cani afford to rent a flat

rosspwilliams

I would try and hang on a bit until you are earning more, or have some money put away. I rushed into moving out with a mate a few years ago and it was a massive mistake.

namratasnv

Hi,

I will only suggest you to do some savings as, instead of spending more on shopping it is better for you to arrange some in your account and get a flat for you at some lower price.

Thanks!

Jowo_2

As per PasturesNew, you don't have the budget or are very borderline to support your inclination to live by yourself in your own property.

As you worry about not getting on with other flatmates, the best thing to do is be very fussy, view lots of properties and have lengthy chats with all the flatmates to see if you like them and agree with the houserules, get an understanding of the minimum term of the contract and the notice periods, what is included/excluded in the rent. All this type of screening and preparation helps to prevent disputes.

On some accommodation finding sites like Spareroom, you get to specify the age group, size of household and type of household (quiet/clean/party animals) you'd like to live with and if you prefer not to live with the landlord, for example.

Make sure you understand the difference between a joint and individual tenancy - joint tenancy means you are all jointly and severally liable for rent arrears/damage (it doesn't matter who caused this, all are held responsible).

Consider the difference between being a lodger in someone else's home rather comparing to sharing a property with others that have a live-out landlord. With a live-in landlord, its their house and they may be more houseproud or more intolerant about overnight guests, noise, smoking and so forth which is either something you may find appealing or repellant depending on your preferences.

They are also likely to include bills into the rent compared with tenancies so it may be cheaper (or lead to arguments about using too much energy...), and they may be more flexible about shorter contracts or shorter notice periods than in a tenancy (discuss your preferences with the live-in landlord). A lodger has less security of tenure and housing rights than a tenant.

Fire_Fox

ross_uk wrote: »

hey guys, im in the middle of looking for a flat to rent, i earn beteween £700 -£752 a month this will be my first place living on my own but im not sure if i will be able to afford it, i have seen a flat in my town to rent for £425 a month which leaves me about £300 a month to live on could someone tell me if i could pay all my bills gas electric water etc with £300 and shopping? any advice would be great.

Electricity - £35 a month (no heating) up to £135 a month (a fair bit of of heating). Water £10 a month if you have a meter and are not wasteful, maybe £40 a month if it's not metered. Food/ cleaning products/ toiletries £100 a month if you can cook from scratch, £200 a month if you like convenience food and the odd takeaway. Council tax £50-£100 a month depending where you are in the country. Mobile phone £10 a month SIM only up to £50 a month for a smart phone, landline £12 a month, TV license £12 a month, broadband maybe another £12 a month, travel to work ....

Basically you can afford to live alone if you don't have a car, expensive tastes or want to have any fun. Bear in mind JSA is £70 a week, very close to what you are contemplating living on. I'd rather share, you will meet some amazing people and you will have some almighty rows.

elfen

Almighty rows are fun! As are drunken singalongs and giant house parties (moved into a shared house when I was 16 - worked at MaccyD's - MASSIVE house party - ended up getting it on with one of my housemates - all we ended up, that I remember, was paying for the carpet to be cleaned!)

It is good if on a lower budget, as it helps you budget a bit more ready for the big move when you get better money. I'd second looking into LHA as you may get some help.

toby3000

I moved into a flat by ,myself- was taking home slightly over £1000, the rent was £500 and I literally had no money. It was massivsly stressful.

I now have a lovely housemate who pays half the rent and bills and my life is happy!