Your first property purchase could be your forever home if you’re prepared to renovate or choose an older house

EVERY Saturday, The Consumer Crew are here to solve your problems.

Mel Hunter will take on fighting for consumer's rights, Jane Hamilton will give you the best advice for buying your first home and Judge Rinder will tackle your legal woes.

Jame Hamilton, property expert

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HIGH property prices and eye-watering stamp duty and costs mean the days of climbing the property ladder by moving frequently are over for most of us.

Instead, new research from Yorkshire Building Society reveals a third of first-time buyers are shunning flats and starter homes to aim for a detached house – double the figure from ten years ago.

Housing experts say buyers are focused on ­finding a family home that works in the long term.
Charles Mungroo, from Yorkshire Building Society, said: “It no longer seems to be a first step on the property ladder for many, more the forever home.”

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So how can you bag your forever home as your first home? Here are our tips.

1. For a good detached property be prepared to widen your search area and look further from the centre of town or in an up-and-coming area.
2. Detached period properties usually command premium prices. Homes built from the 1950s to 1970s are often cheaper than new builds.
3. Bungalows can be brilliant buys. Often on large plots, you can extend upwards and outwards. They are coming back into fashion too.
4. Get your mortgage in place early so you know how much you can afford. Be prepared to negotiate hard as it is a buyer’s market.
5. Look for a property which needs cosmetic renovations such as a new kitchen and bathroom – it should be cheaper and you can add value.
6. If you are prepared to do the work, do not ­discount a smaller home you can extend. But factor in the cost of the job before making an offer.

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A slower pace of life

THE popularity of Poldark has seen tourists flock to Cornwall, the county where the hit BBC TV drama is filmed. But now house-hunters are following the show, too.

Falmouth was recently named one of the top five places to live in the South West by the Sunday Times.

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Now figures released by Cornwall Council show a third of the region’s population will be aged 65 or over by 2036, as OAPs sell up and move to the county for the stunning scenery and better quality of life.

Jamie Turnbull, business director at Girlings Retirement Rentals, says: “We’ve noticed an increase in people enquiring about our properties in Cornwall since the series began.

“People are down-sizing their houses in the home counties and London and moving down to the South West for a slower pace of life.”

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Judge Rinder

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Q)MY brother passed away in March. My younger sister, who was with him when he drew up the will, is now refusing to tell me and our other brother the details of the solicitor he dealt with, saying they will be in touch when they have sorted everything out.

I believe that she is holding out for six months so that I will be unable to contest the will. What should I do?

Mary, Cumbria
A)Don’t be alarmed. The executors of the will are bound by law to inform you and your brother if you are beneficiaries of your late brother’s estate.

Even if the nominated executor of the will is your younger sister, she is not allowed to refuse to disclose the details of this document or where it is held in order to prevent you and your brother from challenging it in court.

As you know, in normal circumstances potential beneficiaries (such as you and your sister) have six months to challenge a will once it has been legally registered.

Your younger sister would be in serious trouble if she has attempted to hide the document or prevent the contents from being published.

This is not a secret document. Write to your sister (perhaps with the assistance of a solicitor), making clear that you wish to know when the will is going to be made available and reminding her that she is not entitled by law to keep this information to herself.

You might also make clear that legal action in these cases always results in the lawyers getting richer and the beneficiaries (including your sister) getting poorer.

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Q) I BOOKED a holiday to Cyprus through a travel agent, to an all-inclusive hotel. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we realised we were holidaying in a building site.

A 500-room hotel was being built right next door and there was hammering and drilling going on from six in the morning until eight at night.

We logged numerous complaints with the holiday reps, as did many other guests, but all they offered us was one day trip to get away from the noise.

We asked to move hotels but they said that we would have to pay a fee to do so. Then we asked to be moved to an earlier flight home and were again told we would have to pay. Eventually, we decided we couldn’t take the stress any longer as we had come away for peace and quiet, as they put in their advert – so we had to pay for our own flight home.

I believe we should be fully refunded but it is impossible to get through to this company on the phone.

What should we do next?

Lynn, Northampton

A) You are legally entitled to a refund and compensation. Unless this travel company gave you a clear warning about the extent of the building work being carried out (which I very much doubt) it was obliged to find you a new hotel (of a similar or better standard) without any charge and, if it could not, to get you home.

The firm’s behaviour has been outrageous. Get in touch with the travel company’s governing body (either ATOL or ABTA) who have a decent arbitration service.

You might also want to make contact with other people who were on this holiday and bring a joint action against this company in the small claims court. It isn’t difficult to do and you stand a good chance of success.

Maddy Tooke, Coupon Queen

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Mel Hunter, Reader's champion

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Q) I HAVE been a loyal customer with Three mobile for many years but, recently noticed on my bank statement that I was paying £17.78 each month on top of my phone bill.

I checked back and found out it was for another phone number that I have never had.

This has been going on since 2011, adding up to more than £1,500.

When I phoned Three, the operator agreed with me that the number had never been used and told me her supervisor would call me back.

I’ve never heard any more from the firm, so I called again and was told I could be refunded just £17.

Is there any way I could get all this money back, or have I just got to forget about it?

Mary Fitzgerald, Felixstowe, Suffolk

A) Even if you were willing to write off £1,500, I wasn’t willing to let this go without finding out more.

I got on to Three who, as you are a long-standing customer, agreed to refund you nearly half the cash, £700, which you were happy with.

However, the company does insist that it did nothing wrong.

It told me the charges related to a contract you took out over the phone which had never been ­cancelled, even though the number itself had not been used.

You can’t remember this, but are happy with Three’s response, which seems a fair compromise.

Q) WE bought a tap in 2016 from Wickes for £145. It was pricey but it came with a ten-year guarantee.

The mixer tap swivelled left and right so water could go into both basins.

But, since the end of 2018, we have experienced three leaks from underneath the tap and had three plumbers in.

All said the tap was working loose due to the left-right motion and that the design was inadequate for its purpose.

We decided to return the tap to Wickes and buy another that would not have the same issues. However, we were told the tap had been discontinued and to contact its head office for a refund.

Wickes told me the washers needed changing, but doing so would invalidate the guarantee. I pointed out that nobody from Wickes had even looked at the tap so how could it be sure, especially given that this would cancel the guarantee and cost us money for yet another plumber.

I’ve spent hundreds of pounds on plumbers and a new tap and feel that the guarantee is worthless.

Julie Hope, Staffs

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A) Three independent plumbers said the problem was with the tap’s design, strongly suggesting it was not fit for purpose.

This should have been enough for Wickes to agree to a replacement – but the only course of action it came up with would void your guarantee.

I asked the DIY store to rethink. I’m pleased to say it saw sense and agreed to refund your tap. You also received £55 in Wickes vouchers.

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