As I write I am waiting for the drains guys to come and start poking around again. There’s a thing called an Interceptor Trap which needs replacing and something else is cracked as well; they are also going to give us a definitive yea or nay on the dreaded question of Subsidence. The offer that we had accepted has fallen through, though I’m not too upset as the guy wanted to turn the place into an HMO and we would much rather somebody bought it to actually live in. But this is the cracked system we have to deal with; a house is not a home but an investment. It used to really annoy me when people said you could rent a house for years and have ‘nothing to show for it.’ You have plenty to show for it; a secure place to live, shelter, space to grow; you have your health (assuming the rented property is fit for purpose of course, which is often isn’t). I know what they mean; that you don’t own a property at the end of it, but most of the time home-ownership is a chimera. You don’t own a house, the bank owns it. You might have paid for a room or two but at the end of the day if you don’t pay the mortgage off it goes back to the bank.
I never wanted to own a house but when you consider the state of renting nowadays – insecurity coupled with lack of control, we are very fortunate to have inherited this place, even if it does need a lot of work. So the drains guys will be turning up shortly and we shall part with a great wodge of cash.
I have written the second instalment of ‘Clouds’ and it will be up later.
Kirk out
Sarada Gray 
I’m not familiar with the initialism HMO, but I agree with your sentiment that you would prefer your house to be a home for its new owner. The state of living accommodation in this country is parlous, with so many people homeless; I have been renting as a single person for over twenty years continuously now, and I count myself very lucky to have been able to find appropriate accommodation which wasn’t extortionately expensive, but then again, I don’t live in a large town or city. Property ownership is a very British obsession, I think, but I can understand its origins, and one has to be very rich [by my estimation] to actually ‘own’ a property. I hope your drain investigations are successful. Cheers, Jon.
Quite right. HMO means ‘house in multiple occupation’ and it’s an obsession round here or anywhere with students. You take a decent family home, knock it about, divide it into six or so separate rooms and you can rake the money in. Fortunately in Loughborough there are limits on the number of HMOs, hence the guy withdrawing his offer as he wouldn’t get planning permission.
Ah right, thank you. That’s a bit of a dilemma really, because students will need accommodation, but as ever, I’m sure the first rule of Capitalism applies: “Spend as little as possible to rake in as much as possible.” Interesting that there is a quota of HMOs in your area: there is more concern now about second/holiday homes which is associated, albeit indirectly, with the “affordable housing” initiatives; some areas, like mine, are considering or have actually started imposing full council tax on second homes as a disincentive. Not sure how successful it will be, but time will tell.
There’s a lot of purpose-built student accommodation in Loughborough and I guess the council wants to reserve some housing for families etc. I like the move towards taxing second/holiday homes; I always feel terrible when I stay in one and realise how many there are especially in a place like Southwold
I have lived in houses with mortgages, and also in rented flats. When we moved here in 2011, we were able to buy the bungalow outright, with no mortgage. For the first time, I felt the joy of no monthly outlay, and no chance of having to move because of a new landlord, or not being able to pay rent or mortgage. Naturally, we still have Council Tax, Water Rates, and all usual utility bills, but we start every month well in front, and that is reassuring.
I had our drains cleared recently. The man used rods and his own hands and arms to clear the blockage, and did a good job considering he was on his own. But the bill of over £200 for the 45 minutes he was here seemed excessive to me. (And it was a reputable company, with premises in Dereham and long-established)
Best wishes, Pete.
Drains do seem to be very expensive