First Time Renter

Star2018

Hi, I am currently renting a room in a house, but I will now be going full time within the next 8 weeks so I am looking to my rent my own flat. I have found quite a few nice one bedroom modern flats, from £375 - £550 pcm. I am happy to pay upto £600 pcm. However I would prefer to have all bills inc. So here are my ideas, please tell me what you think, any info would be greatly appreciated.

Option 1 (as i am struggling to find properties inc of bills in the area i want)

Negociate will landlord regarding including bills in rent. I would be happy to review the price again every 6 months taking the bills into consideration with the landlord. Although I would have to look at properies with lower rent to allow for the price increase. Do you think I'm pushing my luck and expecting to much?

Option 2

Rent one of the £400/£450 flats and pay the bills myself.

Can anyone give me an idea on how much that might cost for a one bed flat. They are modern so d/g and insulation is in place.

For example

electric
gas
water
council tax

and anything else i haven't thought of!

And also is it possible to pay a fixed rate every month or quater for these so i know what im going to be paying.

Can't wait to hear replies, im getting very excited about my possible new flat but i dont want to jump in feet first without thinking of costs etc.

frugallass

Hi

Option 1 - you'll be very lucky to get the deal you are looking for

Option 2 - not sure what the costs would be, depends on the type of heating, size of the rooms, whether the property is occupied during the day etc etc

You should be able to set up direct debits with the utility companies and the council tax

Don't forget contents insurance (£11 a month for me), TV licence (£35 a quarter approx) and phone / broadband / digital services too - as well as shopping bills

Good luck !

Horace

I live in a 3 bedroom flat on my todd and pay £525 per month in rent. Rent doesnt include bills. I pay £26 a month to Scottish Power for my electricity (no gas), £30 for tv,broadband and telephone, contents insurance paid annually as is tv licence. I used to manage when I took home £994 a month now I only get JSA and still manage to pay although I do get housing and council tax benefits these days but I dont get my whole rent paid only £372 per month in HB the rest I have to find myself. I also run a car and keep that topped up with petrol, MOTd, Taxed, serviced and insured.

I think it is very rare these days to find places that have all bills included in the price.

You just have to get into a routine with your bills (I pay mine by DD). I manage to live quite well but admit to being careful when I am shopping.

If you can have a water meter fitted that will help, I can't have one in my place but the water board have reduced my bills somewhat - my last payment was £11.20 (but I had paid more than I was supposed to last year) My water bills are usually £130 for the year.

Star2018

Thats a lot better than I thought it would be. Theres so much to think about its hard to know where to start!! The place i'm looking at is a council tax band B property so thats £1015.03 per year.

However it also says:
Tenure - Leasehold. Service Charge £721.01 per annum (paid quaterly)

Whats this?????

I'm clueless lol!

I'm gonna try and get a list put together of all costs and ideas of prices! Will let you know how i get on!

~Beanie~

If you are going to be living on your own, you will get 25% discount on your council tax.

Star2018

Bonus! :j £761.27 then

Star2018

Ok here goes (rough estimates)

All worked out pcm.

• Rent - £425
• Service charge - £60
• Council Tax - £64
• Contents Insurance -£11
• Water Meter - £20
• Electric - £30 (there is no gas)
• TV Licence - £12
• TV/Broadband Package - £20

Total - £642

Other Expenses
Food - £40
Petrol - £120
Car Insurance - £50
Car Tax - £10

Bungarm2001

However it also says:
Tenure - Leasehold. Service Charge £721.01 per annum (paid quaterly)

You might not necessarily pay this. Ask your LL about it. We have a few leashold flats with service charges on them and we pay for these ourselves. Mainly, they are the payments for the upkeep of the 'common' parts of the whole building, like shared hallways, stairs that kind of thing. It usually includes the buildings insurance too.

PasturesNew

katieg543 wrote: »

Option 1 Negociate will landlord regarding including bills in rent. I would be happy to review the price again every 6 months taking the bills into consideration with the landlord. Although I would have to look at properies with lower rent to allow for the price increase. Do you think I'm pushing my luck and expecting to much?

Option 2 Rent one of the £400/£450 flats and pay the bills myself.

It would be very unlikely that a landlord would go for Option 1 at all. Bills should cost you no more than £220/month. So just go for Option 2 and start off by setting up a direct debit into a separate account to pay bills out of.

I'd expect one person's bills to be:

£80 - council tax (will vary depending on area, might be £40-100)
£40 - water (max probably if you're not on a meter; if metered, it's likely to be more like £15)
£35 - electricity/gas
£12 - TV Licence
£15 - contents insurance
£12 - phone line
£18 - broadband (no cable wherever I've lived)
===
£212

So £220 should leave you some slack.

PasturesNew

Horace wrote: »

I live in a 3 bedroom flat on my todd and pay £525 per month in rent.

... now I only get JSA and still manage to pay although ... I dont get my whole rent paid only £372 per month in HB the rest I have to find myself

As JSA is only £60/week, how do you do that?
£525-£372= £153 you have to find
£60x4.3 weeks = £258 JSA/month
Leaving you £105/month to pay all your bills and eat and apply for new jobs.

Horace

PasturesNew wrote: »

As JSA is only £60/week, how do you do that?
£525-£372= £153 you have to find
£60x4.3 weeks = £258 JSA/month
Leaving you £105/month to pay all your bills and eat and apply for new jobs.

Sometimes I am lucky and when my chap comes to visit (he lives in London) he will fill up my car with petrol. I use the car infrequently too but it is necessary.

I am careful when I go shopping, visiting a butcher and greengrocers for meat etc. I buy a large box of washing powder that lasts me 12 months (I use a scoop from a dishwasher powder that I rescued from the bin when I used to work), that ekes the powder out. I buy massive packs of loo rolls. I just shop frugally. That's how I manage.

Look I am so tight that even when I had a magazine with a free umbrella - I sold the umbrella at a carboot.

All my loose change goes into various jars - I recently took £27 in coins to the bank and had it changed into notes.

I dont smoke or drink and dont go out that often. No need to look for a job as I am trying to set up my own business - although I have applied for a part time job today that's a 2 mile walk from my home.