Moving out of Mum's house V2

Daniel86

So I read through that other guys thread and he was getting a lot of useful help, I'm in a similar position except I am working full time.

I'm trying to plan how much renting would cost but I have no clue how much everything costs, bills, tax, food even... I know I'm a proper mummies boy, but I'd like to get some independence now and move closer to my girlfriend.

I live in Islington, London at the moment and am well aware I have no chance of finding somewhere without house sharing around here, so I'm looking in the Maidstone area near my girlfriend where pricing seem's to be around £400-£500 a month for a 1 bed flat/studio.

I'm wondering what else I would have to pay on top of that and would I be entitled to any help/benefits also?

If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it.

GAH

No, you wouldn't be entitled to benefits.

Costs, Rent, Council Tax, Gas, Electric, Water, Contents iNsurance, TV licence, food and Drink, Deposit, Administration fees, Inventory fees.

What the costs would be, you will have to do that research in your specific area.

EKAndrew

what is your annual salary?
would your girlfriend be moving in with you?
the place you are thinking of renting -
does it have gas/elec or just elec?
what kind of meter does it have?
will there be ground fees/factor fees for the flat? who will pay these?
do you want to have contents insurance?
what about TV/phone/internet?

how will you get to work?(transport costs)

as for food - only you know how much you consume!

Probably not the answer you wanted, as there are probably more questions than answers. But they all make a difference, and you would probably need to know most of the answers before folk can give you more information

tbs624

OP - you can use this benefit entitlement checker - we don't know your full details.

You can cut down your initial outlay by using a LL who self manages their properties - they tend to charge only for a third party tenancy referencing check.

There is a sticky up at the top of the main HBR&S board with useful guidance for new renters

BigAunty

Download the budget planner on MSE - very handy to get a grip of your income and expenses. It will remind you of all your potential bills. In addition to the bills listed by GAH there will be telecoms expenses, social expenses and so on.

That way you can also double check if there's any saving in living outside London for a cheaper property but paying through the nose for commuting costs.

Daniel86

Thanks for the help, I've tried stuff like the benefits entitlement checker & the budget planner, but then they ask for how much council tax I pay etc which I don't know, that's why I made this thread really.
I'll have a look at that sticky thanks TBS.

EKAndrew -
I earn £1245 a month after tax, I'll be able to work from home so no travel costs & my girlfriend will not be moving in any time in the foreseeable future.
As for the flat based questions the online adverts I'm looking at don't really answer any of those questions so I really don't know, I guess I'd have to enquire to each advert.

Thanks again everyone, I'm sure I'm asking stupid questions etc but this is just all very confusing and quite daunting for someone who's never lived alone.

jc808

Daniel86 wrote: »

So I read through that other guys thread and he was getting a lot of useful help, I'm in a similar position except I am working full time.

I'm trying to plan how much renting would cost but I have no clue how much everything costs, bills, tax, food even... I know I'm a proper mummies boy, but I'd like to get some independence now and move closer to my girlfriend.

I live in Islington, London at the moment and am well aware I have no chance of finding somewhere without house sharing around here, so I'm looking in the Maidstone area near my girlfriend where pricing seem's to be around £400-£500 a month for a 1 bed flat/studio.

I'm wondering what else I would have to pay on top of that and would I be entitled to any help/benefits also?

If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it.

Maidstone rent your girl describes sounds about right
Maidstones a bit cheaper than London, but only just.

The only problem I can think of is... you say you have a FT job... where? Travel from Islington to a London job is nothing... Travel to and from Maidstone is an hour and a quarter at least each way - plus your paying £4k plus annually for train travel - thats excluding inner london fares if youre not working near a terminus and this cost GOES UP if you pay daily or weekly or monthly (4K is for a yearly travelcard paid up front)

Sometimes Maidstone is affected by delays/ cancellations on the trains, I find, moreso than the Medway towns (Whre I live)

If you dont want to train it, you can get Coaches (Kings Ferry IIRC) that are about half to 2/3 the cost but service is limited and journey is quite a bit longer (2 hrs + each way IIRC)

jc808

ignore that post, just saw your post lol

lots of lodgings/ flatshares in the medway towns (which is beside maidstone) not sure about maidstone truth be told

i rent out rooms in my house between £230 - £320 pcm depending on size of room incl all bills, should give you a steer on how much a flatshare will cost - might be good to do that instead of getting your own place, lower commitment/ risk/ bills

also why not just move in with your girl?

Notmyrealname

Daniel86 wrote: »

Thanks for the help, I've tried stuff like the benefits entitlement checker & the budget planner, but then they ask for how much council tax I pay etc which I don't know, that's why I made this thread really.
I'll have a look at that sticky thanks TBS.

Work on per month:

£120 Council Tax
£30 Water
£30 Electricity
£30 Gas
£12 TV Licence
£5 Home Contents Insurance

Plus £200-£400 for food depending on how expensive your tastes are. The figures are on the high side for a single person but will give you a bit of leeway.

tbs624

Daniel86 wrote: »

Thanks for the help, I've tried stuff like the benefits entitlement checker & the budget planner, but then they ask for how much council tax I pay etc which I don't know, that's why I made this thread really.

Okay, go onto the Council website and look up what the current year's charge is for each of the CT bands - you can input an address here to find out which band applies to a specific property. You then have a figure to play about with.

19lottie82

If you are a single person with no dependants, clearing £1245 a month, you won't be entitled to any benefits.