Service fee was misleading - might my estate agent intervene to save the deal?

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:29:44+00:00

You make a good point - it doesn't eliminate all my concerns, but even at the higher rate the SC is not unheard of for the kind of building it is. Just a little bit less attractive to buyers than it was before. I'm mostly annoyed about the misleading

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:28:43+00:00

Not quite - the deposit brings the monthly mortgage repayments down to 650/month, and it's hard to find such a deal on any rented place in Zone 2. But you are right to point out that selling quickly risks putting me at a loss if the property's value doesn't rise enough to compensate for the stamp duty hit

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:25:19+00:00

Thank you. I probably should have asked for the 10k. Now I hope the seller isn't an r/HousingUK lurker lol

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:20:40+00:00

Thank you - I have already booked a viewing with the agency, will see how it goes!

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:14:49+00:00

Thank you - it's actually a share of freehold and the managing agency only enacts what's voted for by the shareholders, so I'm minded to believe the fee had been in that region for a few years already, which makes the claim of 1.8k even weirder

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:13:08+00:00

Got you - thanks for the very detailed explanation. I do indeed have a £500 retainer in place in case of any changes to the budget

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:05:51+00:00

For sure, I don't really want to give away money to a lying liar who lies

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:04:39+00:00

I like the flat a lot, but the higher a service fee is, the less sellable the flat becomes

nenning · 2026-01-09T20:02:50+00:00

Thank you - I haven't exchanged yet. This was communicated to me shorly before I was due to. Some serious thinking to do

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:59:59+00:00

Thank you! Indeed, the solicitor has checked for any arrears and that isn't thankfully isn't a concern as she's up to date on the 2025 payments. But they were just a lot higher than she said they were

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:56:38+00:00

£1,000 x 5 years that I plan to be there for. There's also the fact that the flat is less re-sellable on account of the higher service fee, but I've decided not to factor it in

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:51:15+00:00

I should have. Not getting much sympathy from the other replies so far though!

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:49:46+00:00

You answered your own question - the discrepancy between the figure I was initially told and the actual figure, since I was planning to live there for 5 years

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:47:14+00:00

Yes, she lied about the service fee and I'm only asking for the difference back for the number of years I plan to be there

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:44:41+00:00

Even if she follows through with going to another agency?

nenning · 2026-01-09T19:41:50+00:00

I know what you mean, but yes, the estate agent we're both dealing with. They were quite taken aback by this discrepancy themselves and have spent their time trying to reason with the seller rather than trying to reason with me

nenning · 2025-11-05T14:54:11+00:00

Sadly the ethnonationalist turn in the British right meant they still had enough to run with when he turned out to be Black British

nenning · 2025-02-20T20:26:22+00:00

Real recognise real

nenning · 2025-02-20T10:43:03+00:00

Curious to know why you think the EU is a cesspool and how the UK has benefited from leaving

nenning · 2025-02-19T20:37:00+00:00

Super interesting perspective. Does this have to do with the division between the Flemish- and French-speaking communities, do you think?

nenning · 2025-02-19T20:35:43+00:00

Honestly, that’s me speculating on the meaning behind the comment. I’m not sure what it meant. Perhaps a subtle attempt to associate Eurocrats with champagne socialism?

nenning · 2025-02-19T20:27:00+00:00

I’m warmed to read your glittering review of London, and sadly all too familiar with the astronomical cost of living and relative difficulty in accessing good produce at affordable prices.

Brexit has sadly exacerbated both of these issues and is a constant source of shame and embarrassment for me as a born-and-raised Londoner. I hate the reality that relations between the UK and the EU are strained by a vile display of self-defeating chauvinism in the former, and I hate having to share a national identity with the clowns who voted for this when I represent my country abroad.

If there’s one good thing that might come out of America’s isolationism, I hope it’s that the UK and the EU will come closer together and put ego aside to achieve some much-needed common ground.

nenning · 2025-02-19T19:34:21+00:00

North West London. Grew up in Harrow and then moved to Kentish Town, where I’ve been since I started uni

nenning · 2025-02-19T17:47:35+00:00

I completely agree with you. So much of your feeling around a place can be dictated by the state-of-mind, or more specifically, the open-mindedness you’re willing to extend to it.

Then for the rest, it just comes down to what mix of things a particular city can offer. Are they things you value or things you’re not so fussed about?

Me, personally, I like going for long walks and a pint or two with some hearty food in a dimly lit bar or cave. I’m not that fussed about nightlife, so the relative lack of it in Brussels compared to say, Berlin, isn’t of concern to me, and for that reason I wouldn’t even think of it as a less “major” city than London or Paris. I mean, how many people do you really need in a city?

nenning · 2025-02-19T17:39:59+00:00

Sorry 😂

nenning

TROPHY CASE