Renting a flat (first time)

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MrLarson

MrLarson

Midfield
I'm 18, and am looking at moving into a flat with a mate as I don't fancy living at home much longer. We're both virgins at this lark. At the risk of coming off as a complete thick s**t (which I am, in this case), I'm hoping a few of you will be able to help me out/give me some advice :lol:

Looking at a 2 bedroom flat at around £300 per month rent (per person, I'm assuming), furnished, has central heating, and double glazing.

I'm currently on about £800 a month (living with parents), my mate is on about £1k a month, also living with parents. Having looked at a few websites and property forums, I still can't make head or tail of any of it. I'm gonna ask to have my hours upped anyway so for the sake of the post:



1) Would around £2,000 per month cover the rent, utilities (water, electric etc) and such whilst also leaving a reasonable amount to live off with regards to food and luxuries as well as council tax etc?

2) Would it all come from one bank account, or would we be able to assign certain bills to either of our accounts?

3) Does anyone have any experience with first time renting and fancy giving me a few tips?



I understand I'll be sounding like a complete bell by asking some really simple questions but I kind of need to know this stuff hah :oops:
 


MrLarson said:
I'm 18, and am looking at moving into a flat with a mate as I don't fancy living at home much longer. We're both virgins at this lark. At the risk of coming off as a complete thick s**t (which I am, in this case), I'm hoping a few of you will be able to help me out/give me some advice :lol:

Looking at a 2 bedroom flat at around £300 per month rent (per person, I'm assuming), furnished, has central heating, and double glazing.

I'm currently on about £800 a month (living with parents), my mate is on about £1k a month, also living with parents. Having looked at a few websites and property forums, I still can't make head or tail of any of it. I'm gonna ask to have my hours upped anyway so for the sake of the post:



1) Would around £2,000 per month cover the rent, utilities (water, electric etc) and such whilst also leaving a reasonable amount to live off with regards to food and luxuries as well as council tax etc?

2) Would it all come from one bank account, or would we be able to assign certain bills to either of our accounts?

3) Does anyone have any experience with first time renting and fancy giving me a few tips?



I understand I'll be sounding like a complete bell by asking some really simple questions but I kind of need to know this stuff hah :oops:
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Why not open a joint account that you both pay into and all of the bills are paid from?
 
MrLarson said:
This is the kind of stuff I have no idea about, mate. That's the most likely scenario like. Just the other stuff I'm confused about!



The mate is of the opposite gender, for what it's worth.
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Well that's never gonna work ;)
 
MrLarson said:
I'm 18, and am looking at moving into a flat with a mate as I don't fancy living at home much longer. We're both virgins at this lark. At the risk of coming off as a complete thick s**t (which I am, in this case), I'm hoping a few of you will be able to help me out/give me some advice :lol:

Looking at a 2 bedroom flat at around £300 per month rent (per person, I'm assuming), furnished, has central heating, and double glazing.

I'm currently on about £800 a month (living with parents), my mate is on about £1k a month, also living with parents. Having looked at a few websites and property forums, I still can't make head or tail of any of it. I'm gonna ask to have my hours upped anyway so for the sake of the post:



1) Would around £2,000 per month cover the rent, utilities (water, electric etc) and such whilst also leaving a reasonable amount to live off with regards to food and luxuries as well as council tax etc?

2) Would it all come from one bank account, or would we be able to assign certain bills to either of our accounts?

3) Does anyone have any experience with first time renting and fancy giving me a few tips?



I understand I'll be sounding like a complete bell by asking some really simple questions but I kind of need to know this stuff hah :oops:
Click to expand...

£2,000 a month to cover everything when your combined income is £1,800? You're fucked from the very start.

It won't be that much, mind. Nowhere near!

£300 for rent, probably about £70-80 for gas and electricity and water, about £60 for council tax. Each.

That's £440, so over half your monthly income already. This would leave you with £90 a week/£360 a month without considering food, transport, internet, phone, TV license, individual bills, etc.

I've been living in student houses for the last three years, so I have all the bills you'll have, in a shared house, with the exception of council tax.

If your landlord is letting the property and not the rooms, I imagine they'd prefer a combined bank transfer, you could either set up a joint account at the bank or just give your flatmate your rent and he can pay it with his, or something.
 
Frijj said:
£2,000 a month to cover everything when your combined income is £1,800? You're fucked from the very start.

It won't be that much, mind. Nowhere near!

£300 for rent, probably about £70-80 for gas and electricity and water, about £60 for council tax. Each.

That's £440, so over half your monthly income already. This would leave you with £90 a week/£360 a month without considering food, transport, internet, phone, TV license, individual bills, etc.
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Stay at home it is then! :lol: cheers, Frijj.
 
In a rather expensive city, my half of the bills comes to around £575 a month. Though that does include a small extra, a cineworld card. My take home pay is around £1k a month. I can afford to do shit and get train tickets to visit home or my partners home.
 
PJH said:
In a rather expensive city, my half of the bills comes to around £575 a month. Though that does include a small extra, a cineworld card. My take home pay is around £1k a month. I can afford to do shit and get train tickets to visit home or my partners home.
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See now if I up my hours from 20 to 40 per week (not accounting for overtime), the combined income would be around £2,300 (if said flatmate also does overtime). I'm not normally a big spender anyway so most of my expendable income would be spent having the odd beer.

Never even contemplated renting a flat til this week so I'm literally clueless.

Frijj said:
Read on, man!

It won't be £2k

Rent - £600
Food - £300
Gas, electric, water - £160
Internet - £20
TV license - £12
Council tax - £120

That's only about £1300
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Aye, the problem lies with the inevitable human aspect of it though. At the minute, my pal is saying they're fine paying a bit more than me (as they earn more than me, but that can be amended as I'm going to ask to up my hours). I know this has next to no chance of working anyway like coz like sh**e is it going to last if they're paying more than I am.

It's all dependant on us earning roughly the same amount of money as one another. Things I currently waste my money on (2-3 nights out every month, takeaways, needless clothes etc) would go towards the expenses.

It COULD work and is feasible, but looking at the circumstances, it may be a struggle. Which is why I'm asking for advice, coincidentally.
 
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