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Planning on moving out to rent my first own flat

NicoRe
NicoRe Posts: 4 Newbie
edited 3 October 2016 at 10:26AM in House buying, renting & selling
Hey guys,

Hope you all had a good start in this week.

So err long story short is, that me and my girlfriend are planning on leaving her parents house(I moved from Germany to England) to move into a flat which we want to rent, as we cant handle them anymore and we want to be on our own. So I don't earn a lot but its about £17.000 a year and the first thing I need to know is, if its possible to afford a flat and car with that salary?

I already found flats from around £450- £650 and they all look really nice and big enough for two. It also always showed an estimated price + water + gas + electric + council tax where all where about 550- 750.

Based on that, do you guys think that my salary is enough? My girlfriend also works part time by the way:)

Can you guys maybe send me a list of things that I have to pay for when living in a flat so I know what I have to do before moving?

I got so many more questions because I have never been in such a situation before in my life and I just wanna do it right and be able to 'start' a new life. So if you have any other important and good tips, please let me know. :j

Thanks for your help and time, I appreciate it.:)


I'm 20 btw if its important:)
Girlfriend is 18, and has 1 year left at college before she goes to uni:)
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Comments

  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    I already found flats from around £450- £650 and they all look really nice and big enough for two. It also always showed an estimated price + water + gas + electric + council tax where all where about 550- 750.
    You can check the exact council tax charge online - http://www.mycounciltax.org.uk/content/index

    Craig
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Girlfriend is 18, and has 1 year left at college before she goes to uni
    Is she full time ? - Ask your council whether or not she qualifies for a council tax disregard (which gives you a 25% reduction).

    Craig
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary First Post
    A figure agents often use to decide if you can afford is a %age of your salary.

    For simplicity the figure is £600/month rent on a £18k salary.
  • NicoRe
    NicoRe Posts: 4 Newbie
    CIS wrote: »
    Is she full time ? - Ask your council whether or not she qualifies for a council tax disregard (which gives you a 25% reduction).

    Craig
    She is working part time at the moment, we dont know if we will change it when we live in the flat.... if we move
  • Lord_Baltimore
    Lord_Baltimore Posts: 1,348 Forumite
    When you say you can't handle the in laws/parents any more I assume this means you can no longer come to terms with the compromise of living with them. You'll be making an even bigger financial compromise if you rent your own place and it will test your relationship in a different way. Good luck, whatever you decide.
    Mornië utulië
  • NicoRe
    NicoRe Posts: 4 Newbie
    edited 3 October 2016 at 1:10PM
    Lord_Baltimore wrote: »
    When you say you can't handle the in laws/parents any more I assume this means you can no longer come to terms with the compromise of living with them. You'll be making an even bigger financial compromise if you rent your own place and it will test your relationship in a different way. Good luck, whatever you decide.

    Its not that, because they said and still say we can stay there as long as we want and I also offer to pay for certain things all the time....the problem is that the mum is an alcoholic ( which everybody says but the mum doesn't see it), she has times where she makes life a living hell for everyone and it literally just makes you go crazy having to live there...the step dad and mum just are horrible and immature and and and..thats why we wanna leave asap
  • essjae
    essjae Posts: 54 Forumite
    Hi NicoRe,

    Here are the approximate monthly costs that I have for two people in a 2-bed flat:

    Water: £20 (on a meter)
    Gas & Electric: £55 (average over the year)
    Council Tax: £80
    Telephone & Internet: £17

    If this is the first time you have lived independently, it may be worth considering renting somewhere where some or all of these bills are included.

    Other costs to consider:
    Tenancy fees
    TV licence
    Parking permits
    Contents insurance
    Initial equipment not provided by landlord (eg tv, stereo, pots & pans, crockery, vacuum cleaner, kettle, etc)
    Furniture (if renting somewhere unfurnished)
    Food/groceries (if you don't already cook separately from your GF's parents)

    And probably plenty of other things which I can't think of right now!
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    First Post Combo Breaker
    NicoRe wrote: »
    She is working part time at the moment, we dont know if we will change it when we live in the flat.... if we move

    The question was not aimed at how much she is working but whether she is regarded as attending college full time, as it's full time students that get the council tax disregard.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    NicoRe wrote: »
    She is working part time at the moment, we dont know if we will change it when we live in the flat.... if we move

    Working wouldn't effect whether or not she is classed as a student for Council Tax discount purposes.

    Craig
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • NicoRe
    NicoRe Posts: 4 Newbie
    CIS wrote: »
    Working wouldn't effect whether or not she is classed as a student for Council Tax discount purposes.

    Craig

    Okay I see what you mean, she definitely is classified as a student :)
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