My professional salary only just covers my rent. How can this be?

[Rentmakesmepoor]

I am an occupational therapist in the NHS. I am a single parent. After tax, student loan and pension I take home roughly £1900.
I live in the South East of England. My rent is £1750 a month for a 3 bed, SMALL semi detached house with a courtyard garden

How is it that we have got to the point in this country that my salary literally just pays for my rent and nothing else??

I am permanently skint. I am not looking for solutions as I do nd claim everything I can (which is not alot).

But how can this be?

It unfortunate but many people can't afford to live in the SE and have to move elsewhere. Grandparents can always travel an hour or two to see OP. OP will be better off financially if she's on a similar wage but pays less rent. I'm mixed race and my grandma had to move to the other side of the world. She ended up a single mum too in the 80s (husband died when children were young). It's really sad to move away, but a lot of people either have to be skint in an expensive area or move to a more affordable area.

Funny how people like you and others on MN call people nasty, smug and spiteful, Just because they have opposing opinions.

Sorry for your past and you ex but that does not give you the right to talk to others like that. One thing that is missing these days is self responsibility and cutting your own cloth.

Since when have practical and honest options been smug?

Just seems some nowadays every one want to blame everyone else and the government for their own life decisions.

Fact is we live in a rich country and the fact you have a safe home and a roof over your head, food and water is far more than a majority of the population of the planet.

No as NHS salaries are the same across the country except for London weighting which doesn't add much.

They're rising in traditionally "cheaper" areas of the country too!

My son has just had to pay £850 per month to get a pretty tiny unfurnished one bedroom flat, and to secure it, he had to pay a year upfront. That's in a small Northern city! Prices everywhere are getting insane. All due to too many people and too few new homes being built!

Are you sure because the OP said in her initial post that she claims all her entitlements which is 'not a lot'?
That would make her monthly disposable income £3,300 plus child benefit (x4)?

In East Kent 3 bed houses are more like 1250-1500pcm (Canterbury/Ashford) so it may be worth looking slightly further afield from where you are

I would love to know which norther city this is? Commuting to northern cities is very viable I can see no reason to live inside the city like this.

Am I the only person whose mind had not been crossed by the possibility that the OP’s partner was dead and she might have more than 2.4 children? I find the lack of empathy and imagination staggering.
Also, to those suggesting a move of area, we don’t know where the children are in their education. Surely we can all see that a move at the wrong time could be very disruptive.
And yes, I do know what it’s like. For about two years when I was late nursery/early primary school age, DM, DB (30 months younger than I am) and I lived on the top floor of a house, no bathroom of our own, very small bedroom where DB and I slept on bunks and DM slept on the living room floor on three pieces of foam rubber. Also, our accommodation did not have its own front door.

Yes it's a shit situation OP and a sad indictment of our country's priorities.
Speaking as someone who did the 'sensible' thing and left the NHS in order to afford to keep living in London near my entire family and support network.

I live in the south east of England. If my local hospitals, schools, businesses etc are struggling to recruit staff, and staff are living in poverty, that’s a massive problem for the region.

Shrugging your shoulders and telling OP that she could rent a property for much less in the north east is irrelevant.

Every region in the UK needs to be have affordable housing for people at all income levels. Otherwise society won’t function. It’s crazy that this even needs to be stated.

I have no idea why people are having a go at you, they also complain when they or their loved ones are stuck on waiting lists because qualified medical professionals leave and move somewhere they will actually be paid enough to live a decent life.

I'm in an area of relatively cheap housing - compared to SE England anyway- and some of the worst waiting list in UK - worse than England.

I do think there needs to be a radical re-think for NHS professionals and debt they incur training and that many jobs are in expensive areas - maybe grants certain course or paying debt after decade of NHS service or housing on hospitals - something anyway.

However housing costs in SE are awful - as they are in may parts of UK - and sadly many of us have had to factor that in to where we live.

Long term I can see it causing huge issues in services- but then maybe politically something might change - but that change will be very slow to feel and won't sadly change the choice in front of OP.

Why do people make up such rubbish? You could certainly buy a good sized home on one professional salary in the SE 40 years ago. My mum did it as a young graduate female in a creative industry that was not particularly well paid. She had a lovely 2 bed Victorian terrace. I can’t remember the exact figures involved. I dread to think what you’d have to be earring to buy the same house now.

I was going to point out the same.

That's exactly my experience. The Northern town where I live has become unaffordable in the last few years. Mostly because of immigrants from the South, who think they are getting a bargain when they are sold a house at almost double of what it cost 5 years ago.

All this 'move to the North, it's cheaper' is making the North really expensive too. And let me warn you - still services, transport and salaries are not improving.

Has anyone mentioned introducing regional pay scales in the public sector? I know this wont help the poster and the unions would object. But this would help to give public sector workers similar standards of living irrespective of where they live, and help to fill vacancies in the south if higher wages could be offered.

So working in Westminster as an example was you being helpful? What are your wise thoughts about living fairly close to work if working, unsociable long hours?
How are hospitals supposed to remain staffed if low income people don't live in the area because of the unaffordable rent?
People have to post for the first time and people also NC to remain anonymous!!It's not rocket science!
How do you feel as a human being, knowing that yourself and other posters have really upset the OP with your nasty posts!
This thread has actually really sickened me TBH !

They are. She has 4. So guessing 2 in each room and one for mum /op

Or maybe she has 3 of one sex so 3 in big room and other sex in small room

Sorry for your and your kids loss @Rentmakesmepoor

If near grandparents can you do some evening work and they come and have kids

Tho often extra work earnt is then taken away via Benefit

Hi rent had gone up at lot

I think the issue (or part of it) is that the salary for an ot or similar would be the same.

@horseyhorsey17 *She's not on a below average income. £1900 after tax, student loan etc is around £32K take home. That's more than the average income by some way.

But don't let facts spoil your bitching.*

Average income in the SE is £34.5k. £1900 after tax isn't 'more than average by some way'.

I agree that this could go some way to address the issue but it could also create further issues and it’s hard to get it right and keep up to date with variations in cost. I personally think the best solution would be to build much more housing especially where there is a lot of demand and prices are high.

No, it was an example that plenty of people have to commute, often 2 hours +.

If OP wanted advice she would have listed her incomings and outgoings.

And OP is living in the area, she is getting UC etc.

How do I feel as a human being? I feel people are looking for a bunfight, and then flouncing when they have it.

Surely it would mean that more people (who wanted to stay in the SE but couldn't afford to) would want to move back, therefore increasing demand and resulting in higher property prices?

The point of your reply is what?

Are you saying OP should move away from the area? Surely it’s not as simple, she is a single parent and maybe all her support networks are nearby, family etc.

Why shouldn’t she complain at the situation? Surely that’s what mumsnet is for! Everything is increasing in price faster than our wages and of course it is unfair.

Exactly this. It was Brown/Blair's "free money" that fuelled the house price/rental price increases. If people have more money, they're able to spend it, so prices rise. Basic economics. You'd need some kind of rent control to stop rental costs increasing with income increases otherwise you achieve nothing (as Brown/Blair discovered!).

Yes,
rent element let's say £1200
4x child element if all born before 2017 £1100
single person element £375
total 2675
wages £1900 minus £373= 1627
£1627x0.55=£873
so you take
£874 off the total UC entitlement
equals £1802 UC per month.
so wages and UC plus child benefit equals around £3800 plus child benefit.

Wouldn't work. More disposable income will just drive rent and house prices up further, just as increasing housing benefit does. Would we also have a regional minimum wage to ensure private workers don't get forced out now that public sector workers earn more?
House prices need to come down, not be continually propped up. Only solution is build more housing and put an end to housing as investments.
And as individuals, we have to make realistic choices about where we can afford to live.