As some of you may know, I'm looking to move to a studio or one bed flat of my own in the next couple of months. I really do need my own space.
The financial situation is tight already, but our salaries are being reduced, which limits my budget even further.
And I've just had a 'now panic and freak out' moment when I read on one rental website that they require you to earn 2 and a half times the rental price. You what?! Thet's, like, totally impossible. I'm not doing that now, and I manage.
It would take forever, bidding on the council thing, and that's after the aeons it takes to register.
Does anyone have any idea where I could get some advice, or know if all letting agencies are so strict?
Have you contacted any rental Places to check? Might be worth registering with council anyway and have that going alongside the private market. I know my letting agent gets references and has a decent deposit but don't think she checks peoples actual salaries.
Go and see the Citizens Advice Bureau, they are usually really good.
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
i rent in london, and have never heard such strict criteria Katie. they do of course need to know details of your income and your job, but as long as you are able to pay the rent, thats all theyve generally been interested in. I think all estate agents are different.
Have a look on www.rightmove.com. They normally have a lot of properties.
That request will be for the first month, normally. Although usually it's something along the lines of double the rent to cover the rent and the security. Every letting agent has different fees though.
Shelter has some good, comprehensive advice on housing. You could also look into renting privately, rather than through a letting agent, by using websites like Spareroom. I'd steer well clear of Gumtree though.
Have you looked to see if you are eligible for any benefits as you say you are on a low wage?
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
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As far as I can make out, I'm not eligible for any benefits. I'm in that grey area place. And also because of my current rent etc. But I know someone who works in the benefits department and I might drop her an email to see what she can suggest, or if she knows someone who I can talk to.
Why do you feel you need your own space versus having roommates?
Not trying to be critical or anything (if you're sure it's what you want, I'm 100% behind it, just want to be sure it's what you want), just asking cause as of of about 2.5 weeks ago, I was totally sure I wanted my own place, and then ended up finding a place with two other women I really like, which (although I haven't actually moved in yet, I'm pretty sure) is actually an even better situation for me than living on my own, as they're people I get along with really well, and who will definitely respect my privacy (one of them almost never even sleeps there, and I do have my own bedroom, it's just a shared kitchen and bathroom), but who are also a kind of a built-in support system if/when I need it.
And also, try applying for places you like anyway, even if your income isn't as much above the rent as they require, as long as it is still enough above that you feel you could afford it. Even though they say on paper you have to have above a certain income, there's some chance you might convince them to make an exception in person, and it can't hurt to try.
Incidentally, where I live, Section 8 Housing (i.e. government-assisted) requires you pay 30-40% of your income in rent (if you're not receiving, 40% would mean your income is 2.5 times the rent), so it's not entirely out of the ballpark for what people seem to expect over here either... but while I've been looking for housing, I've yet to see *anything* with a requirement about income other than that it's simply more than you're rent (if your income is less than your rent, that's a legitimate concern, but if it's just not *enough* more, then it more comes down to how much of your income you're able to dedicate to rent).
Also, is there anyone who can cosign for you? As it turns out, I may not end up needing it, cause I'm basically renting from a friend, who knows I'm going to pay my rent, but if I need it, my mom is going to cosign for me, and her credit and income are good enough for anything *way* beyond my price-range, and what it basically means is that she's promising the landlord the rent will be paid, and then I'm promising *her* rather than the landlord I'll pay... and since she knows me better than the landlord does (not to mention she has access to all my bank accounts :p), she can be considerably more lenient in saying that yes, I really can pay more than 40% of my income towards rent...
Emily
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Well, to start with, I'm 42. I think some people just get to an age when sharing isn't the best thing, and you want to settle down and nest up, or something! I lived alone when I was younger, and have been sharing for 9 years now. I live with a mother and her child. The child is getting older and takes up more space, and at times my flatmate goes through like a second teenagehood due to her recent separation. Among other things. I don't think I could actually live with anyone else. I've got to the stage when I just need to develop some autonomy and independence again, [after having been quite unwell for some years and sort of needing the buffer of being a lodger] and having my own space clearly defined would help this. I'm also fed up with the neighbours' kids and the people stomping around upstairs and I just really want to choose a space that feels much more comfortable for me. I want my own bathroom and my own kitchen. I need a bit more privacy and freedom. I don't want to have to work my life around the wishes and desires of someone else. Work's stressful enough without home stuff adding to it. I want to come home from the intense demands of work and chill out and take up space, I need to recharge. This is hard as my home life is as it is right now.
Most people my own age are generally married with kids, even grandkids! So there wouldn't be anyone really my age who would be looking for someone to share. And I've done the whole sharing with a family thing already here..
Obviously I don't know until I try, and I do need to speak to various people beforehand.
I know it probably sounds sort of entitled, but, I'm a single woman in her 40s working for my local council. I 'should' be able to have a way of affording a decentish place for myself.
For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure both of my soon-to-be roommates are older than you are (one definitely is; the other I think is in more like her mid-40s, but I'm not sure). Both are single; one was never married and has no children, the other has two grown daughters (neither of whom live with her/us), and at least one granddaughter. And the woman who's moving out of the room I'm moving into is of unknown age (as in, I don't know and didn't ask), but never even had a "home" before, and doesn't appear to have any plans of having one after this -- as one of my soon-to-be roommates put it, she's basically a gypsy.
So not saying you don't have plenty of other reasons to want your own place, but just not buying the whole "I'm too old" argument.
Emily
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Though this thread isn't really to debate whether or not I should have a place of my own, it's more to signpost me to or give personal experience of London centric guidance on the financial catch 22 situation that I am in.
NB most, if not all, places advertising for sharers are younger people and do actually specify under 25s, even if I wanted to share space at home again, which I don't, hence why I want to change things.
So I popped on London Cragslist to try and see what you're up against, and see if I could come up with any more specific suggestions... and dang... if I were in London, I'd want my own place too! Even accounting for the exchange rate, a 1-bedroom flat over there is about one half to one third what it is around here, and even a bit less than what I'm going to be paying for one room in a three-bedroom flat. So at least it could be worse -- you could be in the Bay Area!
I'm not sure where you've been looking, but I didn't see anything about particular income requirements on any of the Craigslist ads I looked at. Of course, I didn't look thoroughly at all, and don't know what areas you're interested in, or what sort of a space you're looking for or anything, so I've no idea if it's at all indicative of what's actually out there or anything. But if you want, and you tell me more what you're looking for, I could poke around a bit more and see if I can find anything for you you might have missed -- a second pair of eyes never hurts, and between looking for jobs and apartments (which I was doing simultaneously until I found an apartment), I've gotten pretty adept at searching Craigslist and such. And I'd really like to help out if I can.
Also, I stand by my previous recommendation of trying to talk your way out of the income requirements. I'd recommend you focus on smaller buildings (as in fewer apartments, not less space in the apartment itself), were you'll have a better shot at establishing a personal connection with the landlord, and even getting a chance to *try* to convince her she can count on your rent even though it's a higher portion of your income than most people could afford to spend on rent. Just be prepared for it to take a few tries, and try not to let it get you down if people refuse. Remember that whatever a potential landlord says, you *are* a good tenant, you *will* pay your rent, you *can* afford it, and you *do* deserve to live their -- if the landlord doesn't see it, that's his loss, and you'll find someplace better to live (and for all you know, the landlord who wouldn't take you because your income wasn't enough higher than the rent will end up with someone else who turns out to not pay their rent and cause all sorts of problems).
Alternatively, buy an empty plot of land and build your own house. This is something I've always wanted to do, although I'm reasonably confident I have neither the skills nor the patience to pull it off (I'm having enough trouble trying to put together the dollhouse I'm working on, and that came with pre-cut pieces of wood that I just have to paint and glue/nail together... plus I'm scared of power tools and hardware stores, which are both probably fairly necessary to build a house), but I still like to daydream about it sometimes :p
Emily
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Thanks Emily, those're great ideas, and thank you for looking. :)
I've never used Craigslist, and imagine it's somewhat like Gumtree over here. [Online private listings]. I've been looking at sites of letting agents, and tenancy advice sites.
I am indeed a good tenant. :) I wish I knew how to contact my old landlord in East London, as I'm sure he might help. But, especially seeing as it's 9 years since I moved out, and I've lost his phone number... though I could Google him..
I wouldn't be able to afford a plot of land. :P [Even if there were any!] Though it's a nice idea!
