How do I give notice on a tenancy?
Getting the notice period and the dates right, because an invalid notice usually means paying more rent.
beginner30 min3 min read
Money & Practical
Budgeting, bills and buying decisions, described as processes you can follow. These guides explain method — how to work something out for yourself. They are not financial advice and recommend no specific products.
425 guides
How do I make a flexible working request?
A day-one statutory right for employees to ask for a change to hours, times or place of work. Two requests a year, a two-month decision deadline, and the eight business reasons an employer can rely on to refuse.
beginner12 min5 min readHow do I make a small claim in the county court?
The small claims track is designed for people without lawyers, costs are not usually recoverable, and the hardest part is enforcing a judgment rather than winning one.
advanced3 hr4 min readHow do I move house with young children?
What to tell them and when, the box that must not go on the van, and why the first night matters more than the packing.
beginner2 hr4 min readHow do I post things so they arrive in time?
Work backwards from the last posting dates, and understand what tracking and compensation actually cover.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I stop direct debits catching me out?
Listing every payment and its date, moving them to land just after payday, and building the buffer that absorbs the rest.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I trace a pension from an old job?
Old workplace pensions are the most commonly lost asset in the UK. The tracing service is free, and a systematic sweep of your own employment history finds most of them.
beginner45 min3 min readHow does buying a home in Scotland work?
Scotland is a different system, not a variation on the English one: the seller provides a survey up front, offers go through a solicitor, and the contract forms at conclusion of missives rather than at exchange.
intermediate15 min5 min readHow much does a washing machine cost to run per cycle?
There is no national answer, because it depends on your tariff, your machine and your programme — but there is a five-line calculation that gives you your own number in about ten minutes.
beginner20 min4 min readHow much should I spend starting something new?
Which items are worth buying properly at the start, which can wait, and how to avoid equipping for a hobby you turn out not to enjoy.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat are a P45 and a P60, and what do I do with them?
One is issued when you leave a job, one every April while you are in it. Losing either is survivable, but knowing which does what saves an emergency tax code.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat does an executor actually have to do?
The job in full, the personal liability that comes with it, and the two things you can do about it if you do not want to take it on.
intermediate20 min3 min readWhat does paying monthly instead of annually actually cost me?
Monthly payment options on annual costs are usually credit, and priced accordingly. How to find the real difference, and when paying monthly is still the right call.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat is a cooling-off period and when does it apply?
Where the 14-day right exists, where it does not, and the exceptions people are caught by.
beginner15 min2 min readWhat is a settlement figure and how do I get one?
What a settlement figure includes, why it is not simply the payments you have left, how long it stays valid, and what to do with the answer once you have it.
beginner12 min5 min readWhat is accidental damage cover?
What it adds beyond the standard perils, the exclusions that survive it, and the households where it earns its cost.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy has my smart meter stopped sending readings?
A smart meter that has quietly gone offline still measures correctly but stops telling anyone, and the first symptom is usually an estimated bill months later. How to spot it and what to ask for.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy is my first tax bill so much bigger than I expected?
Payments on account mean a first self assessment bill can be half as large again as the tax actually owed for the year. Understanding why makes it survivable.
intermediate12 min2 min readHow do I build an emergency fund?
Starting from nothing, choosing a realistic target, and keeping the money somewhere you will not spend it.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I compare a monthly cost with a one-off cost?
Subscribing, renting, leasing and buying outright are the same decision in different clothes. How to find the point where one overtakes the other and what changes the answer.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I reject a faulty item and get a full refund?
The short-term right to reject faulty goods, what happens after that window, and the wording that stops a retailer redirecting you to the manufacturer.
beginner40 min4 min readHow do I tell a real difference from a marketing difference?
Named technologies, invented units and feature counts exist to prevent comparison. Four tests that separate a difference that changes your experience from one that changes the label.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat do I do if a parcel never arrived?
Who is actually responsible, the checks to make first, and how to escalate when the tracking says delivered.
beginner45 min3 min readDo I need my freeholder's permission to do work in my flat?
The lease decides, and it usually distinguishes between work you may not do at all and work you may do with consent. Doing it without asking creates a problem that surfaces at sale.
intermediate20 min5 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.
ToolFoundry is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.