The different types of concrete that house and flats can be built with .

 

 

The different types of concrete that house and flats can be built with .

The Main Types

Up to the 1950’s, Flats were built out of a number of no traditional construction materials as per the ones below.

Orlits

These are properties that are built with a concrete frame and concrete floors , the floors were usually finished with Timber , the walls were concrete blocks tied together with steel ties , the first Orlits were built with a flat roof but were then later built with traditional pitched roofs for better water drainage .

Wilson Blocks

They are pre-made concrete blocks, they are often given a finished face or can be rendered once in place , the big problem with them is the steel ties are prone to rusting .

No Fines

This was a very popular concrete for flats that were built in the 50’s through to the 70’s, the building was constructed by a poured concrete that contained a no fine aggregate concrete. This construction proved a better insulation than than most other concrete, giving the same insulation as a cavity brick wall without the insulation inside the cavity.  The reinforcement was usually above windows or doors or at the level near the eaves. This was for openings wider than 1500mm or 5 feet and the concrete would have precast lintels built into the structure near the opening or at the eave level as needed. The main issue was if the position of a window or door needed to be moved the lintel as they were cast into the structure were too hard to move.

Crosswall construction

These were used in the 1950’s for a lot of four storey tenements flats. These had concrete walls running front to back and the second floor was also made from concrete, the front and back walls were generally made of brick. There was an issue with Damp proof courses above openings and the concrete floors especially in higher floors.

Glasgow foam slag

This is a construction that is made from pre-casted concrete panels made using a foamed slag, these were usually formed of site and carried to the construction on suitable lorries . As per No Fines concrete the building would be then rendered externally .When this type of concrete was used in four storey tenements, the second floor was usually concrete with the first and top floors in timber.

Boot Pier and Panel system

These were usually semi detached but four-in-a-block flats were also built in the interwar years in Dundee and Glasgow.

Atholl Steel

This was used in some four-in-a-block flats built after 1945.  These had a steel frame and bitumen-painted steel sheet external walls. Condensation could occur within the wall and then rust the external steel panels.

 

 

 

Eviction for mortgage arrears

 

Eviction for mortgage arrears

If you're in mortgage arrears, your mortgage lender will want you to clear them.

If you aren't able to clear them, your lender will try to get you evicted from your home. This is called taking possession. It allows them to sell your property and use the money from the sale to help pay off the debt.

How your mortgage lender can take possession of your home

Your lender must go through the courts before they can take possession of your property. This is called taking possession action.

Your mortgage lender should not start possession action against you without giving you a reasonable chance to make arrangements to pay off the arrears, if you are able to.

If your lender starts possession action, you will get court papers. 

The court will tell you the date they'll look at the case for the first time - this is called a 'review date'. The review date is a chance to resolve things without a full court hearing. You can get free legal advice on the review date. Before the review date, read the letters from the court and make sure you know how to get this advice.

If the case goes to a full court hearing, a judge will decide whether or not to grant your lender possession of your home.

This will depend on whether or not you are able to come to an agreement with your lender to pay off the arrears.

If you are able to make an acceptable offer to repay the arrears, the court will make a suspended possession order. This means that, so long as you keep to the terms of the order, you will be able to stay in your home.

However, if the judge decides that you are unable to make an acceptable offer to repay the arrears, they may make an outright possession order. This is an order which says that your lender can take possession of your property and that you will have to leave it by a certain date.

If you haven't left your home by the date on the outright possession order, your mortgage lender will need to apply to the court for a warrant of possession before you can be evicted.

There may still be time before the warrant of possession is issued for you to take action which will allow you to stay in your home.

Even though the court may have granted your mortgage lender possession of your home, it might not be too late to stop the eviction going ahead.

You might be able to ask the court to suspend the possession and allow you to stay in your home if your circumstances have changed. For example, if your income has increased and you can make payments towards arrears.

 

 

What happens during an eviction

There is no fixed procedure for an eviction. For example, there are no rules about what time of day bailiffs can call, or what they must do or say.

However, bailiffs must, act reasonably. They are entitled to use a reasonable amount of force if they need to, to enter your home, to remove you and anyone else who is there.

Your lender will be at the eviction so that the bailiff can hand over the keys of the property to them. Sometimes, the lender will send along a representative instead such as an estate agent appointed to sell the property,

The locks will be changed to prevent you re-entering. If you are not at home when the bailiffs arrive, they are allowed to break in and change the locks.

If the bailiffs think there might be some resistance from you, they may ask the police to be present when they carry out the eviction. The police are not allowed to help the bailiffs with the eviction. They are only there in case there is a breach of the peace.

Your lender has a right to vacant possession of your property which means that all your furniture and belongings must be removed. The bailiffs should not remove any of your furniture or belongings but will usually watch while you do this. If you refuse to remove your possessions, your lender is entitled to remove them. Your lender can also get a court order requiring you to remove your possessions.

Once you have been evicted, you will not usually be able to get back into the property. However, you may be able to make arrangements with your lender to leave your belongings locked inside and to collect them later.

If the bailiffs arrive when you are not at home and change the locks, leaving your possessions in the property, you will need to contact your lender. Your lender should then arrange to let you into the property to collect your possessions.

 

House prices are still rising ,even after the first part of the stamp duty holiday has ended

In the UK the demand for property is still higher than the supply; this has been the case for many years so the prices are being kept afloat by the shortage of property.

A lot of the major surveyors are predicting price rises to continue even after the second phase of the SDLT holiday finishes.

The shrinking supply meant the number of new properties coming to the market fell by a third in June.

Tenant demand

Demand from tenants rose in June, boosting the rental market and pushing up rent costs.

A net balance of 60% of surveyors noted a rise in demand, up from 48% in May.

But a shortfall in new landlord instructions intensified with a net balance of -32% of surveyors reporting a decline in supply.

Surveyors predicted rental growth would grow slightly as a result, suggesting a 3% rise over the coming twelve months, including in London, where the rental market has bounced back since a RICS assessment earlier in the year.

Sharp rises

There were notable sharp house rises in Yorkshire & the Humber, Northern Ireland and Wales, according to surveyors.

Ben Hudson, York surveyor reported: "The busiest sales month on record with the push towards the end of June stamp duty deadline."

In Haverford west in Wales, Paul Lucas said: "The sales market is currently extremely buoyant with buyers moving to Pembrokeshire from both England and many parts of Wales."

But London is presenting a different picture, said Allan Fuller, Putney surveyor. "New buyer enquiries have reduced except for larger houses where demand remains strong, as opposed to flats," he said.

Mr Robinson said the government needed to continue to help increase the supply of new homes.

"While the role of the credit channel and the extended period of ultra-low interest rates can't be ignored, it is critical the government is able to create the conditions to support higher levels of new build development to address the worsening affordability challenge," he said.

But he added homes are "needed across all tenures", including social and private rent alongside home ownership.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said "decisive action" was being taken to ensure the country had the new homes and ownership options needed.

"We delivered more than 243,000 homes last year - the highest in over 30 years and the seventh year in a row with an increase," the person said.

The department also pointed out the government had reformed the planning system, and that measures such as Help to Buy and shared ownership were in place.

 

Splitting a freehold title and registering it at land registry

 

 

A quick guide to splitting a freehold title , usually you might want to split a title if you want to sell of some of the property land or buildings or if you are splitting into two house for example if you have the land and planning permission to do this . Unlike a leasehold property freehold is when you own everything the land and the property, the title is attached to the ground that is described in the borders at land registry and cannot be floating.

As mostly all properties in the UK are registered at HM land registry ( the govt body that looks after all property registrations so ownership of a property is securely registered . When you sell a property or land the conveyancer will change the details at the registry to the new buyer and have you as the seller removed. The property is registered with a title number and usually holds a plan of the property and its boundaries, each freehold property is given a number called a title number , if you split the property to sell or retain but as two spate properties , the old part that is being retained will keep the same title number but the new bit will receive a new title number . It is important to note that the plot isn’t just cut in two, the new part is taken out of the original part and becomes a new title. 

One important point to note is a property can only be split vertically not horizontally. It can therefore only be split across along the ground rather than separating the top and bottom of a building. If you want to rent out or sell a floor of your property, for example a flat on the first floor, a straightforward title split of the freehold is not possible.

Its s recommended you use a good solicitor who is knowledgeable in this area, when the solicitor, whoever put the application in to the land registry it’s not always accepted the registry might deem it unnecessary eg the land is too small or doesn’t qualify as it’s a floor of a building and will need a new lease and not a title number.

 With your application, we will prepare a transfer document which details exactly what part of the property is being taken out of the original title. The important addition here is plans. The plans submitted need to show exactly what is going to remain as part of the original title and what will become the new title. These plans need to be detailed and it is recommended that these are drawn up by a surveyor or architect, the area being sold or split will need a plan of the new boundaries and be accurately measured , this part can be expensive so it’s worth shopping around for a decent architect and surveyor who is reasonably priced .