Ferdinand

You could do one of these virtual choirs, as posted on the COVID thread. It seems to be an established thing.

I posted this video of a "Distributed Bolero" by the l'Orchestre national de France to the COVID Thread, and it seems to be worth posting here, especially as there is an established method of making these videos. Here's one from a couple of years ago: And here is a short tutorial (2 minutes): And a longer tutorial - 40 minutes: And a place where you can find a template for Garageband

How are you settling in? That’s an area full of interesting traditions, but they may not be clypping the church in Wirkswirth this year. ? Ferdinand

I am still very cross with TFL. An acquaintance working for them in a homeable job was travelling in on the tube right up until I think the 19th March, when they collected laptop and so on for home working. My last real trip out was the 18th, when I briefly went to see a couple of people I had been trying to get to for months. To be fair on the actual topic, I do have a big solar array in place, which will cover the next 8 months to at least a degree. Ferdinand

Ok. Will give it a bit more thought, then go back to the next bit of garden.

The general scepticism is quite encouraging ?. Perhaps you are right and I am over-worrying. We generally have a high reliability power supply here, but I'm sensitised on this as someone in the high risk (not very high risk - next layer out) group advised to socially isolate for 3 months, currently under investigation for a low-octane immune system. At present I'm also living alone - not ideal for a Type I D where your final support system is always somebody else. Several of my Ts are taking this *really* seriously. One 70+ year old even had her son request the garage to keep her car so she can't be tempted to go out in it ?. I've got most of the stuff squared away, time on my hands, and I wondered about a genny before. Seems to be an opportunity to think it through.

On holiday lets, I suggest this forum and videos over at Property Tribes as a good resource. https://www.propertytribes.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=25&action=latest_posts https://www.propertytribes.com/videos/25/latest And in particular this "top tips" post that covers a lot of ground: https://www.propertytribes.com/holiday-let-every-portfolio-should-have-one-t-127628186.html These are all by Vanessa Warwick, who is excellent. F

Johnny Cash has the answer to that, though he was going in the other direction :-). There's a blog about it here, with photographs of different stages. I think "dismantle" is a better word than demolish, depending how much you want to salvage and sell rather than skip, followed by careful storage, and disposing of over an period of a couple of years.

Warnings about potential power cuts: Does anyone have any views or guidance on this? At present I do not have a generator, nor anywhere (I think) to plug it in. But I am willing to do a little rapid investment now in advance of possible more widespread purchasing by the general populace in a few weeks, as it is something that could be beneficial anyway. I certainly do not want to be forced out in search of solutions at the same time as everybody else, being on 3 month advised social caution for vulnerability reasons. What strategies do any BHers have in place? Ideally I need a pre-written quick reference. Cheers Ferdinand

This is coming out next week - Tuesday 7 April. This is the one where architects redesign existing houses within a genuinely reasonable budget, presented via immersive Virtual Reality. IMO this is the best series of all of them for learning about the design process, and with the best involvement of the client in the discussion with the architect. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h3m8 My thread about Series 1: Ferdinand

This analysis, and bits of the OP, are making me itch that it doesn't all quite hang together, and I can't quite put my finger on why. It may be that I want to see more information about details and consequences. It may be that you have thought about these aspects, but it is always better to ask. - Can you explain the statement "we have achieved an A99 rating". Does that mean calculated with the new additions, or where you are with just Solar Thermal? If the latter, then why do you think the bills are £932 a year. Mine is a 2000 sqft C75 ish rating ignoring the solar PV (ie I have not had it redone), and my bills are around the same (before the adjustment for the solar PV). - Where is that RHI / FIT coming from - breakdown into PV / RHi for Solar thermal / PV would be useful? (£1356 seems a heck of a lot, and I didn't know that you got RHI for Solar Thermal you had self-installed. A recent PV setup will have very little FIT payments, and after you go to Octopus Agile I think you are auto-switched to the Export Tariff Scheme instead at approx. 5p / unit. I have a 10kWp solar installation and at 11p per generated unit ish I get between £500 and £600 a year benefit plus self--use. TBH to me that is not realistic as a real world number.) - What assumptions are you making about how much of the solar you will use yourselves? - Are you comfortable going for the Agile Tariff which is subject to short term change, instead of FIT with a 20 year guarantee? How do you know you won't be shafted next year? - On a like for like basis on these calcs your "profit" is actually 427 + 1356 = £1783 pa. Seems a lot. - Have you done calculations for each sub-project to see whether they are all worthwile? - I think some ROI numbers would help, which could be as simple as Payback if you make appropriate assumptions on inflation etc. Although NPV would be better. Ferdinand

What is that potential saving in cash terms per annum?

Welcome. The only 2 angles of attack I can see there are, as you say, to wait, or to explore whether that 4th bedroom assumption by the Planners is actually tenable. Or perhaps to enquire whether it would be passed. It may pay to check the planning history of similar conversions in your immediate vicinity. Reflecting, waiting might not work - might you still need PP to convert your short garage? It is only the existing change that becomes 'unenforcable against'. Or knock 2 of your other bedrooms together, which might not be the correct idea .

In the same way that a barstool can be converted into a shower seat. It can be done, but requires some application and a major degree of bloodymindedness. Your adventures are just beginning. I bought taps designed for those basin-on-top washbowls, which turned out to look like Peter Crouch in a crowd of gymnasts when installed on a normal washbasin, and had to be put in storage for the next 3 kitchens I do. F

I started getting seriously interested in issues around rental law / politics when around then I had a T in my own rented-out house who was in work for unpredictable periods, and I would get clawbacks of random amounts of rent each month from the LA for a few £££, with the instruction to go back to the T and recover from them. Before long there were ludicrous amounts of case law and professionals making their living out of the fine distinctions in the precise circumstances where such clawbacks were lawful or not, or the LL was guilty of fraud in concert with the T if they knew, and who had which burden of proof etc. Far too much buggeration for a system that would ever work sustainably. Our Parliament should be like Texas: "The Texas Legislature meets in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. The Texas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days." F

Like herb immunity, eventually most will get it. I dig that, man. Give me those herbs ... then I won't even know if I have it.

I think you'll find it was the Coalition Government in 2010 that introduced Housing Benefit payment direct to tenants rather than to their landlord. I think I am correct on this point, though it is possible I am doing Yvette Cooper a disservice (and I have softened my first posting) - would need to trace the ministerial responsibilities for this particular change in 2007-2009. The presumption that payment would only be made direct to the LL in exceptional circumstances (eg arrears of 8 weeks) came in with the Welfare Reform Act 2007 when Housing Benefit was changed with the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance. No idea if that applied outside England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Housing_Allowance#Operation_of_Local_Housing_Allowance "Unlike the previous schemes, the claimant is normally unable to request that payments of benefits are made to their landlord, although they may be made to a third party. Exceptions may be made where the tenant has a history of not paying rent or is not sufficiently able to handle their affairs. Decisions on this are subject to a council operated safeguarding policy which may be requested from the local authority. In all cases a landlord must be paid the rent (without any excess) if the tenant is more than 8 weeks in arrears. This will continue until the arrears are below 8 weeks." Caused havoc in some places. Some Ts went on a spree with the rent money then found themselves unable to recover. The same Act introduced the concept of payment according to required number of bedrooms in benefits payments in the PRS, but no one campaigned vociferously about it afaics until the concept came into the Social Sector, when it was dubbed the 'bedroom tax' - as we all know. Hope that helps. Ferdinand

I don't think that is a comprehensive comparison as many employee benefits are tax subsidised at corporate level - eg employer pension contributions and all the rest. The last employer I worked for ended up paying a further 40% of salary into the pension scheme - that is a part employer subsidy and a part tax subsidy. The one before that I had a sports ground, gym, ESOP, AVCs and all manner of things in the package. In Transport for London you get free travel for 2 people in the London Region that would cost £4-5k per year for anyone else, Private Health Insurance free or subsidised, final salary pension, Health Cashplan for I think £1 a week, and smaller stuff like bike subsidy. F

If you want t argue that that is living off state benefits then you have to apply the same standard to everything else bought with benefits - eg Sainsburys because they take the money for food, DVLA for Road Tax etc.

I don't understand what you mean, how are you taxed on turnover? I think that is a reference to Osborne's 2015 budget where he stopped treating mortgage interest as a normal business expense for BTL landlords (though it is one), and did things to the calculation. Briefly, rather than mortgage interest being deducted before income is declared, it is in the calculation (potentially pushing lower rate tax payers into a higher rate bracket), and has a tax credit at basic rate applied afterwards. More info here: https://www.which.co.uk/money/tax/income-tax/tax-on-property-and-rental-income/buy-to-let-mortgage-tax-relief-changes-explained-atnsv0j6j782 So a tax is applied to money which has been spent on a business expense, rather than the profit, which is a 'tax on turnover'. "Taxed on Turnover" was one of the slogans used to characterise it, reflecting how that calculation was messed around with. That and other changes, and consequent damage to confidence, pretty much stopped the PRS in its tracks. F

Thanks. I'm gradually reshaping the Forsythia. As new branches come into flower they get chopped off :-). F

I have been for years. Tuesday: "the teacher said we are doing a Greek theme, so I need a (Colossus of Rhodes / Trireme / Zither / Parthenon / model of Knossos / Minotaur / Wooden Horse / Reflecting Pool for Narcissus) by Thursday". Anyhoo, I have reviewed the stuff, and a huge amount has now gone to the great flower arranging cupboard in mum's friends' houses. Having said that, did this last week.

At this time I would not be going for bridging without an exit and risk management strategy, so I agree with your take. If I could get a 5 or 10 year fixed mortgage at 1-2% on the existing house without exit penalties, I might be tempted. F

I won't speculate on @pocster's position, but it is different for every landlord. My business is a mixture of single family lets and a couple of student houses. My tenants tend to stay long term (if they settle in 2-3 years up to 10+ years). The only couple I have lost quickly recently was back in 2018 when they realised after a few months that I was right when I told them at the start that they could afford a house and were silly to plan to rent long term, and bought somewhere and moved out. It was amusing but expensive that at the start - even though they had 2 family members in the street and there had been an advert on the house window whilst it was being renovated - they still went through the agent rather than direct, and that cost us about £500 each. Need some work on the feet-on-the-ground front ?. I have a couple of Ts who may be under threat of layoff, but should be covered by the 80% as employees though they will lose overtime. Another has lost a pension topup income from renting out a holiday caravan - site fees have been paid, and the whole summer's bookings have evaporated and the site has been locked down. For another online translation income seems to have stopped. But on the other side students are funded per year, and the finance has not been withdrawn, and my students for 2020-2021 year were all signed up with full guarantors by Nov 2019. I have offered reductions if people really struggle. I also have a couple who are on Housing Benefit, such as it is. I will be scoped out of the scheme by the income cap in all probability. OTOH an HMO rented to professionals by the room such as contractors risks them losing their income by being terminated, and the HMO is liable for Council Tax (unlike my student houses). The Council Tax liability on such a house could be between about £1000 and £8000 pa, as some Councils treat each individual room as a separate Band A dwelling for Council Tax purposes. But I am aware of a senior professional renting in the Lake District who is now desperately looking for somewhere else, as they have a short term let in a Holiday House whilst waiting for a big developer to complete their new house. But the developer has frozen the whole project, and the LL they are with now has cold feet about a long-term rental. And there is someone vulnerable in the house so they are advised to be socially disconnected for 3 months. And the whole market has largely stopped. But there are LLs where Ts have run away now offering free housing for the emergency to NHS Staff who are becoming persona non grata with housemates, or wanting to be away from families for safety reasons. I have a good friend who has split from girlfriend, and is now stuck in the same house as there is nowhere to go. None of it is easy, and the large majority of LLs who only have a single rental might struggle to take the hit, or just sell up afterwards. That will push the market faster in a corporate direction, which is what the politicians think they want - but has all sorts of consequences they do not consider. Ferdinand

I had 3 lots of snow today. Nottinghamshire.