Am I Paying Too Much Rent?

itchyfeet123

AdrianC wrote: »

If only somebody would invent a way to live in one area and work in another, without having to walk between them.

Well, I ride my bike 45 minutes to work, and still pay about 50% of my after tax income in rent. I could move to zone 5 and save maybe £100-200 on rent, but I'd be paying the rent savings on the tube and probably travelling an extra hour or 90 minutes each day.

Commuting any distance is a false economy, IMHO. If you drive or pay for a train, there are obvious direct costs. Plus there's the cost in your time -- someone on minimum wage commuting an hour each way is effectively paying £67/week for the privilege. Even for people on salaries with no earning potential outside their job, that 2/hours day travelling is probably translated into paying more for other areas of life -- more takeaways or ready meals, paying someone to mow the lawn, 2 extra hours of childcare daily, etc.

marksoton

Smodlet wrote: »

No, Guest101, it is not "perfectly acceptable" for an LL to raise rent because he or she has had a child, otherwise any employee would be within their rights to request a pay rise for the same reason. As for the moving to where you can afford to live, not that it's any of yours but - designed the T-shirt.

If someone is prepared to pay the enhanced rate a LL is perfectly entitled to do so.

I don't particularly like the housing situation in this country but LL's are not to blame. It's a macro problem consecutive governments have failed to address.

itchyfeet123 wrote: »

Well, I ride my bike 45 minutes to work, and still pay about 50% of my after tax income in rent. I could move to zone 5 and save maybe £100-200 on rent, but I'd be paying the rent savings on the tube and probably travelling an extra hour or 90 minutes each day.

Commuting any distance is a false economy, IMHO. If you drive or pay for a train, there are obvious direct costs. Plus there's the cost in your time -- someone on minimum wage commuting an hour each way is effectively paying £67/week for the privilege. Even for people on salaries with no earning potential outside their job, that 2/hours day travelling is probably translated into paying more for other areas of life -- more takeaways or ready meals, paying someone to mow the lawn, 2 extra hours of childcare daily, etc.

London is unique and far from an accurate barometer for the country.

I worked in the capital for 10 years up until last year but only lived there for 6 months. IMO you've got to be mad to want to work and live there. Cities like Manchester offer far more value. Both in property and work/life balance.

buglawton

AdrianC wrote: »

If only somebody would invent a way to live in one area and work in another, without having to walk between them.

Teleworking, which is why houses with superfast broadband command a premium over ones with naff broadband speeds.

marksoton

buglawton wrote: »

Teleworking, which is why houses with superfast broadband command a premium over ones with naff broadband speeds.

Indeed. I've never understood why office based personnel need to commute.

Benefits of home working would include:

Reduction in pollution
Road network easing
Cost savings for all concerned
Increase in construction
Massive lank bank released
Housing crisis solved


I have to commute due to putting physical structures in but i really do question how many others need to be on the road in this day and age. I can only assume employers do not trust their employees. In which case they either shouldn't be employing them or putting control measures in place.

itchyfeet123

marksoton wrote: »

London is unique and far from an accurate barometer for the country.

I worked in the capital for 10 years up until last year but only lived there for 6 months. IMO you've got to be mad to want to work and live there. Cities like Manchester offer far more value. Both in property and work/life balance.

I agree -- there are several places in the UK I'd prefer to live than London. Unfortunately I'm not in an industry where I can choose to live wherever I want. I do have it better than people whose job only exists in London though. And I realise I'm making a choice -- I have a job I love in a city that I like despite the expense, but I could find a job I liked less in a an affordable city I liked at least as much as London.

Cakeguts

dazzawm wrote: »

Is there some sort of law or committee that can decide what is a fair rent? My landlord has been told by his estate agent that he has been advised to increase the rent by £20 per month. How do I know this is fair and that they are not taking advantage. Is there some sort of 'body' that can tell me if what they are asking is fair?

I know you have to take into consideration the area you are in, the quality of the flat etc. but I think I am paying too much.

I have also replied to the estate agent (as the lease is up for renewal) asking that the landlord consider redecorating at some point if I agree to another 2 year contract. Does this seem like I am blackmailing him? Or considering how much rent I would have paid after the third year (£28000) this is a fair ask?

Thanks.

Fair rent only applies to social housing it doesn't apply to private landlords. Private landlords charge the market rate. When you are buying space to live which is what rent is you don't get to take into account how much you have already paid. Doing this would be like telling your local supermarket that they can't raise the price of a loaf of bread because you have already paid a lot for buying loaves of bread in the past.

Landlords will often raise the rent in line with inflation. You have to remember that landlords have costs associated with renting property that become more expensive in line with inflation so in order to still get the same value of rent they have to keep it in line with what they are paying for otherwise they start to loose money.

The way to find out whether you are paying too much is to compare what you are paying with what you would have to pay to move to another flat in the same area.

It is not reasonable to ask for the decorating in exchange for paying the higher rent. You can ask but be prepared for them to say no because they may not be making more money they may just be covering increased costs especially since it is a low increase.

theartfullodger

G_M wrote: »

Applies :

a) in the 1st 6 months of a tenancy
b) in a Statutory Periodic Tenancy where landlord has servd a S13 Notice

Neither seems to apply in this case.

Yes, but look at the circumstances: the OP said

Is there some sort of law or committee that can decide what is a fair rent? My landlord has been told by his estate agent that he has been advised to increase the rent by £20 per month. How do I know this is fair and that they are not taking advantage. Is there some sort of 'body' that can tell me if what they are asking is fair?

I know you have to take into consideration the area you are in, the quality of the flat etc. but I think I am paying too much.

I have also replied to the estate agent (as the lease is up for renewal) asking that the landlord consider redecorating at some point if I agree to another 2 year contract. Does this seem like I am blackmailing him? Or considering how much rent I would have paid after the third year (£28000) this is a fair ask?

- so as yet he apparently hasn't agreed/started paying the increase & it sounds like there's a new tenancy on offer:

So he either does not sign new tenancy & waits to see if he gets a s132 then appeals ....or...
- he signs new tenancy then appeals..

Too few tenants appreciate there are circumstances when they can appeal against excessive rents: Sadly those that do don't always understand s21 probable result...

marksoton

itchyfeet123 wrote: »

I agree -- there are several places in the UK I'd prefer to live than London. Unfortunately I'm not in an industry where I can choose to live wherever I want. I do have it better than people whose job only exists in London though. And I realise I'm making a choice -- I have a job I love in a city that I like despite the expense, but I could find a job I liked less in a an affordable city I liked at least as much as London.

Yep, you have to go where the work is, i know full well. But that's personal choice at the end of the day.

[Deleted User]

Rents in my area have gone from £750 to over £1150 .., most of that increase in the last two years. I was in private rental, and because I'd done quite a lot to the place I was very annoyed and felt hard done by when he put the rent up by £25 a month and insisting on me signing a two year tenancy for a place I was already starting to hate due to the LL's attitude and problems he caused (he wasn't good at doing repairs). But the hard fact was even then it would have cost me far more to move out, if I'd even been able to find another place.

It also occurred to me, mortgage rates hadn't risen, he hadn't done any repairs so what was I paying £25 extra for lol. But I was not focusing on what would affect me with that idea.

By the time the two year tenancy was up, prices had already risen for equivalent properties and I was paying well below market rate.

A £25 rent increase has to be viewed not only in terms of rents for similiar properties in the area, but how much it will cost you finding a months rent/deposit plus agency fees, and removal costs for another place.

wolfplayer

AdrianC wrote: »

Would you say that an increase of less than two-thirds the rate of inflation was reasonable? I would.

It doesn't follow for me.

When day-to-day essential costs in everyday life rise, such as train fares, and there is little by way of salary inflation, people have LESS money to spend on housing / rent.

I don't see how you associate rent to inflation.

The landlords have to accept what the market will pay. And that may be a lot less in the future.