Property clinic: Advice on renovations There are no strict guidelines. Each application will be considered on its own merits. It is best to consult the local planning authority about your plans and obtain professional advice. I want to buy a house with my girlfriend. My parents have lent me some money towards the deposit and renovation work, but they are worried as my girlfriend has had some financial problems in the past. Is there anything I can do to put their minds at ease? Daniel, Cheshire One issue to consider is whether you should buy the property as Tenants in Common rather than Joint Tenants. This would mean you each own distinct shares in the house rather than owning the whole of the property together. However, the problem with this is that if one of you dies, the house would not automatically pass to the other joint owner. It might have to be sold under a will or rules of intestacy. As an alternative, you could consider a Deed of Trust. This is a formal document which can be drafted for a small fee in addition to your conveyancing costs. It will usually be kept by your solicitor with your title deeds. Both of you could still be legal Joint Tenants. But the Deed of Trust formally records your intentions are in terms of your shares in the house. For example, it could record that you paid the whole of the deposit and renovation costs personally. It will also make clear that if the house is sold then you should receive the whole of the deposit amount and renovation costs first. Anything left over can be divided between you and your girlfriend. This should also protect the money that your parents have lent to you, should your girlfriend enter into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement or be made bankrupt in the future. As long as the Deed of Trust was drafted properly, the money you spent on the deposit and renovation could not be claimed to pay off your girlfriend's creditors. I have invested a lot of money into renovating my home, but I have run out of the money to pay the builders. They are threatening to make me bankrupt if I don't pay, and I am worried that I will lose my home. Can I give my interest in the property to my grown-up children? Sharon, Torquay This depends on what stage in the bankruptcy proceedings you are at. If a petition has been presented against you, then any sale or gift of property between the date of the petition and the date you are made bankrupt will be void. If you are not aware of a bankruptcy petition yet, but believe you might be made bankrupt in the future, you should be careful about giving away or selling your property for less than its full market value. Were proceedings to go ahead, a Trustee in Bankruptcy would be appointed to deal with your estate. If the Trustee believes that the gift or sale of a property in the last five years was not for its full value, they can look to have the transaction overturned. If you were to give your interest in your home to your children, or sell it to them cheaply, it is likely to be for less than full value. Were you to be made bankrupt within the next five years, the Trustee in Bankruptcy would probably ask the court to intervene. The Court could order your children to either give the property back or pay for its full value, so that any bankruptcy costs and expenses can be paid. My neighbour has started DIY renovation works to his property. He works shifts, so carries out the works at irregular times. I am often woken up at night and in the early hours of the morning by loud hammering and drilling. Is there anything I can do? Toby, Sutton Coldfield Contact your local authority regarding the noise. It will carry out checks on the noise levels and assess whether your neighbour can be deemed a nuisance. If your sleep is being so severely disturbed that it is having a detrimental effect on your health, this should be stated. Night hours are generally defined as 11pm-7am. If the authorities are satisfied that unreasonable noise is being emitted during this period, they have the power to serve an "abatement notice." This would require the activity to stop, demand steps to reduce the noise and restrict the times of day in which the work can take place. Given that renovation work is not unreasonable, it is likely that a notice would be served restricting the time when your neighbour can carry out the works. Your neighbour will have 21 days to challenge such a notice in a Magistrate's Court. After this time a fine can be imposed for every day that it is breached. The local authority is allowed to do whatever is necessary to enforce the notice. Remember, however, that involving the authorities is likely to sour relations with your neighbour even further. Talk to him first and explain that unless an agreement is reached, you will have to consult the local authority. If the matter becomes acrimonious it may be advisable to seek legal advice.