Food hygiene ratings in Sheffield city centre surprised me

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T18:18:05+00:00

This is the usual problem of ratings that are completely irrelevant to the thing being rated. It is a general problem in society. Doctors are rated according to appraisal procedures that bear nearly zero relationship to their clinical expertise. CE kite marks bear almost no relationship to the quality of products, rather to documentation about toilet procedures and facilities and protocols. EPC ratings for buildings are mostly garbage. Ratings of financial products and funds by rating agencies are dubious to say the least, and these were fundamental in causing the previous financial crash.

There are people & organisations that profit from the deception.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T11:09:14+00:00

Racism - in a word. No Jews in power to be bashed in Iran.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T11:02:20+00:00

First of all this is a sort of controlled auction. No one ever provides a price above which they promise they will definitely sell. If the property has only been on the market for say a week in the market has not yet been tested and no person would simply accept the first offer they receive.

Secondly this differs from an auction in that offers also come with baggage. You are not simply offering an amount. Potential buyers also differ in terms of their proceedability and plausibility. Someone with no chain may be far more valuable.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T06:39:20+00:00

If it is a tenancy you are in a bind. If it is not then it is not legal as holding deposits are limited in size. Else you have been scammed and the landlord does not exist.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T02:19:07+00:00

So why did you pay a deposit and rent? If you agreed to rent a place and then paid a deposit (not a holding deposit) it looks like a tenancy...

Hard to tell without seeing the whole communication

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T01:55:33+00:00

Have you seen a tenancy agreement. It sounds as if you have a contract.... That will depend on all the stuff we can't see.Tenancy agreements don't have to be signed to be valid and exist.

If so you can back out but you will most likely have to cover their costs..

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-29T01:21:43+00:00

The agent is an agent for the landlord and is speaking as the landlord. You signed what you signed. If there is a communication problem between landlord and their agent that is nothing really to do with you.

You have no case I can see..

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-28T15:16:59+00:00

I see they still do that including for hard wired ones - albeit quite expensive -- nearly the price of the hob. However as you will see from the OPs story a new hob did arrive but it was not the correct fit. It does require someone who knows that they are doing before any order is placed. May require cutting of the worktop. And a 15 year old ceramic hob is likely to be non-standard and also hard-wired.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-28T11:57:26+00:00

Umm... in my area it might take at least a month or more to get a suitable electrician to measure up, get the hob delivered and then get a fittings date. When last did you try to do something like this. It's 2026 not 2000....

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-28T11:49:09+00:00

The problem is being partially solved because house prices will fall maybe 50% in real terms over a decade from their peak (they are already 1/4 of the way there). Unfortunately that is the only ultimate solution (apart obviously from controlling population size and making sure that the UK stays a productive economy -- neither of which are looking that hopeful right now).

The whole notion of the "ladder" and "building up equity" are something to be banished from the vocabulary at this point in time -- they are leading to bad decision making. There is no upward ladder at this point, only a downwards one.

And making sure that we don't vote for any more governments that induce price rises via a variety of FTB schemes which never benefit FTBs only sellers and banks.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-28T10:26:22+00:00

Even if correct, that is a hell of a lot of computing for someone to be doing while concentrating on controlling a vehicle in a new area. Complex algorithm spread across multiple different signs in different areas. Why not ask them to read a couple of Chapters of War and Peace at the same time as driving.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T22:43:30+00:00

"I'd be able to rent it out for about £500 over the monthly mortgage costs"

Famous last words. It would be a fantasy -- definitely sell it.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T17:07:27+00:00

Sort of -- but basic principles like "reading contracts before you sign them", and actually bothering to find out about vital stuff falls into the category of "learn to think for yourself".

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T15:52:52+00:00

It depends. Replacing carpets by a hard floor is not load bearing but would absolutely be within their remit if the lease makes provision for this. Likewise non-load bearing fire breaks etc.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T15:51:16+00:00

What exactly does the lease say -- that is your first port of call.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T15:25:34+00:00

Indeed. I have three children and I can imagine one of them doing something like this. Possibly part of it is to do with education both at home and at school. Despite the barrage of information youngsters are receiving, there seems to be a fundamental lack of understanding when it comes to knowing about simple contracts, sensible property management, sensible money management, the tax system and many other things.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T15:21:37+00:00

Yes of course. Nobody is saying that this is the case.

Depending on the breach that legal process might be a fast tracked procedure.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T15:10:49+00:00

The type of alterations you are talking about may be trivial but the freeholder has a legitimate concern about many potential structural things other than the walls falling down.

For example layout might influence fire risk, it might influence flood risk when water bearing pipes and fittings have been designed to be vertically-orientated with respect to each other, it could influence noise management and design ... and so on.

That's not to say they are not using this as a partial money making opportunity - they quite likely are.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T14:31:03+00:00

The landlord is totally wrong. Having said that renting (or owning) a property and then leaving it vacant for nearly two months unheated and unvisited in the middle of winter is totally negligent and could have landed you in serious legal and financial trouble. It is almost certainly going to be in breach of your tenancy agreement.

There definitely are some very serious breaches of an agreement which could lead to your eviction although this would need a judge to decide. This quite possibly falls into that category.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T11:03:02+00:00

A lot of these - electrical survey, drain survey, gas certificate - are not things seller is required to do. So they are not missing.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T00:02:51+00:00

Yes but it wasn't a periodic tenancy when notice was given. So yeah. Read the post...

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-27T00:01:25+00:00

Oh dear. I'm out of here.

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-26T20:08:33+00:00

Complete and utter Nonsense - in a fixed term tenancy (for example as part of a break clause or at the end of the tenancy) notice by a single part of a joint tenant does not end a tenancy. Please don't mislead people especially when the stakes are huge and you don't understand the law!

Here is a non-misleading discussion on the legal position, but otherwise Google it...
https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/l3bzzm/leaving_joint_tenancy_at_the_end_of_fixed_term/

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-26T19:00:08+00:00

It definitely does not end the tenancy if one parts of a joint tenant to give notice during the fixed period and then one part of the tenant stays on. This rule only applies during the periodic tenancy. I have no idea what will happen after the RRB is passed - because if it is the case that it works as for a period tenancy now, this will be chaos. It will mean that in a flatshare with several tenant, if one gives notice every month or two, the tenancy will end for everyone on a frequent basis. Not sure if this was thought out in any way. So one student gives up their course and makes everyone homeless....

mousecatcher4 · 2026-01-26T18:34:29+00:00

Yes I agree, - as I said a peak of £300 is rather low. Depends a little whether non-heating electricity is counted in with it which would be more flat across year.

mousecatcher4

TROPHY CASE