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Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘We bought a house together six months after we met'
The first time Lorraine Feng and her boyfriend dared to discuss their salaries with each other was when they were applying for a mortgage. The couple had only met six months previously, but sky-high London rents had convinced them to pool together their savings and buy a new-build flat on the Northern line. 'We were paying £2,000 per month individually in rent. It was getting too much so we decided to commit,' says Feng, 32. 'The decision to buy wasn't impulsive. It came from a real need.' She and her partner, Tomasz Przytula, 31, are part of a growing generation of couples buying homes together soon after meeting – and, perhaps, before they are fully ready. A survey by Skipton building society found that 64pc of adults in relationships value getting on the property ladder over getting married. It is not difficult to see why. It takes the average single person 11 years of saving to get on the property ladder, according to estate agency Hamptons. This time is halved when buying in a couple is factored in. For Feng and Przytula, the frustration of handing over half of their monthly pay cheques to their landlords proved the tipping point. In January 2024, they paid a deposit of £57,000 on a flat in Barnet, London – 10pc of the apartment's total value. The property is held in joint ownership, with Przytula putting down a bigger percentage of the deposit. Neither Feng nor Przytula borrowed from their parents: 'Luckily, we are both quite frugal and we both agreed that paying rent was lining someone else's pockets. 'Tomasz does earn more than me, but we agreed to keep it simple and split the mortgage payments 50/50,' Feng says. She is a product analyst, while Przytula is software engineer. A year into home ownership, they both agree that they made the right decision to buy so early on in their relationship, and have no regrets. The couple have no agreement in place about how the property should be split if they need to do so. Battling a breakup But of course, love does turn sour for many, and those that have committed too soon have found the harder part of extracting themselves from a relationship is the mortgage that ties them together. Molly*, 28, and her military boyfriend, Rob*, 32, were desperate to get on the property ladder. They had been together for just under 24 months when they completed on the property, but had not spent much time together. Rob had been deployed for six months on tour, and was away with his job on and off throughout their relationship. 'We bought a starter home in Gloucestershire with a deposit in which I contributed 65pc and he contributed 35pc,' says Molly. 'The house was bought for £365,000. My deposit came from savings and family help.' In 2020, two years into living in their home, the relationship broke down. Rob moved back to military accommodation and Molly remained in the house. 'We both come from divorced parents so had the nous to draw up a deed of trust before we bought. Thank goodness we did because dividing the asset was harder than anything I have ever done,' she says. Added to this was a second mortgage they had taken out to cover the cost of a refurbishment, which made it more complicated. 'We used legal representation because I wanted to stay and he wanted to sell. We had three valuations – the house had risen in value in the two years we were there – we took the middle one,' she says. 'I'm quite stoic and try to keep a fair head on my shoulders but it was really hard. There were also animals involved and furniture to argue over, and in the meantime, we were carrying the burden of joint liability for the mortgage payments until he sold his share to me.' Ignoring the warnings Other couples who have wanted to buy with their partner have encountered resistance from friends and family who feel they are fast-forwarding their relationship too soon. Sophie*, 30, and her boyfriend Toby*, 33, have been dating for a year. 'One evening we ended up scrolling through houses online and saw one we liked, listed for £200,000 in Manchester. We viewed it and ended up putting in an offer – we were surprised and delighted when it was accepted,' Sophie says. They have faced warnings and negativity from loved ones driven by concern. 'My family have asked me to pull out of the sale because they are worried that it's too soon for us as a couple. We are yet to complete, but the whole process has felt negative because of what they have said.' Sophie and Toby are pressing ahead and, as to the thorny issue of what happens if things do go wrong, they say they will deal with it if that eventuality occurs. 'We haven't got a formal agreement in place outlining the split of the assets, but we hope that is not something we will have to face.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
From Wrexham to King's Lynn via Hollywood
King's Lynn Town's new signing Reece Hall-Johnson will bring a bit of Hollywood magic to The Walks next 30-year-old began his career at Norwich City and also played over 60 games for Wrexham - the club owned by superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney."Ryan and Rob would pop over and come to watch training or be around the place, you end up seeing them as kind of your friends and people you know," said defender signed for National North side King's Lynn from London club Barnet. Hall-Johnson began his career in Norfolk with Norwich City and still regards the FA Youth Cup win in 2013 as the highlight of his career. "The majority of us still keep in contact. We had a lot of talented players and a talented coach and manager in Neil Adams. "He believed in us and gave us the confidence to play with freedom, so that's why I owe a lot to Norwich," he told BBC Radio Norfolk. After departing the Canaries, Hall-Johnson had spells at Grimsby and Northampton Town amongst others - before joining the Hollywood revolution in North Wales at Wrexham. "After playing for Northampton, I moved to what people call 'the Hollywood club' nowadays. "That was very interesting, very fun. I spent three years at Wrexham and absolutely loved it and the owners there are fantastic."Hall-Johnson continued, "Everyone has seen how Ryan (Reynolds) and Rob (McElhenney) have done and it's just a testament to them that they've been able to do well with the club, so I couldn't have a bad word to say about them. "We achieved promotion from the National League to League Two, which was really good."Since Hall-Johnson left Wrexham, the club has had two more promotions and will compete in the Championship next season. It's the first time the team has been in the second tier of English football since 1982. So could Hall-Johnson's new club King's Lynn Town emulate Wrexham's rapid rise up the football pyramid?Last season the Linnets reached the National North playoffs before losing to club has a new owner and a new head coach, with former Chesterfield boss James Rowe taking over from the departing Adam says he is targeting another promotion to add to his CV."I spoke to the gaffer and he had a clear vision of where he wanted to take the club and a clear vision of what he wants to do in his career. "That made it an easy decision for me to come to King's Lynn."He continued: "For me, this is closer to the area where I grew up and closer to friends and family. Hopefully the fans will really like me and we can kick on and get promoted." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external.
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Carabao Cup format changed due to nine English sides qualifying for Europe
The Carabao Cup was thrown into chaos next season with nearly half of the Premier League having booked spots in Europe for 2025/26 and bosses have now confirmed a major change to the competition EFL bosses have added a preliminary round to the Carabao Cup in a major change to the competition. Organisers confirmed the change on Friday just a few months before the latest edition gets underway. The alteration will see the clubs promoted from the National League last season - Barnet and Oldham - as well as the 21st and 22nd placed sides in League Two from last term - Accrington Stanley and Newport County - face off. Bosses have confirmed that the ties will be regionalised, with Accrington Stanley set to play Oldham, and Barnet taking on Newport - the victors securing a place in the first round. The change is due to the Premier League having nine clubs in Europe next season. The preliminary round will see the total amount of clubs in the first two rounds reduced, meaning all Premier League sides to have qualified for Europe will be able to play in round three. In all, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are set for continental campaigns next term. Palace's spot in the Europa League remains in doubt due to John Textor's stake in the club but the Carabao Cup change has been made regardless. It follows a similar alteration during the 2011/12 campaign to allow both Birmingham City and Fulham to play in Europe without impediment. The change has not totally gone down well with supporters. One said: 'Here's an idea? The @premierleague teams aren't interested in the League Cup, so take them out, give their places to the National League teams. This will boost the competition but also make sure the FA Cup is taken seriously by all teams involved." While another added: 'In summary, two football league teams (who could hugely benefit from a big tie) have to qualify for the league cup because 9 teams who don't care about the league cup (until they might win it) are in Europe. And football isn't geared towards the top teams. You're a disgrace EFL!" A final supporter said: 'So some @EFL teams are going to have to play an extra game because more of the @premierleague teams who demanded replays were scrapped because of fixture congestion are competing in Europe??' The preliminary round of the Carabao Cup will take place across the week commencing 4 August, with round one scheduled for a week later. The draw for the first round of the competition will take place on Thursday 26 June. Newcastle head into next season's competition as holders. They beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley last season to end their long trophy drought. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
South Wales Argus
12-06-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Newport to face Barnet in new Carabao Cup preliminary round
The competition will have a new format due to nine Premier League teams qualifying for European competition. That means that four teams must play in a preliminary round to reduce the number of clubs for rounds one and two, before the European qualifiers enter in round three. County's woeful finish to last season meant that they dropped down to 22nd in the table, the last safe spot, with Accrington Stanley above them. Had they won against Tranmere on final day then the Exiles would have gone straight into the regionalised first round, with the potential for a plum tie against Swansea, Cardiff or Bristol City. County and Accrington will be joined in the preliminary round by Barnet and Oldham, who secured returns to League Two. The decision has been made to regionalise the ties and that means the Exiles will go up against National League champions Barnet, with Tuesday, August 5 the likely date. A draw will be made on Thursday, June 26 (4.30pm) to determine whether the fixture will be at Rodney Parade or The Hive Stadium. That will be followed by a draw for the first round, with those ties taking place the following week. The Barnet fixture will be a second game under new boss David Hughes with League Two getting under way on the first weekend of August. County played the Bees in the FA Cup in December, 2023 when they drew 1-1 in Newport and then won 4-1 in north London. KEY COUNTY DATES League Two fixtures – Thursday, June 26 (midday). EFL Trophy group stage draw – Thursday, June 26 (2.30pm). League Cup draw – Thursday, June 26 (4.30pm). Start of League Two – August 2/3. League Cup, preliminary round – w/c August 4. League Cup, round one – w/c August 11. Final games of the regular season: May 2/3. SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW Reopens: Monday, June 16. Transfer deadline day: Monday, September 1 (7pm). CONFIRMED FRIENDLIES Tuesday, July 1 – Pontypridd (away). Saturday, July 12 – Worcester City (away). Tuesday, July 15 – Weston-super-Mare (away). Saturday, July 19 – Torquay (away). Tuesday, July 22 – Bristol City (away, behind closed doors at training centre)
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saints learn dates as EFL confirm Carabao Cup info with unusual new round
A general view of the Carabao Cup Trophy ahead of the 2025 Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London. (Image: PA) SAINTS will enter the Carabao Cup first round to be played week commencing Monday, August 11, at the start of the 2025/26 season. But a new preliminary round will be played for the first time a week earlier, due to nine Premier League teams being involved in European competition. Advertisement The format of the Carabao Cup will be amended to introduce a four-team preliminary qualifying round, to reduce the number of qualified clubs. Those European-competing clubs will then join the competition in the third round, as they did last season, with a total of 32 clubs remaining. The preliminary round will consist of the two promoted clubs from the National League (Barnet and Oldham Athletic) and the clubs finishing in 21st and 22nd place in League Two (Accrington Stanley and Newport County) last season. The ties will be regionalised North and South as they are in round one, with Accrington playing Oldham and Barnet playing Newport County. Advertisement The Carabao Cup round one draw will take place live on Sky Sports News at 4:30pm on Thursday, June 26, as part of the EFL's fixture release day. The round dates for the Carabao Cup have been confirmed as the following: Preliminary Round: w/c 4 August 2025. Round One: w/c 11 August 2025. Round Two: w/c 25 August 2025. Round Three: w/c 15 September and w/c 22 September 2025. Round Four: w/c 27 October 2025. Round Five: w/c 15 December 2025. Semi-Final First Leg: w/c 12 January 2026. Semi-Final Second Leg: w/c 2 February 2026. Final: Sunday 22 March 2026.
