So, who’s watching the house while you are away?
then burgle those homes hoping to find something easy to move and easy to sell. Rings and necklaces and timepieces all fit the bill.
In some cases, thieves by-pass electronic goodies and go straight to bedrooms where they expect to find drawers or safes containing valuables. They may remove safes to smash open later.
One answer is installing closed circuit television. While some suggest that cameras are an advert that you have valuables, and they are little help if thieves wear masks or hoods, they can help police in finding burglars – including those who break into neighbouring premises – and, more importantly, serve as a good deterrent.
Besides worrying about police looking at footage later on, housebreakers also fear that home owners with a camera might have spent more money on other safeguards – thieves always want a fast in and out.
Which? has been looking into CCTV for the security-conscious homeowner. How much you spend on a system can vary widely.
At the very basic end, you can spend a tenner or so on a dummy camera, which may fool burglars, especially at night.
After that, your outlay could be as little as £20 for one wired camera all the way up to nearly £500 for a top of the range vandal and weatherproof device. You’ll also need to buy wiring, and a recorder to capture the images.
You can buy wireless cameras but Which? suggests that these are vulnerable to interference from other devices such as routers, microwaves and cordless phones. They stop working if your internet connection is lost. Where two people have an equal claim it’s usually just a question of who gets in first. If the three can’t get on it might be better for them to appoint a solicitor to deal with the estate. what the council tax banding system is based on. So in practice you will probably be paying less council tax than if the road was adopted. If you feel your house has been placed in the same council tax band as properties worth more than your own you should contact the local valuation office to see if they will put you in a lower band. The previous tenant signed an agreement preventing him from doing this, but we have contacted the landlord and he doesn’t want to know. THERE’S probably a clause in your neighbours’ lease requiring them to obtain the landlord’s consent before carrying out any building work. But you can’t make the landlord enforce the terms of the lease. Unless the installation of the window contravenes planning laws or building regulations or a covenant in the title deeds to the house, you may have to invest in some net curtains. You have no automatic right to privacy. MY husband has left me and frozen our joint account, so no direct debits or mortgage payments are being made. I’m disabled, 11 years older than my husband, and we have a 16-yearold daughter. Do I have to sell our house in order to give my husband half the equity? I don’t want to move if possible because the house has been specially adapted for me. THE divorce court can divide up the family assets and property as it thinks fit. In your case it will take into account your need to keep the house, the fact that your daughter is living with you, your age and your earning capacity. Depending on how much equity is in the property and what other assets there are the court may decide to let you keep the house. See a solicitor immediately. »»Call Bromleys Solicitors LLP on 0161 330 6821 or visit www. bromleys.co.uk »»If you have any legal questions, write to Property Law, MEN Media, Mitchell Henry House, Hollinwood Avenue, Chadderton OL9 8EF, or email mail@lawQs.co.uk