How much should we be spending on rent?

AngelOI

Hi, I need some urgent advice please. I earn £63K and my partner earns £25K and we live in a £1100 flat in Portsmouth. We both changed jobs during the pandemic with our new jobs situated in London and we would need to go into our offices a few times a week post pandemic. 

How much is reasonable to spend on rent in (or around) London, given a monthly household income of around £5000 after tax? 

sharp910sh

Me and my partner earn a small bit more than you and I pay £1300 for rent in London. I would say £1300 seems reasonable on a take home salary of £5k. 

breaking_free

Need to know where in London you are moving to in order to give an accurate price range. Also what are your rental requirements? Ensuite? Balcony? 7 years ago my flatmate and I were paying £1375 for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom modern flat in Brentford (Tube zone 4). I imagine it would cost more like £1600 now.

AdrianC

Your current property is £1,100/mo rent?

How much will you save in commuting?
How much can you easily afford to spare out of your typical monthly budget?
What will that get you, and do you want to spend more?

ChewyyBacca

Rent outlay depends on the list of factors that are most important to YOU.

• How far from the office do you want to live?/ Maximum door to door travelling time?
• Distance from home to the station? (Flats/Houses close to the station demand a higher rental)
• What is more important - the area you live in or your travel time?
• How much are you ready to spend on travel? London is divided into zones 1 to 6, see what zone your offices are in and then decide where you want to live? cost of commute can be accessed on TfL website.
• Do you have any kids? So accordingly pre schools/schools/daycares would weigh in your decision making
• Do you have any pets? Dogs? Is accessibility to dog parks/parks in general high in your must-have list?

houghton91

Do you plan on splitting the rent 50/50? If so you need to take into consideration what your partner can comfortably afford (plus bills and general spending). 

tower

My son rents a 3bed flat with 2 others in the Elephant and Castle ( area is being redeveloped and central) and they pay £3000 between them.

lozenlady

I live in a two bed house in Kew, zone 3/4, we are 10mins from the district line, overground and rail-line into waterloo. Our rent is £1395pm. I think you would struggle to find a 2 bed for less than £1300 in West london.

cattie

My location is borders of SE London & Kent & approx rent for a decent 2 bed flat is around £1500 per month.

Shelldean

It really does depend on which part of London you need to be for work, and how far you're prepared to travel?
Daughter has a 2 bed house with parking £1200. She's in Hackbridge,  few minutes from station which is on thameslink as well as direct line to Victoria!

[Deleted User]

Most likely £1400 to £1800 in zone 2, depending on distance from the tube. Plus £300 for bills.