u/Illustrious_Sea7480

When a house has a garage as part of the main building, how easy is it to convert it to useable living space? I'm guessing with regulations the garage isn't up to spec.

(Also, why on earth do new builds give up living space like this?? The result is a frontage dominated by a garage door rather than, say, a bay window).

Thank you in advance (this would be in England).

45 minutes of pretty great discussion, but every few minutes you pinch yourself because you've realised that you're watching Campbell being interviewed by a man with a bin on his head.

IANCS, but following the reporting of this employment case. It's absolutely fascinating to see how much time and effort has gone in to managing workplace-based online forums (Yammer and Viva Engage) and the fallout of people going off sick due to how they were moderated.

Is this indicative of what it's like working for the Civil Service?

A couple of weeks ago I had a chat with the Head of HR at my new employers (although I just have a provisional job offer at this moment). We discussed my physical disability and I explained that things that help when it flairs up are a quiet space to work, working from home or a late start/early finish etc. He explained that most teams there work fairly flexibly and most people liaise with their line manager to work from home around client meetings.

He suggested that I go on a "wellness plan" but I said that's not the first impression I want to give my new manager and we agreed for it to be something I raise when I start. I am not sure what a wellness plan is, in hindsight and I worry it sounds like a competency/support plan.

Since then pre-employment checks are still on-going and I've not yet had a contract. This is the first time I've disclosed my disability (as I've got older it has been harder to manage) and I'm getting nervous reading comments along the line of "HR are not your friend, they are there to protect the company!".

Have I blown it?

Just that. Or is it me?

Edit - it's just me. Too keen for a response to Monday's speech by Burnham.

I'm looking at buying a house from an older couple. Due to health reasons they have had to move in to a bungalow and need to sell this house to release the funds. It has not been maintained well in recent years and needs, at least, modernising. They also have a lot of accumulated belongings. Some rooms are fine but some, not shown in the photos, are absolutely rammed with stuff.

Would it be a good idea to offer 10% below the asking price and say they don't have to worry about leaving the house empty and clean?

My thinking is that they are old, apparently struggling with an unexpected house-move and need the money. I am younger, can hire skips and empty the house, and on a limited budget.

Would you find that offensive if it were your or your elderly relatives' house? Or would you offer lower? Wondering what I haven't considered.

(In England).

I am applying for a job at York College for a role and pay that look good on paper. If I’m successful at interview I’d be looking at moving to York with my two teens, F13 and M15. My son would likely be looking at an apprenticeship rather than A-Levels. Any insights much appreciated! Navigating post-separation life and it’s early days.

A couple of years ago I became disabled. I am still coming to terms with my condition, and it has held me back in many ways professionally and socially this last while, but it is what it is. My current employers are very hands off but otherwise supportive. If I'm suffering from my symptoms they are happy for me to come in a bit late or leave a bit early and I wfh on a Monday, which is really helpful for managing my energy levels. (There are other more mundane things that take stress out of my day such as easy access to toilets and ability to drink water during my work).

I have a new job and a "Support Requirements" form to fill in. How much should I disclose about the adjustments that enable to best do my job? I am embarrassed by my condition and don't want to be seen as trying to get out of work before I've even started. I wouldn't ask for a day working from home as I want to get to know everyone, learn the job and my responsibilities may not facilitate it. However, I don't want to be a few months in to the job, hit the busy Christmas period and suddenly be seen to coming up with new requirements because I'm experiencing a flair up.

I'm really grateful for any help or guidance as this is a job I'm really excited about and I don't want to mess things up before I've properly started.

We had an offer accepted at the start of April (England). We are FTB in a rented house. Our LISAs and mortgage are now accessible and the seller's solicitors have chased us (via our solicitors) for exchange and completion. Due to notice on our rented house we don't want to pay rent and mortgage for more than a couple of weeks so we've said mid-July but the seller isn't happy. She wanted to complete mid-June. Are we out of order?

Edit to clarify- There's no chain because she's squeezing in to a friend's house and putting her furniture in storage on Monday.

Our landlord is pretty flexible and "on notice" that we'll be moving soon. We're just realising that there's a bti more to organise than we thought and we don't want to feel rushed.

This feels really iffy to me. Looking at a house that has just come on the market and it asks for a deposit of a few thousand pounds PLUS a non-refundable registration fee.

Would this put you off? Because it feels a bit scammy. Maybe this just isn't the estate agents (House Sales Direct) for a nervous FTB like me?

This is in England.

Just that really, I can't find anything online. Personally, I'm particularly interested in a) who they will work with on the council and b) their priorities for Orchard Park.

I am Gen X, I don't know much about computing or coding or anything like that. I was not an early adopter of ChatGPT but I've used it a lot for about a year for bouncing ideas off - mapping out a house move, ideas for fixing a garden gate, improving my skin care, workplace dilemmas etc.

I think I'm using it less and less because it's become less helpful. Is this a common experience? Is it just the novelty wearing off and I'm seeing the drawbacks (such as its slight sycophancy) or has the quality of ChatGPT deteriorated? If so, what is the future of AI?