u/Grammi_Grammidi

I am looking for a premium bean-to-cup machine and would be interested in recommendations from people who have actually lived with these machines. I am in the UK.

My requirements are:
- Two bean compartments, ideally with two separate grinders, so I can keep regular beans and decaf loaded at the same time
- We drink predominantly milk-based drinks: cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites
- I would strongly prefer a proper detachable milk carafe that can simply be taken out of the fridge in the morning, attached to the machine, then put back afterwards
- I would rather avoid the Jura-style arrangement with a separate milk container and loose tube. At this price point it feels unnecessarily fiddly for something we would be using every morning
- Good automatic cleaning of the milk system is important
- Happy to pay for a genuinely premium machine, but ease of use matters more than having endless coffee customisation options

At the moment the Siemens EQ900 looks closest to what I want: two separate bean systems and a detachable milk container.

I have also considered the Jura J10 Twin, but the milk setup puts me off. The De’Longhi Maestosa appears to tick many of the boxes, although it now seems quite old. The newer De’Longhi machines have much nicer milk carafes, but seem to have only one bean hopper.

Has anyone compared the EQ900 with other premium machines for this sort of use? Is there anything I am overlooking, particularly something with dual beans and a fridge-storable milk carafe?

Most interested in day-to-day ownership experience rather than specifications on paper.

Genuinely curious about this and not looking to provoke anyone.

I recently told a younger British colleague from south-east London that I’m looking to move to Hertfordshire and her immediate response was, “Where’s Hertfordshire?” I have since had a similar reaction from a couple of other London-based colleagues.

It made me wonder whether Hertfordshire simply has a weaker county identity than Surrey or Kent. My impression is that people are more likely to say “I live in St Albans/Hitchin/Harpenden” than “I live in Hertfordshire”, whereas “I live in Surrey” seems to carry meaning on its own even if the person lives in Esher/Weybridge/Cobham etc.

Is that a fair observation? If so, why do you think that is?

We agreed to rent a property in Hertfordshire. We signed the agent’s terms of offer, passed referencing, and paid the holding deposit and full security deposit. I never received a completed copy of the tenancy agreement, so I do not know whether the landlord signed it.

The same estate-agency firm was handling both this tenancy and our search for a property to buy locally. The lettings team learned about our purchase and told the landlord that we might occupy the rental for only several months. We had never promised to remain for any particular period beyond complying with the new 2-month notice terms.

The landlord then asked us to propose a higher rent and accept a longer notice period. They subsequently proposed a rent increase of nearly 40%. We refused to vary the original terms, following which the landlord withdrew and offered to refund everything before the move-in date.

My questions are:

1. Could a binding tenancy have arisen despite our not receiving a countersigned agreement, given that we had signed, passed referencing and paid the full deposit?
2. Could the request for substantially more rent after the original terms had been agreed breach the new rental rules?
3. Was the agent entitled to use information obtained through its sales team and disclose our intended purchase to the landlord without asking us?
4. If the landlord or agent acted unlawfully, what remedy or complaint route would be available if all money is refunded?

The property is in England.

We agreed to rent a property in Hertfordshire. We signed the agent’s terms of offer, passed referencing and paid the holding deposit and full security deposit.

I am not sure the landlord signed their end of the agreement as I never got the completed contract.

The same estate-agency firm was handling both our rental agreement and our search for a property to buy in the same area. Through this, the lettings team became aware that we were purchasing and informed the landlord that we might remain in the rental for only several months. We had never promised to stay for any particular length of time given the new rental rules which allow a 2-month notice period at any point in time.

The landlord then asked us to offer a higher rent and accept a longer notice period. They subsequently proposed an increase of nearly 40%. We refused to change the original terms, so the landlord cancelled the tenancy and offered to refund everything before our move-in date.

Does this sound unlawful under the new rental rules? Was it right for the agent to disclose to the landlord that we are looking to buy and are unlikely to be staying at the property for long?

House hunting and found a property we like, but it's on an A road (30mph, steady traffic, some HGVs). It's priced well below comparable houses on quieter streets nearby, presumably for that reason.

For those who've actually lived on one: did the noise grind you down or did you adjust? Any air quality concerns, especially with young kids? And is a main road better or worse for security - constant passing traffic vs easy for burglars to case and get away?

Would you buy the same house again, or pay the premium for the quiet street two roads back?

We are first-time buyers and have had an incredibly frustrating six months.

We found a house we really liked, had an offer accepted, started the legal process, paid for various checks, got emotionally invested, and then the transaction effectively stalled because of seller-side issues that were outside our control. There were delays, uncertainty, and eventually it became clear we could not rely on it completing within the timeframe we needed.

We then found another property that looked like a good alternative. Again, we thought there was a path forward, made a serious offer, tried to be flexible and practical, but that also has not worked out as the chain collapsed.

The difficult part is that we have children and school/nursery timing to think about, so we cannot just wait indefinitely while sellers, solicitors or other parties figure things out. We have now reserved a rental property near the school so that our family has certainty and stability, and we will keep looking from there.

On paper, renting is the sensible decision. It removes the pressure and means we do not have to rush into buying the wrong house just to meet a deadline.
Emotionally, though, it feels quite deflating. We were ready to buy, had done the work, had the finances lined up, and thought this would finally be the move into our long-term family home. Instead, we are signing another tenancy agreement and going back to Rightmove alerts.

Has anyone else had to do this? Walk away from purchases after months of effort, rent again, and reset the search? How did you stop it feeling like a backward step?

Many delivery riders I meet with my food are mid-conversation usually in a foreign language. Bluetooth earpiece, phone in the helmet strap, hands-free through the handlebars … doesn’t matter. Someone is nearly always talking to someone.

So I have to ask: who’s on the other end? Family? A friend? Some kind of permanent open line between riders across the city? Genuinely curious.