Completely Lost

Shiplee15

I've just been offered my first job out of uni and am having to move out of my parents house.

I'm looking a place to rent near my new place of work in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Finding prices of rent is easy enough using sites like Rightmove, etc...

The area where i'm struggling is working out things like utilities and estimating how much that will add to rent.

Can anyone give me any help with how to work out utility bill costs, any costs when renting (fees to agents etc.) and just any general help that you can think of.

As i said in my thread title I am completely lost as i never moved out for uni either so this is all new territory for me and any help is greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

Guest101

Depends on size and type of property.

Uve got water rates ( or meter ), gas, electric, telephone/internet, council tax, sky/tv licence, insurance.

Letting agent fees ( approx 200), deposit, first month rent.

TBagpuss

Congratulations on your new job!

Utilities will depend on what type of property you rent, and whether you live alone or in a house share.

- Council Tax - you can check council tax rates via the local council's website. If you live alone you'll get a 25% discount on the full rate.
- Other utilities - agents, and the tenants in the property, should be able to give you an idea of likely costs.
To give you an idea - I have a 2 bed mid terrace. My utilities average:-

- water - £40 month (paid over 10 months, so actual payment is closer to £50.
gas & electricity - £50 month total (with dual fuel discount)

TV / Broadband and phone will depend on what packages you chose, and may be limited by how long your tenancy is.

Contents insurance will depend on where you live, as will your car insurance.

You'll probably have to pay admin fees and cost of ID checks when you rent, and of course will have a deposit and 1st month's rent to pay upfront.

You might find it is worth renting a room initially, as you can normally do this for shorter periods, and it would allow you to look around and get a bit of a feel for the area, which places you might like to live, what travel to work will be like etc. Also, this will normally be cheaper than renting on a tenancy of your own, so it would give you time to save up a bit for your deposit etc.

It's also worth sitting down and setting out a budget, taking into account the costs of food, clothes for work, travel etc so you have a clear idea of what you can afford, in terms of rent.