FAQs

What taxes are due on transfer of house to winner? The house looks as if it is in a very rural location. Any problems with break-ins in the immediate area?
1. All conveyancing costs and property taxes will be paid up to date by the Promoter as part of the transfer, so nothing will be payable by the winner. 2. The house is in an area of 5-acre lots, so you are right - it is rural, although only about five minutes by car from shops and restaurants. It has an alarm monitored by Brinks Security and the local police, with prominent notices to highlight the fact - and we have never heard of any problems with any home where this type of alarm service was used.

I am an indian passport holder residing in UK. is it possible for me participate in this lot.
Yes, as far as the UK is concerned, but I have no knowledge of Indian law or your own personal circumstances.

Dear Sir Why are you making this offer? Has the house become financially unviable in the current economic downturn? Also, in the FAQ, one point was "What if you don't sell enough tickets?", the answer being "...we will distribute the money we’ve received..." Do you mean the people who bought a ticket(s) will be reimbursed? Regards, Mark Weatherill.
Our personal and family circumstances have changed so we chose to move to a smaller house. The real estate market is at a standstill, so we thought that this type of competition would enable us to meet our goal of "selling" the house at the same time as benefiting the lucky winner. Please see the Terms and Conditions page (Distribution of Funds) for details of how the cash will be distributed if we don't sell the full quota of tickets.

Do you have to be a UK resident to take part in this competition?
No, but see the response to other FAQs about eligibility and nationality.

What date does the ticket purchase ends?
May 31st 2009 or when 45000 tickets are sold, whichever event occurs first.

Is this property adapted for disabled people?
Not at present but changes could be made fairly easily and we would provide advice to any winner who wanted to do this, as well as putting them in touch with builders who have experience of this issue.

You say if you don’t sell enough tickets you will distribute the money you’ve received, less marketing expenses. To whom will you distribute the money?
Please see "Selecting The Winners" in the Terms and Conditions page.

What is the US ruling regarding UK citizens living in the USA if they are self supporting and do not require a right to work. Is there a limitation on how long per year you can stay and how long you must be out of country before returning
In general there is a limitation for UK people - 90 days per visit if you have no visa, up to 180 days if you obtain a B1/B2 visa. But we are not visa attorneys and you should definitely consult a visa attorney for more details relevant to your own circumstances.

Where has the entry counter gone from your site? Will you achieve 45,000 ticket sales?
We had some technical problems with the counter but we have now added it back. We are working hard to promote the competition so that we sell 45000 tickets and we have some ideas planned for the next few weeks to achieve that.

Is this competition only open to British citizens? Pls advise. Thanks.
Please see our Terms & Conditions page which states: "By entering this Competition, Entrants certify that they are not contravening any laws of their country of residence and the Promoter will not be liable in any way if an Entrant enters the Competition unlawfully. " We are happy to have entries from any country on that basis, except that we are unable to accept entries from USA residents.

How will you be guaranteeing the fair and random selection of a winner?
Your question is perfectly reasonable and understandable. Our aim is to have an independent accountant make the draw and we want to have press attendance for the event. Please check out the Latest News link for more details in due course.

I am a Florida resident can i enter the drawing and win the home and other things that come with the home legally if i buy a raffle?
Sadly no. It sounds crazy to us, but apparently Florida and USA law is very restrictive and our legal advisers have insisted that we include in our Terms and Conditions page the words: "In particular, to meet USA legal restrictions, the Promoter is unable to accept entries from USA residents." We would love to include Florida residents but we are prevented from doing so.

Where can I find out more information about Florida holidays and owning a home in Florida?
There are many websites and blogs - try the orlando vacation package or orlando florida property or lake buena vista vacation blogs to start with.

On similar competitions held in the US, winners had to pay income tax on the value of their win (This would mean for this property over $500000 tax), the IRS considering any win over a certain amount as income. Will this be the case for this competition as the prize is located in the US? Thank you.
Please see our Terms & Conditions page which states "The Promoter accepts responsibility for USA tax liabilities arising on the transfer of the Property to the Winner".

Hello, Keen to enter but you seem to be a long way of 45000 entries. Is there a deadline when you will do the draw or provide refunds?
The closing date is May 31st and after that date we will "do the draw" to award either the house or cash prizes - please see the Terms and Conditions page on this website.

Looking at your current up take and the current date do you think you stand any chance of getting the required sales for the draw to go ahead?
We still hope to reach the target number but obviously this becomes more difficult as the end of May draws closer. Even so, there will be a cash draw if the full total is not achieved, so the odds will be even better under those circumstances!

How does it work after that?
When we’ve sold 45,000 tickets, we will carry out a prize draw and publish the winners on this website. We will then contact the winners by e-mail and finalise how to hand over the prize.

How do I enter?
Click on “Enter Competition”, answer the three questions and then click on “Submit”. Fill in your personal details on the next page, check the box to confirm that you accept the Terms and Conditions and click on "Register". The "Buy Now" button on the next page takes you to PayPal to enter your credit or debit card details plus an e-mail address and other required information. You’ll get an e-mail confirmation of your purchase – so make sure your e-mail address is correct! And keep the e-mail account current so we can contact you if you win!

What are the prizes?
The first prize is the fully furnished Florida house with fabulous pool on 5 acres of land. There is one runner-up prize of £10000, one prize of £5000, two prizes of £2000 each and one hundred prizes of £100.

What are my chances of winning?
Better than a 1 in 45,000 chance of winning the house (that’s far better than the UK National Lottery, which has odds of 1 in 2,300,000 to win approximately £100,000). You have better than a 1 in 430 chance of winning one of the 105 prizes.

What’s the catch?
None. This is a fantastic chance to own a luxury home, fully furnished and in the middle of glorious Florida, plus a car and additional leisure prizes (golf, a day spa, etc.). And the owners get a “buyer” for their house. Even if we don’t sell the full amount of tickets, there will be a substantial cash prize.

Is this all legal and above board?
Yes, because you cannot enter our prize draw without correctly answering three multiple choice questions, making this competition a game of skill and therefore legal under the The Gambling Act 2005 (not a game of chance which is not legal). Some other house prize competitions have attracted negative publicity because they allegedly failed to demand sufficient skill. This competition has been set up and run under the strict supervision of a lawyer specialising in this Act and it therefore meets all UK legal requirements. So the winner of the house can rest assured they will be free to enjoy their new home in the sunshine!

When will I know if I’ve won?
Once the competition closes we will publish the date of the prize draw on this website. When the draw has taken place, we’ll list the names and towns on the site. So please check back here as the competition progresses for more information.

Where is the house located?
In Central Florida, about 5 miles south of the Disney theme parks. For those of you who know the area, it’s near to Exit 58 of Interstate 4. It’s also close to shops, restaurants and golf courses at Championsgate. Yet the house is private and quiet because it’s in an area where all of the plots are 5 acres, with a maximum of one house to each plot and with many lots virtually unbuildable.

How big is the house?
It’s 3691 square feet (approximately 335 square metres), with 5 bedrooms (plus a den that can be a 6th bedroom) and 4 bathrooms.

Does it have a pool?
Yes – a wonderful rock-effect pool. Click on the 'Pictures' tab near the top of this page.

If I win the house, what costs do I have?
All of the legal and other conveyancing costs will be paid by the current owners. In addition, running costs will be paid for during the first year (including an allowance for utilities, payment of property taxes and insurance and lawn/pool care).

How old is the house?
It was completed in late 2007.

Can I enter more than once?
There is no limitation - you can enter as many times as you wish.

Who owns the property – how do I know I will get it if I win?
The Owners have given Power of Attorney to the Promoter, entitling him to transfer the property into the winner’s name on completion of the competition.

What if you don’t sell enough tickets?
Then we will distribute the money we’ve received, less marketing expenses.