Starting a new job, cannot afford deposit/admin fees for flat rental

Borealis

Hi everyone,

First time posting here in a long time, but I'm pretty desperate here.

The short story is that I was studying for my master's degree and ended up in all kinds of problems, resulting in a downward spiral of stress, depression and anxiety. Among other things, I had a CCJ issued against me for unpaid tuition fees (which were unpaid because I was turned down for a career development loan, but university didn't really care about that and just wanted the money).

I owe a substantial amount of money. I have my first repayment installment through Marston Group due on the 10th, and I also owe my dad some money.

I was offered a fantastic job recently, which I have accepted. This is a huge deal for me as the past couple of years have been extremely difficult. I have been self-employed and living pretty much hand to mouth. I start this job in early November and need to find somewhere to live before the end of this month. Unfortunately, I cannot work out how I'm going to afford to move house. Every tenancy requires one month's rent as a deposit, and most also have hefty admin fees (usually around £200).

I'm looking at having to spend roughly £900 just to get into a flat. I also need to eat and pay for fuel etc. I don't have this money. Nor do I have the money to pay my tuition fees or my dad. I'm already in my overdraft, and I have already borrowed money.

Once I have a couple of paycheques come through I should be financially stable (I cannot wait). The job is well paid and gives me enough money for rent, debt repayments, general living costs and some left over for saving. However, I just cannot figure out to physically start my job. I'm terrified Marston will take my car (which I foolishly signed some form of some description giving them, I don't know, some kind of authority over it - I was really not in a good frame of mind at the time). If Marston take my car, which is essential given that I live in the countryside with poor public transport, I have no idea how I'd even physically move my stuff to my new job.

I'm panicking. I should feel excited that I'm starting a new job (especially given that the past couple of years have been extremely hard), but I can feel myself descending back into a cycle of depression that I have worked hard to break.

I used to be so good with money. Then I decided to go back to university and everything went wrong from there.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

B

G_M

You'll need to get a cheap house/flat-share untill your pay cheques start arriving.

Is the job too far to commute from where you are, at least in the short term?

HampshireH

Could you not find a room on something like spareroom.com would be cheaper than a flat

Borealis

These are places on SpareRoom etc. The new job is four hour's drive away, so definitely too far. Another factor is the house I am currently living in is up for sale and the sale is agreed, so even if I wanted to stay a little bit longer, I can't.

The cheapest houseshare I can find is £500/month. The majority are around £600/month. The job is in a rural area and there are not many housing options available, especially houseshares.

That's still £500 (plus another £500 in repayments and another £150 in living expenses) that I need. I'm good for October. I have enough in cash to see me to the end of the month in terms of food and fuel (though I'm still not sure how to pay my debt repayment this month). I have no idea how I'm going to pay for November until I get my first month's paycheque through (which I'm assuming will be at the end of the month/beginning of December).

I have been considering going to the cheapest campsite I can find and staying in my tent for a couple of months. I'm pretty well equipped for outdoor living and I'm a thoroughly unfussy person, but the prospect of living in my (very small) tent for two months as we're coming into winter (while also ensuring I'm well-rested and smart for work) isn't a pleasant one.

Thank you for both your replies,

B

HampshireH

Don't forget you will presumably be getting your deposit back on your current place

HampshireH

Also make use of Foodbanks if struggling

Red-Squirrel_2

Have you spoken to your new employer and asked if they can help with an advance or a loan for moving costs?

gettingtheresometime

What about seeing if a b&b will do you a deal?

Pixie5740

I think you would be better off posting on the Debt Free Wannabe board for advice. There are rules about what bailiffs are allowed to take when recovering debts. For example, if a car (low value) is necessary to get to work then bailiffs might not be able to take it. There is also a huge difference between debt collectors and bailiffs, yet some debt collectors try to pass themselves off as bailiffs.

If you can't pay the university tuition fees or your dad then you can't pay them. If you haven't already you should probably contact one of the debt charities such as National Debtline for advice and perhaps consider opening up a basic current account with a bank or building society that you do not currently owe money to and have your new salary paid into it.

Pixie5740

Borealis wrote: »

These are places on SpareRoom etc. The new job is four hour's drive away, so definitely too far. Another factor is the house I am currently living in is up for sale and the sale is agreed, so even if I wanted to stay a little bit longer, I can't.

That's not necessarily true. If you are a tenant then your tenancy doesn't end just because the property is sold. If your landlord is keen to avoid a lengthy eviction process (s)he might be amenable to returning your deposit early and possibly even offering you some money to sweeten the deal.

However, the above advice does not apply if you are a lodger i.e. living with your landlord.

csgohan4

Pixie5740 wrote: »

That's not necessarily true. If you are a tenant then your tenancy doesn't end just because the property is sold. If your landlord is keen to avoid a lengthy eviction process (s)he might be amenable to returning your deposit early and possibly even offering you some money to sweeten the deal.

However, the above advice does not apply if you are a lodger i.e. living with your landlord.

Careful about not going when the contract ends, firstly on moral grounds and secondly on providing references for your next rental.


Sure you can take the LL for a ride and stay for months while the eviction process plays out, don't expect your LL to refund your deposit in a hurray and they may take you to court for arrears if you don't pay the rent