To quit my job because I can't afford to go

[Megapops]

I have my dream job, I absolutely love it, and thought I was on a decent salary. Recently the organisation has asked staff to go into the London office 2-3 days a week. Not a problem.

But.. just broke up with my partner who I've been livng with for a few years and I'm obviously looking at moving out into my own place now. To rent a modest, 1 bed place within an hour/hour and a half commute to work is more than my monthly salary. And to rent a room in a houseshare costs around half my salary. Living further out means more expensive train fares too. I'm looking right outside London too. (Considering moving back into a houseshare, and it costing half my salary is also making me die a bit inside).

I dont know what I'm going to do? The only solution seems to be to quit my job and move somewhere else because I literally can't afford to go to work. Although rent doesn't seem much better anywhere! Any advice?

If you are low or lowish income, can you apply for universal credit?

Can you clarify if the house share option is in London? If you are on a decent salary can you not afford a room even if it’s not in one of the outer zones?
alter can you apply for similar jobs in cheaper areas?

Are the two or three days consecutive ones? If they are, could you maybe travel in the first morning then stay in a basic hotel (the Premier Inn hubs are pretty good) for one or two nights and go home at the end of the last day?

Or an AirBnb even? The renting here is insane atm, I know.

That's the thing, I'm not on what's considered a low income. How does anyone pay these rents? I just saw an ex council flat near Crawley with no carpets, no internal doors, or main kitchen appliances up for rent at £1500pm!

Speak to your work before you quit - likely they'll reduce / remove the need to work from the office. Good luck Op.

Yeah I need to go in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week, and Thursdays every two weeks. Staying in a hotel 2-3 nights is going to cost me a fortune though? Plus train fares. I may as well just rent closer to London?

Can you see if you can rent a room in someone’s family home? It might not be your dream scenario but could tide you over? I’ll have a proper look in the morning for you.

Yes I can well believe that, although I wish my rent was £1500pm. Mine is more than double that, although I'm very central and my flat is lovely.

Could you talk to somebody at your work and explain the situation? If nothing else you might be able to postpone the office days for a few weeks until things have settled down, or even meet in the middle somehow.

@Lesina I've been looking at houseshares in zones 4-6. And also in some Surrey commuter belt areas like Crawley, Dorking, Guildford. Still eye-watering rents for a pokey room and no privacy.

Have you looked at commuter towns?

A 1 bed apartment in high wycombe is about 900-1,000 pcm, which should be affordable on a decent salary. Its a fast train line into london, lots of my colleagues live there.

Surrey is the mosr expensive.

Go east for lower rents. 2 beds in romford 1,600 and get a flatmate for second bed.

I would actually quite like that I think. I find the pressure of having to hang out with housemates my own age (mid 30s) really stressful. I don't drink, and do a lot of reading, drawing and writing in my spare time. A lot of people I've shared with in the past have been lovely, but wanted me to hang out with them/go drinking with them all the time.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/property-to-share/looking-for-a-lodger/1457053579

maybe?

Remember:

20k is basically minimum wage
30k is a starting salary for a grad in london

You need 60k plus for your own place in london, affordability wise, due to the effect of the higher tax band.

Haven't looked at High Wycombe, but will do thanks @Yabbadabbadotime

Perhaps you would be eligible for intermediate market rent from a charity?

https://www.peabody.org.uk/find-a-home/renting-a-home

I'm right in the middle of where you are looking and rent is crazy. We pay 1895 a month for a 3 bed semi. I would look into seeing if your boss would be more flexible with working from home or would they cover travel costs perhaps?

Look at Rugby. You're at Euston in 50 mins, ticket prices are artificially low and rent will be way cheaper than the areas you've looked at.

What's your salary?

I think you need to rent a spare room as a mid-week lodger.

there are rooms to rent in london for about 900 pcm and then you can cycle to work to cut the travel costs?

I think you just have to suck up taking a house share. DH and I were in separate houseshares until mid 30s (when we got married and bought a place), on very good salaries. It's not unusual for professionals even on higher salaries (DH and his housemates were all on over £100k) and you can get quieter houseshares (with just one other person) or bigger more sociable ones. If we'd moved into a 1 bed when renting we'd never have been able to save a deposit, so it was worth it in the end.

Where in London do you need to get to?
Have you considered Reading?

Maybe look further afield in the other direction? Lots of people live in Biggleswade and St Neots to commute to London, both are less than an hour to Kings cross and there is Thameslink if you need to get to the other side of London.

£625pcm N15 zone 3 short distance from victoria line

https://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/flatshare_detail.pl?flatshare_id=16787081&search_id=1228179867&city_id=&flatshare_type=offered&search_results=%2Fflatshare%2F%3Fsearch_id%3D1228179867%26&

Where in London do you need to be and what do you earn?