To think that there are some advantages to renting?

[malificent7]

Obviously id live to own but cant so have chosen to look on the bright side of renting:

I can stay in a nice nieghbourhood and i dont have to move back to Toxteth (like i did as a student) thetefore dd can stay at her nice school and get a good dducation.

The landlord foots the bill for many reosirs... boiler breaks... hus problem!

Permanent jobs in my sector ( education) are like gold dust so if i loose my job i will get housing benefit. If i owned i would loose this and therefore loose my house.

There is more flexibilty regarding where i live.

Gah... i am scraping the barrel here!

Oh and i dont have to go without Costa Coffee for 250 years to help me save for a deposit!! Help me out here people with other ideas!

[mumonashoestring]

If you encounter any really big problems like subsidence or terrible neighbours you have the option of moving without having to sell (which can become near impossible with issues like regular flooding or structural problems).

You can instantly get rid of salesmen for things like double glazing, driveways etc. "Oh I'm not sorry, we rent "

[donajimena]

Like you I get to live in a nice part of town.
I get all my repairs done.
I think its the nice part of town bit that does it for me.
I can't save for a deposit whilst renting so any spare cash goes on holidays (easyjet /budget hotel) NOT mega splurges

[chitofftheshovel]

I can move with 1 months notice.

If the roof caved in they would have to fix it and house me appropriately.

I quite like the lack of responsibility tbh, which I know we oughtn't admit to in this day and age.

[minijoeyjojo]

Of course, I didn't appreciate it until I owned a place. But never having to fix anything or pay for unexpected repairs is fantastic!

[YelloDraw]

Loads of benefits of renting:

• Flexibility to move property type. Want to try living in a new build flat? Decide you don't like it and ren a period conversion? No problem.
  
• Flexability to move location or property size as needs change
  
• Predictability of housing costs - no major repairs
  
• Low hassle - no waiting in for boiler man, LL has to
  
• Generally a 'safer'; standard than your own home - gas and electrics checked

[Lovelyskin]

It is quite hard to think of positives about paying over £1000 a month for an ordinary (some council) house and council tax, especially as I know the landlady's mortgage is paid off! However, I don't want the stress of buying at the moment and stretching my income, just to find as you say, repairs need doing. It is relatively stress-free, can move if you want, our agents are very good as well which is unusual, they fix any problems very quickly.

[Gowgirl]

I get to live in zone 2 with great schools and the city on my doorstep so no I don't want to buy a house in another city which would be the only way we could afford it!

[DeleteOrDecay]

We rent and whilst our main goal for the long term future is to eventually own, there are some positives to renting.

• Repairs are taken care of, we sort minor things ourselves but things like the boiler get taken care of for us.

• We are allowed to decorate, put pictures up etc - although I know this varies from LL to LL.

• If dp loses his job we can claim housing benefit and council tax reduction to help us through.

• We live in a decent area

That's all I've got actually. Sadly more negatives spring to mind than positives.

[meridithssister]

I couldn't afford to buy in the village where I live. Advantage is all 3 children go to outstanding schools, my eldest is at one of the best 6th form (state) colleges in the country.
I am down the road from my mum.
Low crime rate, and we live near a beautiful country park.
I don't have to worry about the roof or the boiler.

[malificent7]

I must admit it was the freedom of buying unlimited Costas that did it for me. Although home owners always point out i could buy if i gave up my monthly Chai latte.... NEVER!

[ThymeLord]

I rent roo and I can't see a time when I'll ever be able to buy so I've had to get used to it really. It does have its advantages that's true, many of which are listed above. The disadvantage I find is how renters are considered to be lesser than people who own. It's a very prevalent attitude.

[Gowgirl]

Ds keeps pointing out that if we stopped doing anything pleasant or fun we could buy in my shitty home town don't like to tell her that actually we could anyway without giving up the good stuff but hell would freeze over before I doomed myself to move to the overpriced back of beyond I grew up in.....long live costa coffee, good wine and nice meals out

[icanteven]

We currently own but we are moving to London and will be renting our house out here, and renting a flat in London. Very excited about it - there's no WAY we could afford to buy in the area we're planning to rent in, and we can we far more flexible about location - we can rent on the doorstep of the school we want, and if it doesn't pan out after a year we can just MOVE down the road, or keep an eye out for something we'd prefer, none of which we could do if we were buying.

[Gowgirl]

Thymelord some people arnt happy unless they feel superior to someone, you are doing a public service my dear

[Gowgirl]

Icanteven very excited for you! What area are you looking at?

[NotCitrus]

Yes, every time the heating goes or there's an expensive repair in my house or the flats I look after, I think about the advantages of renting! But I love my house, luckily.

On the plus side, the urgent repairs get fixed ASAP and no worrying about a useless landlord (I'm a lovely landlord and most stuff is fixed in a couple hours).

[almondpudding]

It might be easier for you to get appropriate social housing when you are elderly because you don't already own a home.

[scaredofthecity]

I think there are a lot of advantages of renting. It's just the lack of stability that lets it down.

[malificent7]

Its the lesser person thing that bugs me.... if id made different choices and wasn't such a spend thrift blah blah blah...
As always it's the difference between haves and have nots. Snobbery basically.

[jobrum]

It's quicker to move when you want to. We are looking at new rented houses and know it can be all done in a few weeks unlike a colleage who is currently having mortgages approved, offers accepted, completion days etc... But having a family and wanting a secure, long term home (being able to consider exensions for more space rather than having to just move for example) renting does not have many pros. Also I do sometimes wonder how a pension would cover private rent. But hopefully I'll have bought and paid off the mortgate buy then!

[crazywriter]

Definitely the benefits that you and so many pps have said OP. I don't mind renting, except the lack of stability. But renting meant we were able to pack up and move country with just 3 months notice. We didn't have the money froman selling a house but we also didn't have to hope and pray the house would sell in time. A friend of mine took a year for her international move and even then had to reduce her asking price considerable just to get it sold in time.

Where I am now, the heating and water costs are included in the rent. Some places I looked even included electricity! Where we are, renting is also cheaper than having a mortgage!

[DeleteOrDecay]

Yes to others thinking you're a lesser person for renting. Some people don't seem to understand that there are loads of reasons as to why someone might not own their home and that life isn't always linear and things don't always work out as planned.

Home ownership is seen as a sort of status symbol for some.

[MrsWhiteWash]

Until the children started school renting was better option for us - due to work meaning moves around Uk weren't uncommon.

We bought just before eldest started nursery and we had to apply for schools. If renting was more secure - it would have been an option for longer.

Also I do sometimes wonder how a pension would cover private rent. But hopefully I'll have bought and paid off the mortgate buy then!

I also worried about this - though there will be upkeep cost to an owned property we should just pay or we'll downside so we pay mortgage before retirement. That's a lot of money a month we won't have to find - and we won't have insecurity of being worried about being forced to move - at least we shouldn't.

[ThymeLord]

I sat in the office last week listening to three of my colleagues, who are all landlords, talking about how unfair it was that letting agents could no longer charge fees and how their tenants were dirty, workshy scuffers. It was very unpleasant.

[previously1474907171]

Our neighbours made me feel like a lesser person for renting. However they didn't consider that our rent cost more than their mortgages. Neither did they now that we had a house elsewhere that was rented out as it was too far from work, and that I preferred the rented house. I would have stayed in that house for ever, only moved because we had to.

Bigger house, quieter neighbours, quieter everything actually, nicer garden, no repair bills. Only downside was the agent inspections and the drunks from the late night music when the local pub changed hands. Finding a perfect rental wasn't easy but I loved that house.