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What did you do that for🤣. Is it a excuse to sit down for a beer.

I have followed this exact advice. Job's a good 'un.

Yes - they could be excluded in the same way as "no washing on the balcony" in the contract. But I can't see that sticking for ever, once they are in safe use.

Can you specify that they must not use one. As pointed out above, it is not just the wiring load, there is also the problems with the kit cluttering up the place and possibly falling. It is not unusual to make minor changes to contracts.

We have to juggle that with the vat reclaim.

Just to finish this off. The Spacepro fittings have around 25mm of travel in the brackets, so they can slide up and down. My 10mm slope was no issue at all they slide like a half cut, suncream soaked Scotsman on Spanish flume. Job done, daughter happy

It's easy, just pamper to the electorates fears. Tell them it's someone else's fault, promise them something and hope you don't get caught for past crimes. Oh, and a 3 word slogan. "Lie, lie, lie'

No signed off a year later. Have 4 houses by us all new builds, none signed off yet, all inhabited.

Signed off and immediately moved in?

The problems I'd have would be 1. Getting elected. 2 following the party line. 3. Too pragmatic: the newspapers and Web don't want to be told that it isn't simple and needs a middle course.

There was thread on this yesterday also, maybe you should read that as well.

Why would they, I could be health secretary, even though I zero understanding of how the whole NHS works (or doesn't). You are appointed, doesn't seem on your particular skill set, just if you face fits.

Thanks, I've looked back and I'd even commented but forgotten. But the basic problem was water getting in at details? Roofs are difficult yet so crucial. I've always had a principle of designing to work well and prettiness comes second. On the few occasions when a client, led by their architect, has prevailed in insisting on internal gutters or too slow a gradient, I've increased the price for lots of design time, site scrutiny and especially extra downpipes and overflows. Even then there has been the occasional issue, usually workmanship related. Good roofers are rare too, as it's a horrible job and often out of sight. I've a childish but effective protocol. Imagine a raindrop landing. Where does it go? Then ditto a bottle or bucket of water. What if the wind blows it up the slope or off the side? In life too, a leak increases because one poor screw fixing or joint causes a stream towards it... it's a strange phenomenon, a bit like magnetism, but I think is water adhering to other water and all running to the leak. (I can say this because I nearly always had to personally find any leak.. roofers couldn't. It was usually one screw bodged with mastic, or a bad gutter joint.)( say 300,000m2 of roof and 20 leaks) My experience is only in profiled cladding which architects don't tend to like. Twice used a membrane type and one worked, the other , by a 'specialist' was a mess. Moral. Keep it simple and not too flat. The product should have standard details. Big , branded gutters. At least 2 downpipes pref not at ends. Get that water off thd roof and away. Doubt everything and keep asking questions.

Quick thoughts... Why not run the cladding horizontally ? Have seen it done that way on gable ends and looking good. Maybe easier to fit that way. Why timber ? Requires maintenance and changes colour. Have you considered fibre-cement type cladding boards.

I suppose this to me rather opens up the question as to whether the politicians have the competence, capability, understanding or knowledge to properly understand the policy area within which they've been assigned a role (I'm not saying responsibility and accountability here because it's very obvious they either are never assigned nor do they accept these in their roles).

Thanks @Mattg4321. The angle I am coming from is risk management - a huge part of effective landlording is understanding the locus of potential tenant behaviours and lifestyle, and having a robust property that manages the risky ones out before they start. The reason is that once it gets into the consequences the implications become horrific because a Council will go in feet first and HARD, and a single problem can destroy an entire business - or in my case future pension provision. The blame will *always* be on the LL not the T. Equally something like a gas problem born from simple neglect can have consequences up to and including death, and constant sweating of the detail is the only strategy. My risk management for that as soon as I can will be all electric houses. And risks can only be managed in advance - which is why credit checks etc need to be obsessive. Three examples of strategies I pursue routinely are to install enough sockets so that extension leads will *never* be needed - in the last 8x8ft kitchen I renovated there were about 11 double sockets plus appliance ones below the worktops. And provide constant trickle ventilation (poor man's MVHR - loft PIV fan and a trickle HR ventilator downstairs) to maintain a fresh atmosphere just in case eg washing is dried inside, and install shelves immediately above every radiator so washing physically cannot be added. So I'm just thinking through balcony solar. I suspect one I need to look at is the type of RCBOs. Cheers F

>>> manufacturing tolerances have changed My feeling is that manufacturing tolerances are a bit variable - especially for some of the unbranded / special components. The worst I've found, so far, is some of the bits supplied for irrigation and some unusual brass threaded components I ordered from Ireland for connection to a a Stuart Turner pressurisation pump. So, '3/4" BSP' is a bit of a rough and ready thing in practice.

To answer the question myself - in case someone else needs it! Googling found this:

These would usually be in terms of "the build", which is building the house itself ignoring the plot, possibly split into with / without groundworks, and including / excluding extras such as solar. Or it could be shell / first fit / second fit / everything built in. Or a total number. The import thing is to specify, as you have. There are various threads from time to time which collect a few to a dozen or so numbers.

As they are effectively portable appliances, then I can’t see how you can possibly be held liable for any injury that occurs due to equipment that you are not aware of and has been installed by the tenant. Same as with any faulty appliance owned by the tenant. You could insist they test all their appliances I suppose. The other risk would be a fire risk and what effect this would have on your buildings insurance - would they cover a fire caused by faulty balcony solar? The rules brought in a few years ago mandating electrical inspections have actually worked quite well and the average rental is probably in slightly better condition than the average owner occupied house these days - from an electrical point of view. The biggest risk other than pre existing electrical installation faults is probably the imbecile that installs it so it takes off and kills someone at the first sign of windy conditions or catches fire where they’ve shut the lead in the window/door etc. I’m sure we’ll also see people cutting the plugs off and badly reinstalling them and people plugging in multiple systems into the same circuit. On that last point, if you have say 3x (or more) 800w systems on a standard 20 amp radial circuit that might already be running at capacity as it’s feeding a tumble dryer and hot tub outside, then you’re moving into fire risk territory. You have a circuit that is designed for max 20 amps that could now be taking more like 30 amps.

Thank you, but we'll definitely not be going for Zinc again. I've totally lost the love for it and just wish we'd looked at other options from the outset.

A very expensive but poorly detailed Zinc roof. I posted about it here and there is another post linked in that post too.

I have installed a Panasonic Aquarea WH-MDC07J3E5-1 heat pump and chose this model specifically as it is advertised as being able to cool as well as heat. However, cool mode does not appear in any of the menus for setting it up and it appears it has to be unlocked. I did find one reference to having to do this on a dip switch but no details of which one. Does anyone know how to unlock cool mode? Or where I might find the information. Thanks Andrew

You’re possibly correct with the second part of that. I wouldn’t be too worried at all if all else was correct other than having uni directional rather than a bi directional device fitted. RCD protection is sometimes “additional protection” and sometimes “fault protection”. Most usually in the case of fault protection in TT systems where they are often the only method of protection as fault currents are too low for fuses/MCB’s to operate in a line to earth fault scenario.