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
Brush up on your colours
DEMAND for painting and decorating services has rocketed as households prepare to welcome guests for Christmas.
People are making the effort with home improvements after the pandemic forced us into low-key celebrations last year.
The biggest trend is to go bold, so the experts from paint company Dulux share top tips on what shades to pick.
Colour therapist Jane Wood said: “Colour is a frequency our bodies interpret and it can impact our mood, choices and thoughts.”
COLOURS TO SOOTHE
Green – one of the best colours for creating a calm environment in your home. Suitable for any room.
Blue – evokes feelings of security and peace, making it ideal for bedrooms.
Pink – deeply relaxing and promotes a sense of fulfilment and happiness. Perfect for a place where you want to feel comfortable.
COLOURS TO ENERGISE
Orange – for small spaces where you are creative, such as a home office.
Yellow – great for a confidence boost but avoid if you are feeling stressed.
COLOURS TO AVOID
Black – can create feelings of isolation or loneliness.
Red – this can make a powerful statement. But it is considered to be the most aggressive colour.
Buy of the week
PLYMOUTH has been named the UK’s top city for nature lovers, in a study by housebuilder McCarthy & Stone.
Enjoy sea and park views for £250,000 with a two-bed flat in Marina Walk.
See zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/59329092.
Electric surge
THE number of homes for sale with an electric car charging point is up six-fold compared to last autumn.
And a third of these homes have come on to the market since September, with estate agents highlighting the feature as a useful selling point after the recent fuel crisis.
Tim Bannister, of property website Rightmove, which revealed the figures, said: “We anticipate that electric car charging points will become more important for buyers over the next few years.”
Deal of the week
BRIGHTEN up your home with help from a handy discount on Wilko’s lighting range. Use code LIGHT20 by Wednesday to get 20 per cent off at wilko.com.
SAVE: Average of £5
Judge Rinder, legal expert
‘‘New neighbours planning to move gate so they can access their garden – but it will cut ours in half’’
Q) THE house next to ours only has access to its garden via the side of our property.
When the houses were built in the 1850s this was for coal delivery and dustbin collection.
New neighbours have now moved in and submitted extension plans to the council.
Part of the plans involve moving their gate to a position that will cut a path through our flower beds and cut our lawn in half. Can they do this?
Karen, Leeds
A) The answer, in short, is no. Unless you consent, your neighbours can’t reposition the gate if it will encroach on your property in any way.
They could offer to pay you for access to the land or to purchase it outright. But assuming you don’t want to sell it, you should submit your objections at once to the relevant planning officer at the council.
At the same time it is always wise, insofar as possible, to attempt to be civil with neighbours who want to build.
It might be a good idea to discuss their plans with them calmly, explaining that although their scheme is currently un-acceptable, you are happy to try to help them work out an agreeable solution.
Avoiding conflict in these situations is always best.
Q) MY sister and I have recently inherited our parents’ house.
On the land registry, we are already down as owning 25 per cent each, with our late father having had 50 per cent following the death of our mum a few years ago.
We have decided that I will move into the house and live there with my family and buy my sister’s half.
How do we go about this? Can I give her the value for half the house and then we change the deeds and land registry, or is there more to it?
There are no mortgages involved and I would be selling my house to release the equity.
Sue, Nottingham
A) As long as you purchase your sister’s share of the property for a reasonable commercial value, then this should be relatively straightforward.
You will need to submit the relevant evidence (set out on the Government’s land registry website) proving you have acquired a 50 per cent stake in the house, removing your sister’s interest in the property.
Although this is not especially difficult to do, I would urge you to get some legal help nevertheless.
A high street solicitor will not charge you a great deal for this.
And the consequences of getting it wrong could be extremely problematic in the event that something happens to you.
This is really one for the lawyers to sort out, I’m afraid.
Loan danger
Q) I WAS with my ex-husband for 22 years, during which time we took out a loan in my name.
When we separated two years ago (before divorcing last year), I wrote a letter making clear the terms, including that he needed to pay half of each monthly repayment. We both signed the letter.
He paid up until recently but has now stopped and there is 15 months left on the loan.
Are the signed letter, texts and past payments enough to show he should be paying?
Is the best way forward the small claims court? I’m a single mum of three.
Jo, Derby
A) You’ve done precisely the right thing. Most financial arrangements involving couples are not in writing, so there is nothing courts can do to enforce these agreements.
It seems to me you have a very strong case that your ex has breached a legally binding contract that could be dealt with by the small claims court.
Before bringing proceedings, however, it is a good idea to write to your ex offering a set time period to pay you the money he owes you and to put him on notice that you intend to bring legal proceedings if he fails to pay.
Your claim is strong but it is always sensible to avoid court if possible.
Mel Hunter, reader's champion
Bumpy ride with flights
Q) WE are owed £318 for two return flights to Tenerife with Thomas Cook Airlines, which went into administration in 2019.
When we booked online through Opodo, we paid £65 for a “cancel for any reason” guarantee but two years on – after many frustrating, costly hours on the phone – we have received nothing.
We supplied our bank details two months ago, but no refund has arrived. We are also chasing a refund for Ryanair flights cancelled last year when we booked to fly to Malaga through Opodo.
We finally got a cheque for £465 – £138 less than we paid – and have asked Ryanair when we would get the balance, but had no reply. Should we ask Opodo for this?
Sue and Don, Cheltenham
A) You had booked both sets of flights through Opodo, so that was the place to go to find out where your money was.
With regards to the Tenerife flights, Opodo found a “human error” had been made after you sent your bank details, so the refund wasn’t processed.
Opodo apologised and put this right straight away. You got the money back within a week.
The Malaga flight refunds have been paid by Ryanair to Opodo. The £138 you hadn’t received related to Opodo fees and non-refundable extras.
An Opodo spokesperson said: “However, given the delay in processing the customer’s refund for the Tenerife flights, Opodo will refund the balance as a gesture of goodwill.”
Q) I AM struggling to get a refund from Utility Point.
When I switched to Ovo Energy, Utility Point owed me £285 and said the money would be in my account within ten days.
I was told it would be a refund priority, followed by various excuses, but now I see Utility Point is no longer trading.
Should I contact Ovo or is this money now lost?
Jean, Wigan
A) The wave of energy firm closures has affected around two million customers, leaving many in the dark about their rights.
You had the added complication of having already left before your old supplier went bust, so you feared your money would be lost. But that’s not the case.
Customer balances are protected by Ofgem’s “safety net”, so your right to get your money back should be honoured by the company appointed to take on customers from a collapsed supplier.
In your case, EDF took on Utility Point customers, so that was the company to sort this out rather than your new supplier, Ovo.
You hadn’t heard from EDF, but it assured me that it will be processing the refund.
A spokesperson said: “We’re working hard to get refunds to customers as quickly as possible. We will let her know when we are able to get this back to her.”
More energy companies may go to the wall in the coming months. If that happens, customers should take a meter reading and wait for Ofgem to appoint a new supplier, who should be in touch to explain your options.
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