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AIBU?

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Original poster

Would you continue living here?

41 replies

MBailey99 · 18/08/2023 08:18

I earn 35k a year, but pay nearly £1000 a month in rent. Once I have lessened childcare costs from September I will only get a tiny contribution from universal credit (likely about £50), but will be better off than I have been. My issue is that my rent is really high and just under half my salary. I'm torn as my house is amazing and so is my landlord. We have wonderful neighbours who own and my son and their son get on well. We have an open door policy some Sundays where the boys can run between the houses (our front doors face each other and there is no road by us. Which is also amazing!). My house has views over the city and we have a lovely tiny garden with a mini vegetable patch. It's basically a lovely idyllic little house that I'm so content in, but it's just a lot of money. I've been toying with moving to save money, but at the same time desperately don't want to move. My landlord is also happy to put me on a 5 year contract which feels very secure.

Should I just count my blessings and continue living here? Or look at moving so I can get some savings that are more than £100 a month under my belt?

OP posts:
newnamethanks · 19/08/2023 08:59

You have relatively expensive, but secure, housing. Don't risk it for saving a few quid, it's unlikely to improve by moving. If you're looking for lower rent you will only find lower quality. Stay put.

NeedTheSeaside · 19/08/2023 09:02

Stay put!!

You'd be mad to leave. Get the 5 year agreement signed (in blood). In England that kind of deal is worth its weight in gold!!

Your LL sounds like a good man, who'd look after the house properly.

Do you know if he owns other rentals? If he does, he might be willing to find a 'rent to buy' scheme so you can buy him out?!

But as things stand, you'd have to be dragging me out if there with a tow truck!!

NeedTheSeaside · 19/08/2023 09:06

newnamethanks · 19/08/2023 08:59

You have relatively expensive, but secure, housing. Don't risk it for saving a few quid, it's unlikely to improve by moving. If you're looking for lower rent you will only find lower quality. Stay put.

@newnamethanks in the SE that's not expensive rent. It's a lot of money compared to her income, but that's a separate issue. Very very occasionally a very small flat, with no garden, might pop up under £1500.

plus there's a real shortage of rentals at any price.

determinedtomakethiswork · 19/08/2023 09:09

What sort of job do you do? Maybe if you tell us that we can think of ways you can make extra money or get promoted faster.

Lorey82 · 19/08/2023 09:12

I wouldn’t move, so many incidental expenses when it comes to moving too so you might not end up any better off, perhaps use the stability you have (and time you would of spent on all the work of moving) to try and increase your salary as if you’ve got £100 after all your bills then anything extra you earn will be disposable

itsmyp4rty · 19/08/2023 09:14

I would stay for absolute sure, that sounds really lovely and a good price for the SE. If you left and you'd have £150 extra a month then it would take you 11 years to save up £20,000 (if you saved it all, every single month) which these days would probably still not be enough for a deposit on a place. It would also probably mean living somewhere you were much less happy for a very long time.

The landlord sounds like a good bloke - any potential there?

SkatieKatie · 19/08/2023 09:20

Stay put

If you move somewhere else you might end up with shitty neighbours. Shitty neighbours have an affect on every aspect of your life

What you have now sounds pretty much perfect. If that changes you can review the situation

edinburghfun · 19/08/2023 09:32

Definitely don't move for £150 a month.
Your salary will increase in time, and who knows, you might meet someone and live with them within 5 years and then the rent is halved. (Not that being with someone is the be all and end all!).
During my life I have always used these conundrums to spur my career on; ask for more money, ask what your next step in the business is; or just start looking for another job.
You really are winning if you have great neighbours and love where you live - don't give it up.

Gladitscloudytoday · 19/08/2023 09:32

Definitely stay there OP.
Have a read of some of the posts on MN about horrendous neighbours, awful landlords, renters being evicted etc. You could seriously live to regret leaving.

determinedtomakethiswork · 19/08/2023 09:46

It's very difficult for someone on their own to buy a property, especially in the south. The only thing you can do is either buy with someone else or find a way to increase your salary.

Gladitscloudytoday · 19/08/2023 12:30

itsmyp4rty · 19/08/2023 09:14

I would stay for absolute sure, that sounds really lovely and a good price for the SE. If you left and you'd have £150 extra a month then it would take you 11 years to save up £20,000 (if you saved it all, every single month) which these days would probably still not be enough for a deposit on a place. It would also probably mean living somewhere you were much less happy for a very long time.

The landlord sounds like a good bloke - any potential there?

Potential for what?

newnamethanks · 19/08/2023 22:26

Thank you @NeedTheSeaside, that's what 'relatively' expensive means, it's expensive for her income, but thank you for your contribution.

Longtimelurkerfinallyposts · 20/08/2023 00:01

I'm a bit confused by the maths - it's less than £1k per month but costs half of your £35k salary?!
<in an ideal world, your rent would cost no more than a third of your income in order to be considered 'affordable', but it sounds like it's actually pretty close to this>

If your landlord is so sympathetic, and sees you as a worthy and very reliable tenant, do you think he'd consider reducing the rent slightly when drawing up the five year contract? (something that some tenants have managed to negotiate due to Covid and the cost of living crisis)

Don't forget that he's also gaining from your presence in the house, assuming that you're taking good care of it! If he had someone in who didn't, this could well cost him more in terms of repairs and maintenance. Another thing which chips into landlords' profits is any period of time when the property is un-let, so it's in his interests to avoid high tenant turnover; hopefully he appreciates the stability you're offering him in staying there for so long. Basically, just want to remind you that it's not super-cheeky to ask for a reduction: he might well go for it!

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 20/08/2023 01:23

Can you get a lodger or do pet boarding to earn extra?

NeedTheSeaside · 21/08/2023 07:48

newnamethanks · 19/08/2023 22:26

Thank you @NeedTheSeaside, that's what 'relatively' expensive means, it's expensive for her income, but thank you for your contribution.

@newnamethanks

Patronising much??

'relatively expensive' rent - relative to other rent in the area, would be a much more common interpretation of your comment.

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 21/08/2023 07:52

Stay put. Absolutely. Take the 5 year contract. Apply for social housing. Have a long term plan.

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