newhome

Oops! https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/aug/22/investors-kevin-mccloud-property-schemes-huge-losses

Thanks. I'm not surprised about the 'Moscow' one but the 'lady in the lift' is surprising as I thought they had actually moved into their house. I liked that house too.

Having watched the TV show what houses are still unfinished? Are they still being worked on or have they stalled completely?

I just got 4 new tyres from Costco. £80 off a set of 4 or £40 off 2, and the price was decent for CrossClimates (£464 including fitting).

Yes but plainly ridiculous when you’ve bought a house with 3 bathrooms that is supposed to be finished.

Indeed I did. I refused to complete on completion day. Developer threatened to sue me. On you go I said as I had plenty of photo evidence that the house wasn’t finished. Their opinion that as long as I had one flushing loo and could cook was unbelievable. Most of the issues were fixed and we completed 2 weeks later. To the OP, you need to formally write to the developer explaining that the work is sub standard and that you expect it to be rectified before you will complete. Get your solicitor to do it now.

You have to send approved plans so I sent the plans signed off by building control. Depends if there are other plans that sit alongside the PP that are suitable I guess.

Mine was added as part of permitted development later but when the BCO came to look at the build he said 'not interested in the detached garage'. I think the only way you will know for certain is if you ask them. I wouldn't be too keen to move it from all of the plans however as then you can't reclaim the VAT on it.

Not sure - you make an assumption that they communicate but I will find out and see if that makes any difference, thanks.

Always good to find out that you are due tax back rather than constantly paying it out . Just ensure that you are charged the correct amount of VAT as HMRC will never refund VAT that has been incorrectly charged. There are certain things that you can't claim for (details on the claim form and also in the 'guide' link I posted above that will be visible to you when you reach 10 posts). The 5% rate should cover work closely connected to the construction of the building too, so drives, boundary fences, levelling the ground, soft landscaping (turf but only plants and trees included in a landscaping scheme on the Planning Permission), connection of services. Those are a few examples anyway. Lots more details in the link I posted. And if you end up using a non VAT registered trader at any stage ensure that you supply the materials so that you can recover the VAT as otherwise you will have to pay full VAT on materials supplied by the trader as he can't charge 5% VAT rate if he is not VAT registered.

It's because not all conversions are eligible for zero rating. Properties being converted that have been empty for 2+ years are eligible for the 5% VAT rate, but if the property has been empty for 10+ years it is eligible for zero rating à la the new build scheme. I imagine it would be quite challenging for a VAT registered trader to be certain whether a property met the 10+ years criteria so all conversions are charged at 5% and the balance repaid via the VAT reclaim scheme. I imagine that's the reason anyway!

So the first thing you need to determine is whether your conversion is eligible for the reclaim scheme or not. The details are here: VAT431C If you are NOT eligible then you can't reclaim anything at all, and any VAT on materials you purchase has to be paid at 20%, and VAT on labour and supply and fit is at 5%. If you ARE eligible then you can reclaim the full 20% VAT on eligible materials AND the 5% paid put on labour or supply & fit arrangements. So it puts you in the same position as for a new build. So to your original question you CAN claim back the 5% if your conversion is eligible. There is a guide to the VAT reclaim process in a sub forum and you will be able to see it once you have made a few more posts and become a 'regular' member. It mostly covers new builds but the majority of the rules apply to eligible conversions too. Guide to the VAT reclaim process

Windows 10 and use Internet Explorer (company policy unless there is a specific need to use something else). They've tried fixing the file type association but nothing apparently works. If I save the PDF file from SP and open it from my C drive it opens with Adobe with no issues. There is only an issue when I want to open from SharePoint and I really don't want to save every file that I want to open before opening it. I only need Nitro Pro occasionally so that I can redact documents. Everything is tied down to within an inch of its life so I can't fiddle around with any settings myself but the help desk and second line support (contracted out) are unable to address the issue.

OT but do you ever use Sharepoint with Nitro Pro installed? I have Nitro Pro installed on my work laptop and every time I try to open a PDF file from Sharepoint it defaults to Nitro Pro and fails to open. I haven't been able to find a way of getting it to use Adobe instead and nor have the IT Help Desk. Their helpful advice was to remove Nitro Pro!

We just posted pretty much the same thing

Why do you think you can claim back 15% VAT on materials purchased yourself? Either your barn is eligible for the reclaim scheme and you can claim back the full 20% VAT you pay on eligible materials or your barn is not eligible for the reclaim scheme and you can't reclaim anything on materials purchased yourself. Similarly with labour costs charged @ 5%. If your barn is eligible you can reclaim the 5%. If it's not then you can't reclaim the 5%. And the same with 'supply and fit' also charged @ 5%. Assuming your barn is eligible for the reclaim scheme it may be better to source materials yourself but often builders can get better prices even if they mark materials up a little so best to compare your quote with theirs. They may also charge you more for the labour to recover anything they perceive as being lost if they don't supply materials. Having supply and fit may also help with cashflow as you won't be able to reclaim any of the VAT until the build is finished. If you need to borrow money towards the end to cover the VAT you've paid out but haven't yet been able to reclaim the cost of borrowing may outweigh anything you may save by sourcing materials yourself.

So how do you prove that it was dead if someone complained? I’m thinking more of someone who chopped it down themselves rather than employing a professional who could presumably verify the position.

Yes eligible work for a self build should be zero rated when on a supply and fit basis. Point the contractor as VAT Notice 708 and ask them to zero rate. More info here: https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/6851-a-guide-to-the-vat-reclaim-process/?do=findComment&comment=115965

Is that the only bath? I think a 4 bed would need at least 1 bath TBH. Could you incorporate a bath into one of the other bathrooms? The one behind it maybe, then make a smaller ‘plant’ room out of the main bathroom. Do do you need the downstairs WC to have a shower given that there is one at ground level anyway and all of the other bedrooms are upstairs? Given that this is a house for your parents is there provision for a lift or stairlift eventually?

+1. We did that too.

You can’t use pea shingle under artificial grass. It needs to have a well compacted stable base with good drainage or it will move and fail. We did (previous house) type 1, sharp sand, weed membrane.

You cannot reclaim, the invoice must be zero rated and can be if you have PP in place for a new build.

No need to tell HMRC that you’ve started. As long as the PP is in place you can reclaim VAT for eligible materials at that point. HMRC will just check the PP when you send the reclaim in. If you have a CIL exemption then you will need to fill out the appropriate paperwork before you start any work and inform the LA. Worth reading through the VAT reclaim guide to ensure that everything is straight in your head before you start. Although it mainly focuses on new builds most of the detail covers conversions too. I think yours is a conversion so you will get charged 5% for labour that you can reclaim. New builds are zero rated and any VAT on labour cannot be reclaimed for a new build.

It's in VAT Notice 708 but you probably won't need one. Most trades will only want to see the planning permission. VAT Notice 708 There is a guide to the VAT reclaim process here but you won't be able to see it until you've made 10 posts and become a 'regular' member.

Yes, should be, but read the eligibility from for VAT431C.