Ah, home ownership. It’s the holy grail of living arrangements, isn’t it? No more nasty landlords and money-grabbing letting agents. Now you’re king or queen of the castle and you can install a hot tub in the garden, paint a Banksy-style mural on the wall, and finally get the canine friend you’ve always wanted.
Or can you? If you buy a leasehold property you’re likely to find you’re bound by as many, if not more, rules than you were as a tenant. And if you think the rip-off fees stopped when you bought your home, think again: letting agents are mere amateurs compared to unscrupulous freeholders and the equally dodgy management firms they employ.
Bitter about that time you were charged £300 to sign a new rental contact? It will seem like the glory days when you’re stumping up £1,200 for permission to install a boiler in your own house.
It used to be just flat owners caught in the leasehold trap but these days it’s house owners too.
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