zip up tower for the repairs

You need to consider how much liability the residents (management company?) might incur

You could be taking on horrendous liabilities, leave it to the contractor to provide its own kit.

Scaffolding costs seem to have gone up hugely. Just had a 'preferential' quote for some on the side of house (so, 8m long, height to eaves) - £1500. I paid £400 for something similar 10 years ago.

Warned off. Big thanks.

Around 5 years ago I paid a similar price (£400) for scaffolding for the front of my terraced house. My neighbour wanted the same around 6 weeks later and couldn't find any local scaffold company who would quote anywhere near the price I paid. The price probably depends a lot on how much work they already have booked.

That sort of increase was mentioned by a decorator being interviewed on last Fridays 'Wake up to money', so it seems that scaffolding companies have taken the opportunity to increase their margins massively.

Give them a couple of years and like the massive hike in 2nd hand cars in 2022, there will follow the inevitable collapse in demand (and 2nd hand car prices, other than 7+ YO cheapies are retreating both here and across the pond).

Unless you are prepareed to go the whole hog and do the job yourself.

I gather Cazoo is giving-up actually selling cars from stock, turning into an Autotrader equivalent advert site?

Possibly the leasing model not working too well if the value of (second hand) EVs is not holding up.

AIUI it was tech-bubble business model: rather than operating shiny dealership forecourts they'd sell online and operate a fleet of delivery vans, perfectly timed for the pandemic. Cue lots of VC investment for 'disruption'. Interest rates go up, supply and demand for cars is all over the place due to supply chain etc etc, and VCs want ROI that beats putting it in the bank. Maybe they could deliver a >0.5% return but harder to deliver a >5.25% return.

Also, I think they were limited in supply. Their main competitor Cinch is part of the Constellation group that includes BCA auctions and We Buy Any Car, so they have a ready source of stock (I think it's about half of UK car resales go through Constellation). One main source for Cazoo was BCA who also did the prepping for them, so they were buying from their competition - and BCA look after their own best interests.

Theo