Do you love to hear a good ghost story on cold, dark nights when the power is out and the house is silent? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you’ve come to the right place! This week we’re going to delve into the mysterious realms of the other side and learn about some of the UK’s most haunted properties! Many of these are based in the very heart of the country, the West Midlands, but look out for future terrifying tales from around the country.

Have you ever heard the tale of the Grey Lady of Bosworth Hall? Bosworth Hall, Leicestershire, was home to a poor young woman who fell in love with the gardener. He would visit her every night, but when her devious father discovered their nighttime trysts, he couldn’t accept it! Setting dangerous traps in the garden for his next visit, the Lady Grey ended up trapped instead. Dragging herself back to her room, she bled to death, doomed to forever walk the house and grounds of Bosworth Hall…

The famous Dudley castle is also a renowned haunted building in the West Midlands, home to a ghost couple said to haunt the ruins late at night. Every year a ghost tour is organised for those daring enough to try and spot the eerie revenants around the West Midlands at various spooky locations. According to staff who have to do late checks around the zoo, hurried footsteps can be heard along the corridors and unusual sounds in the dead of night….

John Wentworth of the White Swan Pub, Birmingham apparently went mad with grief when his love fell victim to a terrible coach crash. After shooting his loyal dog, he turned the gun on himself and is said to still haunt the building now,  heard moving around the building and known to tap people on the shoulder.

These are just a few of the haunted properties to be found in the historic West Midlands

Anyone who’s ever house-hunted, read a property’s particulars or viewed a house or flat escorted by an estate agent will know about the amusing yet infuriating phenomenon of estate agent speak.  But for the uninitiated, let me explain: estate agent speak is the ancient art of exaggerating a house’s features or stretching the truth to fool us into thinking that a dilapidated, run-down old house is actually a fantastic property that we should snap up right away.  Of course, we understand that anyone who’s ever sold anything will talk up their item to increase the chances of a sale, but estate agent speak can sometimes be verging on the ridiculous!  Take a look at some of our favourite terms used by estate agents, and the handy adflyer translation provided…

• ‘In need of some modernisation’ = the décor wouldn’t look out of place in a period drama!
• ‘Period property’ = at least ten years old.
• ‘Bijou’ = minuscule.
• ‘Studio’ = glorified broom cupboard.
• ‘Would suit a DIY enthusiast’ = have the scaffolding at the ready!
• ‘Deceptively spacious’ = looks bigger if you squint a bit.
• ‘Fully enclosed private garden’ = square of grass with fence around it.
• ‘Internal inspection recommended’ = keep your eyes closed until you get inside.
• ‘Ideal for busy professionals’ = the less time you spend here the better!

Well, we hope that’s helped to decode the mysterious language that is estate agent speak!  But, if you’re fed up of having to translate every single sentence of a property listing, then the adflyer property section can help.  You’ll find an incredibly wide range of property for sale including houses, flats, overseas property and land with simple listings that are easy to understand.  Plus, our handy ‘contact the seller’ button means that you can find out exactly what you want to know without the headache-inducing jargon!

If you have any tales of ridiculous estate agent speak, leave us a comment and let us know!

When it comes to buying a house or flat, any home owner will tell you about the mountains of paperwork, bureaucracy and phone calls needed to make everything run smoothly.  But this can seem like a walk in the park when compared to applying for planning or permission to make changes to a property.  So, just what is planning permission?  When do you need to get it, and how do you go about it?  Whether you’re thinking about making changes to your existing property, or you’re considering buying a house or flat that will need some work, adflyer can help.  We’ve done our research into this planning permission lark, and found out just what it’s all about…

When you need it… There are a fair few specific occasions when you’d need to apply for planning permission.  These include:

• Adding to or extending a flat or maisonette, including converting them from a house.
• Dividing off part of your house to use as a separate home, such as a self-contained flat or bedsit.
• Using an existing building or caravan in your garden as a separate dwelling for someone else.
• Building a separate house in your garden.
• Dividing off part of your home for business or commercial use, or building a parking space for a commercial vehicle.
• Building something which is against the original planning permission of the house.  For example, if you’re building a wall or fence which would initially have been considered obstructive or unsightly, you’ll have to apply for planning permission.
• Carrying out work that could obstruct the view of road users.

When you don’t need it… Every home owner has certain ‘permitted development rights’, which means that there are some changes you could make to your house or flat without having to apply for planning permission as long as they meet certain important conditions.  These include:

• Adding a conservatory.
• Converting your loft or altering your roof.
• Fitting solar panels.
• Building a patio or driveway.

When in doubt… If you’re thinking about making changes to your existing house or flat, or you’re about to buy a property you’d want to improve, it’s always best to check if you’d need planning permission before getting started.  The best place to look for advice about this is the Planning Portal: here you’ll find an online application guide and a fee calculator to help you work out how much any planning permission would cost.  Also, don’t forget to keep an eye out on the adflyer property section for your perfect new house or flat: after all, if you find the ideal place, you might not need to worry about planning permission anyway!