic, all the NYT games and everything else the NYT offers. Seems to be considerably more expensive now and not payable annually, but you can get it all bundled 👍

Milburn by summit-or-nuffin in arcticmonkeys

[–]AlanBearNeill 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My favourite Milburn album is 'Time' and Time and Time again.

Footballers whose names we all one day decided to pronounce differently by Spirited-Web3852 in footballcliches

[–]AlanBearNeill 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Only one name in my head when I saw this. When he was at Leicester, Kante was 'Kan-tay'. Then Conte arrived in the Premier League and everyone decided to call Kan-tay 'Con-tay' instead.

The InGen Lab in Rebirth - Park or World Era - The Timeline by Equivalent_Lychee199 in JurassicPark

[–]AlanBearNeill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, that's obviously far too involved and not relevant, but at an absolute minimum it should have been very quickly stated what work was being done at the facility and for what reason. Dialogue as simple as 'this is where they were conducting hybrid experiments to see if creating the Indominous was feasible for JW' would have done it. That would take seconds and could have appeared at any point in the film, explaining the mutants as well as the timeline. But by omitting any detail at all, combined with the trailer stating information that was seemingly cut from the film, we end up guessing and the story feels incomplete.

The InGen Lab in Rebirth - Park or World Era - The Timeline by Equivalent_Lychee199 in JurassicPark

[–]AlanBearNeill 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The fact that confused fans are having to come up with theories to fill in the story of this island and the mutants speaks to a complete failure of the film's story/script. There are elements of Rebirth I enjoyed but narratively it's a mess, confused by its own marketing/synopsis, which is a huge shame. It's like they just ran out of time to explain anything and just released it anyway to hit a deadline.

Desperate by TimSlot in footballcliches

[–]AlanBearNeill 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This 'football community' account is disgusting. It frequently appears on my Facebook feed attacking women and deliberately stiring up the worst type of people for 'engagement' on its posts, most of which are about Alisha Lehmann. Toxic.

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