THE Consumer Crew are here to solve your problems.
Mel Hunter will take on readers’ consumer issues, Jane Hamilton will give you the best advice for buying your dream home, and Judge Rinder will tackle your legal woes.
Jane Hamilton, property expert
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These fixtures are a knockout
ENGLAND will face Italy on the hallowed turf at Wembley tomorrow – but did you know maintaining your lawn to stadium standards can boost your property’s value?
Research by the Lawn Care Institute found grass that is well cared for can increase the price by as much as 15 per cent.
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To get yours up to scratch, we have teamed up with expert Chris Bonnett from online garden centre Gardening Express.
He said: “Everyone wants to have the perfect lawn ready to impress when they have guests and it’s the simple techniques that will help your lawn to flourish.”
1) IMPROVE AERATION: Making small holes creates pockets in the lawn for water to trickle down and nourish the soil. Use a garden fork to prick holes around 125mm deep into the ground and water frequently but sparsely.
2) MOW AT THE RIGHT TIME: Over summer, cut every one to two weeks maximum. Leaving it too short can slow growth even further.
3) RAKE OFF EXCESS: After cutting, remove any grass that has not been picked up by the mower. If excess grass is left for too long it can stunt the growth on areas of the lawn.
4) HOT SPELL? Don’t over-water. Although the blades of grass may look dry and limp on the surface, the soil beneath may be holding a lot of water. In times of intense heat, watering should be heavy but less frequent than normal.
5) GET EDGING: Edging is the finishing touch. You can use a half-moon edger, garden shears or even a pair of kitchen scissors. But get rid of any grass that overlaps on to paths or flower beds.
6) RESEED: Bald patches? Put more seeds in struggling areas to make the lawn look consistent and less patchy.
7) FEED AND GROW: Feeding your lawn will help it flourish. Take into account the existing soil, garden location and if you have any pets. Follow the feed instructions carefully.
Buy of the week
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IF you want your own London pad with stadium views, this stylish two-bedroom shared-ownership apartment on Wembley’s South Way costs £128,750 (for a 25 per cent share).
See rightmove.co.uk/properties/106431860.
Quicker house buys
THE banker that spearheaded contactless payments in the UK is launching a platform aiming to halve the time it takes to complete a house purchase.
Coadjute uses Blockchain technology to speed up conveyancing and keep the property chain moving.
CEO Dan Salmons said: “With so many different parties involved in a property transaction, there’s been a desperate need for a way to connect them and speed up the process.”
Deal of the week
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THIS will give you a glow. The Heidi Natural table lamp is just £15 at B&M Stores, half the cost of similar versions at Wayfair.
SAVE: £15
Judge Rinder, legal expert
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‘Car window smashed, blue badge stolen, then I got parking ticket . . . council insists I must pay £110 fine’
Q) IN May, I parked my car in a disabled bay. It was then broken into – a brick was thrown through the side window and my disabled person’s blue badge was stolen.
Therefore I received a parking ticket. I’ve emailed the council’s parking team, sent photographic evidence and a crime number yet all have been ignored.
I’ve now received a letter demanding I pay the full amount of £110.
What should I do?
Natasha, North London
A) It really ought to go without saying that, given what happened, you should not be legally responsible for this fine.
I am extremely surprised that the council have persisted with this despite you providing clear evidence that your badge was stolen.
I would recommend sending one last letter to the head of enforcement at the council (sometimes a phone call is helpful too) setting out – again – what happened and providing another copy of your evidence.
At the same time you can, and should, take this matter to the parking appeals service (you can find details of how to do this online). It is very straightforward and costs hardly anything.
Q) I HAVE owned my upstairs maisonette for nearly 13 years. I am a leaseholder and pay ground rent and service charge.
There is a giant oak tree next to my properly that is on council land, which I have reported many times as being in need of trimming back as it is touching my roof.
It blocks my guttering twice a year, leaks sap all over my back garden and attracts pigeons and squirrels which make a mess. The council keep promising to come out and sort it but they don’t. What can I do?
Sarah, Hertfordshire
A) The bottom line in this case is that the oak tree which is on public land is causing a nuisance to your property so the council is legally responsible for cutting it back.
They are also liable for any damage that this tree causes to your property. You need to email the relevant council department again making very clear that, unless they resolve this problem, you will be bringing a legal claim forcing them to do precisely what they have already promised on multiple occasions.
I would also suggest that you get in touch with your local council ward representative who can often be helpful in this sort of situation.
£9,000 detail lawyer missed
Q) LAST September I bought a property. At the time our solicitor found a charge against it, which was settled by the sellers.
In May I sold this property, but near completion the purchaser’s solicitor came across a further charge against the property from 2007, which I then had to pay in order to complete the sale.
My question is, should my solicitor have found this charge last September when I purchased the property?
Are they negligent – I am now £9,000 out of pocket, so can I reclaim this from them?
Tony, York
A) I cannot be sure whether your solicitors were negligent in failing to spot the additional charge on your property without knowing more about what the charge is.
But, I must admit I am struggling to think how these solicitors missed this.
There is a decent possibility that your solicitors were negligent in failing to notify you of the charge.
Whether you would be entitled to any damages, however, is a rather more complicated question.
It is definitely worth going to another solicitor and asking for some further advice.
A muscly letter may help you get at least some of your money back
Mel Hunter, reader’s champion
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Lastminute took its time
Q) IN March last year, I flew to Thailand on a package holiday that I had booked through Lastminute.com.
My return flight from Bangkok to London was cancelled by Thai Airways due to the Covid crisis and I was left in Thailand with no help or support.
I found a flight back to London with EVA Air for an extra £900, but had to abandon my hotel with ten nights still left on the holiday itinerary.
In December 2020, after repeatedly being ignored by Lastminute.com, I received a payment of £168, which does not cover my extra costs.
Lastminute.com is hard to get in touch with via telephone and only replies to emails with an automated response.
Michael, Reading
A) Last December, the company pledged to refund customers like you before February, in response to an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority. But in your case, this didn’t happen.
All you had received was £168, which did not cover the cancelled flight, the extra flight or the ten nights of accommodation you forfeited.
I did not let up until you received a commitment from Lastminute.com that you would get your money back. It took another six weeks for it to appear in your account and you had £1,000 back in total.
Lastminute.com told me: “The disruption with Mr Nedev’s booking happened at the start of the pandemic, at which point the travel industry was facing unprecedented volumes of customer contacts and cancellations. Unfortunately, there has been an oversight in our management of Mr Nedev’s booking at that time. We can only apologise.”
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Q) I PLACED an order for a pair of Nike Air Max trainers with JD Sports costing £145 and paid for two-day express delivery at £4.
Two days passed and I could see my order never made it to the courier, so I contacted JD and filled out the appropriate forms.
Since then I have exchanged more than 50 emails with JD customer services, and they keep telling me to allow more time.
I have waited three-and-a-half months and am at my wits’ end. I just want my money back and am running out of options.
Georgia, Derbys
A) I got on to JD Sports for you, telling them to find out what had happened, to refund you and compensate you for such rubbish service.
The following day, JD Sports gave you a call and refunded the money, along with a £75 voucher.
A spokesman for JD Sports insisted the parcel was delivered and left in a safe place, but you clearly never received it.
A company spokesman told me: “We have apologised to the customer for the delay while this was investigated, and acknowledge that the matter should have been escalated internally sooner.
“The customer has been refunded fully and given a gift card by way of compensation.”
Woman reveals chic kitchen makeover using Wilko paint
