Moving Out On a Budget
home moving articles and tips
Moving out can be a difficult affair. There's the challenge of moving to a new place, making new friends, maybe starting a new job or going to university and on top of all this, the actual logistics of moving out itself. It's also very common to have to face this challenge without a huge amount of money. Here is a run-down of the major ways that people on a budget find accommodation to help you decide which is best for you.
Letting Agents:
On almost every street in the country there's a boldly coloured sign for one letting agent or another. These are estate agents, which private landlords have hired to help find appropriate renters for a vacant property. You may find that the requirements that they ask of you are more stringent than if you went through the landlord directly. This is because it's part of their job to vet potential lenders, to make sure they are suitable for the property. This includes making sure your income is sufficient to meet your rent payments, finding out from previous landlords if you are a safe clean renter, finding out if you have any children or dependants and so on. You may also have to pay a fee to the letting agent themselves, as a premium for letting the property for you. This is an extra-payment to a middle-man that may be something to consider if you are trying to move out on a budget.
Private Landlords:
With the advent of the internet, it is becoming increasingly easy to cut out the middle-man and rent direct from the landlord themselves. Alternatively, if you know the area you would like to live in, it is often possible to walk round the streets and look for properties with adverts in the windows, or go to a local post-offices or supermarket notice boards and see if anyone if advertising a property in the area. The pros and cons of going with a private landlord are mainly the same issues. For example, you can have a direct relationship with the person you are letting from, which allows you to get problems sorted straight away without any delays. On the other hand, if you and your landlord fall out, or they are neglectful with their maintenance duties, you can begin to feel isolated.
Another thing to consider is the deposit. Make sure that your landlord uses a deposit protection service, which they are obliged to do by law. Otherwise, you may find a chunk of your hefty deposit fee has been arbitrarily taken from you when you try to move out, or worse, you may never get it back.
Shared Houses:
In many places, especially places with a high student population, there are a large number of free rooms in houses that are already occupied. This could be due to someone moving out, or just people who want to add the variety of a few strangers to their group.
There are plenty of internet sites where you can find adverts put up by people looking to find a new house-mate. There are some definite advantages to this. Firstly, your rent and utility costs are likely to be a lot lower, by virtue of the fact you are, in effect, paying for a bedroom and sharing gas and electricity costs. Secondly, there is an enviable social element, which can be useful if moving to a new place alone.
Some drawbacks though, if you don't get on so well with your co-locators, it can begin to feel a bit awkward. Also, if the issue of bills isn't dealt with sensibly, people can end up owing people money, which is never good for a social setting.
It's a big step, but striking out for independence is a decision that people rarely live to regret. Best of luck on starting your new life!
Bio: Ella Andrews is a content writer who has great flair for decoration and interrior design. She is always searching for new challenges. Therefore her present article is focused on ideas for moving on a budget. For more helpful tips and hints visit: http://cheapremovals.org.uk/moving-from-the-uk-to-france/
