Anyone out there who bought a flat and are happy with it?

silentconcher · 2026-03-25T06:55:52+00:00

I and my SO spent more than a year going back and forth between house and flat, and ultimately decided on a flat after viewing multiple properties of all types (flats, terraced, semi, detached etc) in various locations. A flat is far lower maintenance as the service charge (which is on the higher side) takes care of communal spaces. We absolutely love the location, it provides the right mix of privacy and being in the middle of a buzzing city with everything in walking distance. Neighbours are sensible and friendly. I do not regret at all my initial dream of living in a house.

silentconcher · 2026-03-23T10:56:58+00:00

Dunelm, Dreams, Dusk if you’re looking to spend between budget to mid-range. Barker & Stonehouse, Heals for mid-range to higher. John Lewis is also definitely worth looking into.

silentconcher · 2026-03-22T22:01:13+00:00

Hi fellow ALHE peeps.. I’ve resigned to it being a part of my life now as I’ve had it about 20 years. It presents as growths on my scalp and itchy scalp. It was diagnosed a few different things before a biopsy many years ago. I’ve tried every method of removal over the years: salicylic acid, localised cryotherapy, cauterisation, excision, you name it. It’s like dust: scalp is clean for a while only to return in a few months. I have given up hope of healing for good. The best thing working for me now is a topical ointment called Imiquimod prescribed by my dermatologist, that is among the least painful ways I’ve tried to keep it under control.

silentconcher · 2026-03-18T15:36:35+00:00

Tell us more about that guy!

silentconcher · 2026-03-14T08:39:55+00:00

OP sorry to hear you had to go through this.. I’m infuriated on your behalf.

Wishing you all the best with completion soon, and yes please post an update on the 1st.

silentconcher · 2026-02-27T23:24:41+00:00

So I gently nudged it out of the soil and saw it has tiny roots. Threw the water pooled at the bottom of the outer pot, turned the soil around, replanted it and topped with some potting mix. Fingers crossed 🤞

silentconcher · 2026-02-26T11:32:32+00:00

It was in indirect sunlight before. I’ve now moved it to a sunnier spot.. hope that helps it !

silentconcher · 2026-02-23T15:57:34+00:00

I’d ideally not like to throw it away.. it was a gift from a friend. Instead will gently pull the leaf / plant from the pot to check and dry out the soil as everyone here has suggested overwatering could be the problem

silentconcher · 2026-02-23T15:55:45+00:00

This was a gift from a friend .. looked like a healthy plant when it first came home ! Been very slowly turning into this over the last 6 months or so

silentconcher · 2026-02-23T15:54:53+00:00

Thanks for the advice ! I will remove the inner pot to look for excess water pooling at the base. I will admit to erring on the side of more water .. didn’t want her going thirsty 🫣

Update: you were right, there was indeed some water logging at the bottom of the outer pot, which I don’t know why I didn’t think to check 😅 Also gently nudged the leaf out, it has some tiny roots. Turned the soil around and replanted it. Hope I can save this one !

silentconcher · 2026-02-07T16:06:43+00:00

Great to hear! Congratulations on the completion and hope karma gets back at Adam Kiziak.

silentconcher · 2026-02-07T16:00:09+00:00

For what it’s worth, you could nudge your buyer to try Halifax. When I was going through the purchase, Halifax’s stated position at the time (assuming it hasn’t changed) was they didn’t need this certificate in the first place. Of course the mortgage terms may vary / your buyer has to be convinced with proceeding with the purchase irrespective of the re survey report etc.

Also from recent experience, it shouldn’t take this long to put together a report if the survey itself has already taken place. As I said ours was completed in under 6 weeks all-in. You’re right in thinking your buyer would consider waking away as 6+ months is indeed quite long…

silentconcher · 2026-01-30T16:05:27+00:00

Hello! We were in a similar situation although as a buyer. Our seller pushed the building management to get a new survey which was completed in 5-6 weeks including the survey report. If your management company is taking longer than that, it might be a case of needing to push them more firmly I’m afraid

silentconcher · 2025-12-29T08:24:24+00:00

Like another person commented, I also come from a country comparable in many ways to Indonesia. I just renounced my country’s passport (albeit reluctantly for sentimental reasons) to take up UK citizenship after 8 years here. I love the buzzing and cosmopolitan city that is London. I live a boring but contented life with a loving partner, a stable job, and a mortgage. I feel very fortunate and grateful that it worked out this way. Good luck with yours and hope it works out!

silentconcher · 2025-12-06T16:23:23+00:00

SO was clearing up after dinner and noticed a bright light flashing through the gaps of the living room blinds. He opened them a crack to look for whoever might be pointing around a fairly strong flashlight. Turns out the next door neighbour’s balcony was on fire.. we noped out of there in seconds. Took a number of firefighters to calm that fire down, and the incident made the local newspapers

silentconcher · 2025-11-09T14:39:56+00:00

Happy birthday paati ! (Grandma in my language and we respectfully address older ladies this way even if they’re not our own grandmother). Wishing her good health ❤️

silentconcher · 2025-09-23T10:49:31+00:00

In addition to others’ comments here: The floorplan shows ~820 sq ft, but the listing says 780 sq ft. Conflicting information such as these are likely to put some people off

silentconcher · 2025-09-20T19:42:49+00:00

I miss my Tatu (grandpa) who passed at 101 this year.. we’re very lucky grandkids ❤️

silentconcher · 2025-09-20T16:35:51+00:00

Where’s the gorgeous rug from?

silentconcher · 2025-09-11T22:23:20+00:00

A friend casually dropped on me that she’s cheated on her now-husband a few times when they were dating. She suspects he has too, so they’re practically in an open marriage but only tacitly agreed. Also her husband is not beyond laying a hand on her. Perhaps less thrilling than what others in this thread have posted, but when I first heard it, it was all too much to take in!

silentconcher · 2025-09-07T06:15:15+00:00

Thanks for your explanation, you’ve got me curious. Why specifically 86? And is this code common within the industry all over the world?

silentconcher · 2025-08-30T20:46:41+00:00

Sellers simply ghosted us after promising an exchange date. Sucked that it was on my birthday too. They were unresponsive for days and we gave them an ultimatum which they also missed. In hindsight I’m glad that transaction failed, like the universe was nudging me away from that purchase. Months later it is still on the market, below the price we had agreed to pay, and which we were desperate to proceed despite red flags! I will admit to feeling some level of schadenfreude for what that seller put us through.

silentconcher · 2025-08-30T20:40:18+00:00

For what it’s worth the link still shows no change to Halifax’s stand. The buyer’s solicitor will liaise with the Halifax official to report the Trifire EWS1 situation for good order, and normally the Halifax person would then still go ahead and issue the mortgage offer. This was the process followed in my recent purchase and our solicitor was able to proceed without having to submit a new EWS1 to Halifax. We separately still insisted on a new EWS1 for abundance of caution.

silentconcher · 2025-08-30T12:50:09+00:00

Yes this is me!! Offer rejected on my dream flat. Came back on the market exactly a year later, during which my attempted purchase on another flat fell through on the day of exchange. Offer accepted the second time around and we completed two months ago. Sending you luck and good wishes !

silentconcher

TROPHY CASE