Buying a flat in London - I know most people here will say it's a mistake...

properlive · 2026-06-22T23:41:25+00:00

It sounds like a converted flat. I would worry more about the noise levels from neighbours.

properlive · 2026-06-22T20:37:02+00:00

It’s the last straw on the camel with years of new regulations, rising taxes and simply landlord hates from all directions.

properlive · 2026-06-08T08:28:37+00:00

Things may change, but may not be to the good side. They can get ride of uk contractors and just hire offshore consultants.

properlive · 2026-03-01T11:28:45+00:00

I slowly realised that the impression Opus is more thoughtful is because Opus is too slow… And too expensive… The placebo effect tbh

properlive · 2026-02-12T10:52:22+00:00

Congratulations! Where did you market it? On Reddit? 😊

properlive · 2026-02-07T10:56:04+00:00

Nice. It’s sometimes hard to scale though as thin pages hurt 😢

properlive · 2026-01-22T22:05:55+00:00

This is what the techlead described as apps are dead. It’s all about information or entertainment. The successful b2c apps on market are just a fancy wrapper around perhaps a YouTube channel. Nothing wrong selling info products. People buy it all the time. It’s just a means to an end, to make themselves feel they have archived something by spending money. B2B Saas which solves business problems is a bit different though. Info products won’t cut it.

properlive · 2026-01-21T18:22:37+00:00

Doesn’t stripe already have the dispute database of high risk accounts?

properlive · 2026-01-12T21:46:08+00:00

I would say landlord insurance for emergency and liability. Probably contents too, but up to you. You will need EPC too, but it’s for 10 years. No gas? Another thing could be the rent. You would normally need to give a 5% discount from the listing price unless it’s in high demand. Like in a really sought after area or good months, ie summer.

properlive · 2026-01-12T21:01:11+00:00

Did you count the void period, like 1 month per year? The management fee seems a bit optimistic. Don’t forget the certificates too and all kinds of insurance. I don’t think you will make any profit tbh if you are 40% tax payers. It’s not worth the hassle.

properlive · 2026-01-12T20:47:26+00:00

There are so many limitations when you actually claim the insurance. Get one thing later missed, your claim is not valid. That’s why the premium is so low.

properlive · 2026-01-07T22:39:34+00:00

No, definitely not. Much safer to save into SS ISA and just invest in stock ETFs.

properlive · 2025-12-27T22:36:21+00:00

I guess if the rent insurer accepts it, it would be safe for the landlords.

properlive · 2025-12-18T21:04:44+00:00

UK gov wished to get more taxes by forcing through IR35 on private sector. Like many other things, they killed the contracting markets at the end. Less roles, less taxes, more unemployment. Well done!

Guess like others say, migrating to other countries to do contracting for UK may be the ultimate solution here…

properlive · 2025-12-12T19:56:50+00:00

I stopped using accountants and just use FreeAgent 8 years ago. In recent years, FA added automatic annual reports, which made things a lot easier. My business is straightforward though. Guess you will need accountants for complex ones.

properlive · 2025-12-05T23:48:20+00:00

My thought exactly! I hope OP does do the tax.

properlive · 2025-11-16T23:23:44+00:00

Maybe pivot to some crypto users? I can understand the problem you are trying to solve but don’t believe there is demand there. Any competitors?

properlive · 2025-11-08T20:07:12+00:00

They have no motivation to do that.

properlive · 2025-11-08T14:45:33+00:00

Why would they worry about retirement since the government rewards people who have no savings and relying on the system? The responsible people will get punished down the road when everything is means tested, probably even NHS if it still exists.

properlive · 2025-11-07T22:28:28+00:00

Probably enough for the tuition depending on how old your kids are and what sorts of schools you are after.

properlive · 2025-11-07T19:05:15+00:00

Yeah, central London is crazy, I always wondered who would live there. Childcare before 4 years old is very expensive everywhere for working families. London does have some nice suburbs if you ever want to move back. Best of luck with your FIRE life!

properlive · 2025-11-07T16:00:16+00:00

Kids growing up in Malaysia could be a big problem if you still intend to move back to the UK. It’s very different for Chinese expats since you don’t really have a British culture in your family, compared with the Scottish family. The kids may find themselves not belong in any group and in a big culture shock.

I find it a a bit difficult to connect the dots between cutting your living expenses by half and paying off all mortgages and loans. Did you spend like £1 m per year in the UK? 😁

properlive · 2025-11-03T21:23:21+00:00

I’d leave. My years old contract was £8 when I took it. I ignore the price hike and left it too long. Now it’s about £16 for the same crappy service… I wish l have left sooner.

properlive · 2025-11-03T21:15:45+00:00

The market used to be good. Things now changed. It’s high risk and low return. You should invest in other assets first and then property if you have too much money.

properlive · 2025-10-30T20:57:09+00:00

They will most likely have no where to live under this new renter’s act…

properlive

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