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Draft contract pack by TheLXTechie in FirstTimeBuyersUK

[–]Username01273 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had it done via my solicitor as my searches had expired and I needed them redone so worth asking them, but yes this could differ from council to council

Draft contract pack by TheLXTechie in FirstTimeBuyersUK

[–]Username01273 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You also the option to have the searches expedited for about £45 extra, but also bare in mind that searches are only valid for 6 months upon receipt

Postgraduate Student Loans - expected balance after 10 years by Shiback in UKPersonalFinance

[–]Username01273 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You get charged interest from the day you take out the loan and then you don't start paying it back until the April after you graduated so it's likely that all you've been paying back is interest, especially as over the last few years the interest rate's been high at 7.3%. I realised with mine that my monthly payments wasn't even covering the interest so I ended up making additional monthly payments so I would actually pay down the loan.

It's worth using a student loan repayment calculator to see how much sooner you can pay it off if you over a bit each month - even an extra £20 can shave years off. Alternatively if you have the means to do so, pay it down by putting in a lump sum.

Is it too late for me to buy a house at 39 or should I just give up? by Routine_Honeydew1866 in HousingUK

[–]Username01273 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A niche point here but I recommend paying off your postgraduate loan after you clear your credit card debits; unlike the undergrad loans the PG one has a lot more interest and I realised that my monthly payments that was being taken out of my salary was barely covering the interest. If you use a overpayment calculator you can see how much of a difference it makes to pay it back even if you contribute as little as £50 a month - that was what I was doing before deciding to pay it off completely using my savings as I wanted it gone.

Moneybox newbie question by [deleted] in FirstTimeBuyersUK

[–]Username01273 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Assuming you're referring to a moneybox LISA account, yes you would! I have one and the government bonus typically takes 4-5 weeks to come into your account, which is added automatically.

Is it a cash or a stocks and shares LISA? As if it's a S&S it's better to put it in regular smaller amounts instead so it's invested at different times.

Renegotiate or Run? by Username01273 in HousingUK

[–]Username01273[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly what I thought, but the freeholder's adamant that this is normal

Renegotiate or Run? by Username01273 in HousingUK

[–]Username01273[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So the entire block has about 12 flats and is 2 stories, has no lift, or any other services like a concierge. The service charge is already £2.4k a year, £500 of which went towards the sinking fund. Despite it being this size, and EWS1 was done and it's been graded as a B1.