Q&A

Q My son is a first-time buyer and has been looking at buying in the Roehampton area of London. He likes the ex-council high-rise flats, which seem to be exactly what he is looking for, but he is concerned about past news stories of the poor quality high-rise buildings. Is this still true?

Q My son is a first-time buyer and has been looking at buying in the Roehampton area of London. He likes the ex-council high-rise flats, which seem to be exactly what he is looking for, but he is concerned about past news stories of the poor quality high-rise buildings. Is this still true?

Dave Jones, Sheffield

A You are probably referring to the Roehampton Estate, where a number of flats and houses have been bought by council tenants under the right-to-buy scheme. Many of these have now been sold on. Local agents Winkworth and Ludlow Thompson agree that the flats are good value for money, at between £120,000 and £200,000. Many of the properties are let to students and hospital staff, so you may be surrounded by tenants as opposed to owners. The buildings are said to be in a good state of repair and well built. There is some history of a problem with "luminous cement" in one of the blocks that could cause cracks. A call to the council could give your son more information as well as more specific advice from a surveyor. He may also find it hard to obtain a mortgage for a flat on a higher floor. The area is well served by buses and has an active community centre and small supermarkets nearby. It would be worth visiting it at different times to get a real feel for the community to see if it is the type of place he would like to live.

Q How long do I have to keep redirecting post to the previous owners of my house? Their mail redirection service has ended and I'm still being inundated by post.

A S, Maidstone, by e-mail

A You are under no obligation to redirect post. If there is a return address you could return it to the sender, but you cannot go on doing this indefinitely. Out of courtesy, you could drop a line to the previous owner, saying you will be returning mail to the sender as appropriate.

Q I would like to buy a property to let but I'm not sure which are the most popular streets. Does it follow the same pattern as sought-after places for owner-occupiers?

B Hessler, by e-mail

A Talk to a local lettings agent to find out which roads are popular, the levels of rent they would expect you to achieve, the types of tenant and how buoyant the market is. Younger tenants are likely to want properties close to a station and amenities. Those with families are more likely to be looking for homes that fall into school catchment areas or more upmarket roads, perhaps having the same criteria as someone wanting to owner-occupy. It's important to do your sums. In expensive areas you may find that rentals will not give you a good enough yield, unless you have a large deposit. You will have to take into account repaying a mortgage yourself if you are not able to let the property continuously.

If you would like a query answered, e-mail: propertyq&a@independent.co.uk. Only those questions featured will be answered. Any advice given will not be legally binding