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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not pay over £1000 in rent for a studio?

91 replies

strivingtosucceed · 18/12/2019 15:33

I'm 28 and live 'at home' but pay rent and bills of about 700 for a studio while my parents live further south.

I also pay for the home internet, phone + TV license(i'm the only one watching live TV). Granted it probably takes a bit more to run the flat, I still think the amount I pay is more than generous as they couldn't let it out otherwise.

My dad has just told me he wants to take over all the house bills which he says will raise the total amount to 1200. (This is more than half of my take home.

AIBU to not want to pay that much? (That's what the voting buttons are for) but as an aside AIBU to consider moving out if they insist on my paying? It would leave the flat vacant until my siblings are back from uni. How much should older children pay to live in less than ideal positions until they've saved enough to buy?

OP posts:
Sparklfairy · 18/12/2019 15:36

A studio? So how big is the place and where? The set up is a bit unclear from your OP. What's the market rate in your area for where you live? Would your parents rent it out to someone else if you left?

Thestrangestthing · 18/12/2019 15:37

Why will the bills go up to 1200 if your dad takes over paying for them?

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 18/12/2019 15:37

I’m confused.

Do you rent a studio flat from your parents?

And your dad “wants to take over all the bills”

So he wants to pay the bills you are currently paying? Confused which will then cost you another £500?

Xenia · 18/12/2019 15:37

Perhaps move out then? You can certainly rent a whole 2 bed house for about £1k a month (plus council tax and bills on top of that) not too far from here (SE)

Fere · 18/12/2019 15:41

@Thestrangestthing I guess OP meant that she has to take over paying all bills in that house
do you also pay council tax to them?

Bills do add up and the increase from 700 to 1200 would mean paying for the whole house to be heated, council tax, utilities and perhaps insurance too.

I would look at moving out, for £1200 you should get studio flat + all bills paid.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 18/12/2019 15:41

How can all your siblings fit into a studio? Isn't it just a single room like a bedsit?

Original poster
strivingtosucceed · 18/12/2019 15:42

Aplogies I seem to have gotten my wires crossed. I rent a studio from my parents, but when they're in London they stay with me (Zone3). This studio serves as a base for my siblings when they're home from uni.

I pay 700 contribution and parents pay the rest. My dad wants me to take over all the bills and he says the total cost of bills & mortgage is 1200 according to him.

OP posts:
heartsonacake · 18/12/2019 15:43

YANBU. Sounds like you’d get a much cheaper (and bigger) place if you moved out.

£700 for a studio seems absolutely extortionate as it is.

FredaFrogspawn · 18/12/2019 15:44

Then they get no more access to it. Honestly, I’d ditch it and move on if you can.

BlueJava · 18/12/2019 15:44

Move out and then you get more freedom and can choose the place you want. I know you'll find people saying different on here but I wouldn't charge my two DS anything for living with us. A contribution for food would be good when they are earning but I wouldn't charge rent unless I was going to put it into a savings account for them.

Littlemissdaredevil · 18/12/2019 15:45

Where in the country roughly do you live?

My bills are for a 2 bed house
Mortgage £400 (before I bough this house I was renting this house for £620)
Council tax £120 (but you could get a 25% discount)
Electricity £80
Water £27
Cable/broadband/phone £45
Tv license £14

Unless you live in a very expensive part of the country it sounds like you are being ripped off!

I would look at moving out. Ideally into a flat share whilst you save for a deposit.

AryaStarkWolf · 18/12/2019 15:46

So if he now wants you to cover everything, presumably he won't be expecting it to be available for a base for him and your siblings anymore and you will have a proper lease with him?

How much is the going rate for a studio in that area?

BarbaraofSeville · 18/12/2019 15:47

So you're currently paying about £750 pm? And he wants you to pay all the bills, so

council tax
gas and electric
water
insurance?

£450 pm for those bills seems like an awful lot for a studio, I would have thought that it was more like around half that amount?

Whether or not you should move out would depend on how convenient the location is for you and what it would cost to sort out your own accomodation.

What you earn is not relevant but if the studio is next to where you work and socialise and still cheap for the area, it sounds like a lot better deal than if it's an hour away from work and away from friends and the amenities that you use.

Lunafortheloveogod · 18/12/2019 15:48

Your dad wants you to pay the bills?
Why not? If it’s a studio you can’t exactly have siblings and any other family members living with you anyway. If he rented it out to someone else they’d pay gas, electric, water, council tax etc anyway not him so really he’s running two “homes”.. so £700 is probably barely covering your costs.

Have you checked local rent prices too? £700 might be a lot for a studio depending on area.

ComtesseDeSpair · 18/12/2019 15:49

Well, £700 is well below market rent for a self-contained studio pretty much anywhere in London so you’ve been getting a good deal. Have you asked your dad why he suddenly wants to change things? Does he think you need a kick up the ass to stand in your own feet a bit more? Have you been late with your rent? Have they needed to remortgage at a higher rate and they can no longer afford to give you a good deal?

But no, I think the rules of market forces apply on both sides here: if your parents want you to pay a market rent for your home then you’re well within your rights to test the market for a better deal and then move out when you find it.

apples24 · 18/12/2019 15:50

I would move out to be honest.

Sounds like your dad wants you to pay for all of it, whilst he'll be the one benefiting from any equity building up, and also, if I understood correctly, from having access to it whenever he fancies.

Batqueen · 18/12/2019 15:50

I have a zone 3 (small) 1 bed flat. Mortgage plus bills is less than 1200 but to rent a 1 bed in the area is 1200 plus bills

I’d move out to a flat share - about the same as you are currently paying and the bills would be split.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 18/12/2019 15:51

My DS pays £700 including bills for a small room in a house share in zone 2.

I think you need to cost things up: it’s not your responsibility to pay for a base for your siblings. That’s up to your parents. You just need to keep yourself so find the best value way of doing that.

Original poster
strivingtosucceed · 18/12/2019 15:52

I live in London, Zone 3, a studio is about 800-1000 depending on proximity to the main station. I've attached a picture with an example of the size, there's a soft demarcation between all the rooms so it's not a true flat. They still expect to come here when they want, during which time I get relegated to the living room. I only have 2 siblings and we usually share the sofabed.

To not pay over £1000 in rent for a studio?
OP posts:
ComtesseDeSpair · 18/12/2019 15:52

Depending on where you are in Zone 3 though, I think you’d struggle to find a nice studio or one bed inclusive of bills for much less money though. Once you’ve asked your parents why the sudden price increase, it might be better for you to negotiate with them so that they’re covering all their costs and you get to stay where you are.

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 18/12/2019 15:52

If you are 28 and you have a job with a take-home of 2K per month then you are an independent adult and of course you can rent somewhere else. If the studio flat is vacant then it is up to your parents to sort it out and either let it out or else leave it vacant til someone else (like one of your siblings) needs it.

How much should older children pay to live in less than ideal positions until they've saved enough to buy?

There is no such fixed amount. You just have to weigh it up against what else is available at the same price (or less) and decide if it's worthwhile for you. If I were you I would rent a room in a shared house/flat and save shedloads of money that way. You would also build up a much clearer and more independent sense of what is "fair" if you did that.

Coralfish · 18/12/2019 15:53

This studio serves as a base for my siblings when they're home from uni.

How many siblings? Do you all live there during the uni holidays? In the one room? Do they pay the rent during this time? Sounds horrendous...

£1200 including bills sounds like a standard (perhaps low!) price for central London, but it would depend where you are. When you say 'home internet etc.' do you mean for the studio (reasonable) or at your parents' house (very generous)?

If you are going to start renting 'properly' at £1200 pcm then you need to put an end to sharing with siblings etc. Or if you would rather live in a shared house (or cheaper studio) and pay less, have that discussion with your parents. You would not be unreasonable to move out in order to live more cheaply.

Coralfish · 18/12/2019 15:55

Cross posted. Either put your foot down and they at the very least have to sleep on the sofa bed when they come (if you allow it at all). Siblings will not be able to be based there without someone paying rent either. Or move out and live somewhere cheaper.

Do you think they want you to move out so that they can have their private London pad back?

QueenofPain · 18/12/2019 15:55

I mean if you’re going for the whole entire thing and all the expenses that come with it the I’d be expecting to have exclusive use of it and refusal of all guests or other intrusions at your say so.

QueenofPain · 18/12/2019 15:57

*paying