Q: I moved out of London so I needed a short-term rental for this month. Looking on Airbnb and other websites, I found a pretty smart rental in Islington for £300 a week. When I contacted the host I was politely informed I must also pay a small deposit of £300. I do not know how to send a deposit over the UK border and, trying to sort this out, I am not allowed to go into London to pick it up.
I had previously paid a deposit in advance of the original deposit, but when I asked about extra details, they said they had no way of using this. I am only in Islington at the moment. Can you advise what I should do? A
A: If you have insufficient room to justify a full deposit, you will still have to pay one pound, the minimum required as payment due, at the end of the tenancy. It may be possible for you to have the deposit returned to you and instead of handing over an advance, you agree that the deposit would be returned within 60 days to put a time limit on its use. A week is not a suitable period to try to operate this system (at the very least, you will not have security to hand). So if you are going to commit yourself financially to a lease and secure the property, you will have to let someone else use the deposit as well.
If you need advice on what legal action to take, you can go to £ # letterboxlolly at £.925.88 a night for English law firms
Find an unfriendly host
Q: I bought a home in Hampstead in 2008. It is my one and only home and I am 100% liable for any insurance premium if someone falls through the living room window and is injured or worse. I have only paid £6.85 a month so far in annual premium and there is a one-off deductible of £500. Any additional premium and premiums for the remainder of my lease period will be my responsibility. Is this too high? J
A: When buying a home, unless you are buying a stock or first-time buyer flat, your insurer should usually pay extra insurance premiums to cover things such as fire, theft and garden accidents.
However, it is worth checking if the home insurance policy is for your home only. If it is your home, then your insurance company is free to add extra cover where appropriate but it will cost you. The first thing to do is to check your contract to see if it provides for the extra cover. If it does, you will be able to get extra insurance on top of your premium by asking your insurer for a separate, independent quote. Find a mortgage broker who has access to a range of deals, take independent advice and check up on any changes of loss or damage that have occurred to your home.
If you get together with another buyer and hire a builder, it is also likely that the builder will appoint a legitimate contractor to create an extra sub-contractor. Make sure that you hire a builder who is likely to use an honest sub-contractor. Similarly, if you hire a tradesman who works out of a shed on your land, and you and your friend, want to build a house, be careful that the tradesman charges you fairly for the extra work, and that the jobsmanship of the subcontractor and the workmanship of the subcontractor, are not different. When you have secured those licenses, check to make sure the tradesman will use an honest subcontractor and pay for it.
Put your foot in the door
Q: I am a qualified architect and live in Tenerife in my private capacity. My work allows me to undertake consultations. Given that I rent an office flat in the centre of the island, and am therefore only required to pay €15 per hour, I am able to hold my office in the office while conducting my consultations. Unfortunately I am currently having problems finding office space in the centre of the island and find that it is very difficult to afford any price that gives me enough of a mortgage to qualify for a loan. Do you think there are real value for money or sufficient time implications in inviting me to form an architecture firm in the island? The design studios I have had the chance to work in are not interested in my looking for clients or simply being a landowner. Is there an unsightly situation in doing so or is it worth it? KA
A: Opening an office space is not an easy thing to do in this fickle environment.
