Help with cost of living Vol2

[C.A.R.]

Right, Volume 2 of my moving out thread...

Basically, we need to move out pronto as baby is due in October. I'm on a good wage, girlfriend has just lost her job (damnit).

I've been speaking to various letting agencies and the costs are as follows on a 2-bed house @ £675/pcm rent
- Initial costs £216 admin fee to be paid immediately (this enables them to get references on you)
- £675 (one months rent) "Holding Fee" when references come back
- £1,012 (1&½ months rent) "Deposit" to be paid upon moving in
- The previous £675 "Holding Fee" now becomes your first months' rent.

Total cost = £1,903

Is that normal?

Because I'm going to be paying the rent my wage has to exceed 30x the monthly rent, which it just about does (3 months ago it wouldn't). I'm not sure whether we will be entitled to any benefits, obviously I need to get my girlfriend to sign on as there is not a hope in hell of her finding a job now she is starting to show, however this is just £56.25/week until baby arrives.

Just that near-2-grand figure is bothering me. I'm gonna struggle to find that in 7 weeks. I'll earn it, sure, but I won't be able to eat!!

How did others find it? Apparently the £216 admin fee is never to be seen again. Seems expensive just for the purpose of getting your references?!

Any help, as ever, much appreciated.

[Anton]

Sounds dead right to me. Agency fees are a joke, look privately if you can.

Normally 1.5 months deposit, then a month upfront.

Get saving....

[Moonstone2.0]

That sounds pretty much spot on. I had to pay £100 just to added to the tenancy agreement where my mrs already lives. That's just daylight robbery if you ask me but the all the number you note are more than familiar. Luckily we are at the point where we can take the deposit from our old place and put it towards the next if you know what I mean. But the first time move is a really bugger. good luck with all of it though!

[C.A.R.]

Hmm OK.

Will be searching privately too, obviously, as the deals you get are better. However, my mate recently revealed that he has no tenancy agreement whatsoever. Pressumably, someone has to pay for one of those to be drafted up (solicitor)?

[Anton]

If you want to pay to have it done. Depends on the arrangement i guess, if i was going privately and i have done before i didnt pay a deposit because i knew i had no proof of it!

[Megamonkey]

Nope thats about right, thats why me and 3 other mates are moving in together, just got a house basically we have to pay

- £70 each for the referancing
- £250 holding depsit (comes off first months rent)
- Rent of £900 a month with the firsts months up front
- Deposit to move in Month and a halfs (£1350)

Thats a total of £2530, so to move in thats £632.5 each! Makes it cheaper to share but I doubt you'd want to expect a kid an all!

Then you've got your TV liecence, Council Tax, House insurance and then the setting up of all your bills such as gas/electric, tv package, internet etc!

You'll definately be up for benefits when you have the kid (child tax credits and all that jazz) just a shame your missues isn't in work and then get maturnety leave, ah well!

[THE_Liam]

It's not very likely that you'll get one, but I'd put your name down for a council house, just in case you get lucky. Dirt cheap rent and great deals if you wanna buy the one you move into

[Ed Doe]

I think you can also qualify for a discount on your council tax too if your missus is redundant...

Not sure though, but defs worth the ask....

Christ though, I didnt realise/forgot how much renting was!! From memory our referencing wasnt so expensive (though my memory is rubbish!) and the deposit was only a months' rent...

[C.A.R.]

I will continue to look, £100 a month will make a lot of difference so Mrs c.a.r. will need to bear that in mind. I'm also worried about the impact of adding a potential 30 minutes onto my commute to work. That will increase my journey one way to 1-hour. Eek.

[Mattcheese31]

you will get family tax credit Chris, child tax credit and child benefit= about 100 quid a week . . . rep button is down . . . .oh shit wait . . ..

and all that other shit is pretty much standard issue, apart from it would be shit loaads cheaper if you lived up here . .

[Ruan]

Yeah, same as our place...

Deposit is £1000 which is 1 and a bit months rent.
One Months Rent - £750
Some gay fee you have to pay when you FIRST move in - £250

Not to mention you've got your first months bills, setup charges for stuff like Broadband... Renting - sadly you do have to have a bit of backing behind you to get you in there in the first place.

[THE_Liam]

^^^ Yeah, Yorkshire FTepicW!

[306carter]

In the same position my self although our due date is September. Just got a federation house in Leeds. Had 1 months rent to pay up front. Just decorating and sticking down lights everywhere.

Rent is £79.90 a week and council tax is £88 per month. Gotta love living up north!

[THE_Liam]

Whereabouts in Leeds mate? I live in Headingley which is one of the student areas, I'm guessing it's either here, Hyde Park, Burley or Woodhouse?

[306carter]

Middleton. Not too far from where I grew up.

[THE_Liam]

Oh right, didn't know you were from Leeds originally. Used to go up there now and again, got a few mates there and in Belle Isle.

[MrsMidnight]

You have to pay the letting agency so they can get a reference? I know I'm in private renting but I never knew that!

You should deffo be entitled to a 25% discount on your council tax I believe as your mrs isn't working, child tax credits, family and child benefits, possibly a housing benefit too? - deffo worth looking into for a helping hand!

[306carter]

Oh right, didn't know you were from Leeds originally. Used to go up there now and again, got a few mates there and in Belle Isle.

Yep lived in Leeds all my life.

You have to pay the letting agency so they can get a reference? I know I'm in private renting but I never knew that!

You should deffo be entitled to a 25% discount on your council tax I believe as your mrs isn't working, child tax credits, family and child benefits, possibly a housing benefit too? - deffo worth looking into for a helping hand!

Can't wait to get all the benifits. Entitled to more in benifits than my gf was earning in a week!

[Poodle]

Looks bang on to me, our place is £750 a month and our total outlay at first was just over £2,100.

Depends where you for too, will be cheaper if you move out into the sticks, but then you've got the commute to worry about as you say. Just do what we do, save money everywhere else. You know the drill - do without tv, buy bulk from a butchers van/grocers instead of the supermarket, get hold of some really thick curtains from relatives, etc.

[lewisdmz]

Go private with letting mate, letting agents fee's are a f*cking rip off and in my experience there are no benefits to being with them whatsoever.