Advice for possible move

[Tomoveornottomove999]

Hello all.

I need some advice please
We are potentially moving but I want to see if thos is a really silly idea or not and we should stay put!!

Ok. We rent..probably always will.

We have the opportunity to move to a bigger house for not much more than we pay now

The size is big enough for all 4 kids to have their own bedroom

All great.

Now, my worries....
Septic tank
Oil for energy
And no double glazing.

Can anyone advise me on what oil for energy, septic tanks etc will be like.

Is there anything we can put on windows for the winter?

Will all of this be a huge cost and therefore we should just stay where we are....

I'm happy with the rent amount. But I was more thinking will the energy, septic tank cost us the earth?

Also we would be able to stay there minimum 10 years. Its a long story but a good deal. Friend of a friend. Family in home for 100 plus years. No tenant has been there less than 10 years. Landlord will never sell.

I find heating oil pretty much as good as gas on prices. You pay upfront approx £300-400 for 500l and it lasts us about 3 months but that's heating and hot water.
No idea on septic tank might be worth asking landlord but presumably you save that cost on your water bill anyway.
Double glazing would probably be a game changer for me though.

Security of tenancy is worth a lot. It sounds like your heating bills will be higher as no double glazing and more rooms.

Thank you @Motomum23 that's reassuring.

I have no experience of this. So how does the oil work. Do you have to have a tank with oil delivered and topped up?

True @bergamotorange I'm just a very nervous risk taker. It's also in the middle of no where. I work from home. So I'm wandering if I can hack it. I drive. So I can get kids to school/activities.

It's an amazing opportunity. Still not guarenteed or promised but has been floated to us to consider before going down relevant channels. I just worry its a grass is greener situation.

Heating oil seems to work out cheaper than gas at the moment but bigger house and bo double glazing will increase bills. As will fuel bill driving kids everywhere

You could be living in my house OP. You get a company to fill up the oil tank so you effectively pay your bills in advance. The septic tank is for your sewage and waste water. The council will empty this as part if your council services as you aren't in the sewage network.

Oil heating is brilliant. You order online and they turn up and fill your tank up a few days later. We find our bills are far cheaper than when we had gas central heating and it seems more efficient.
I dont know much about septic tanks, but I believe you have to have them emptied every now and again and be careful what chemicals you use when cleaning.

Oh OK. So it's not all doom and gloom. Dh will be pleased. I'm the one saying let's take a step back. He would move tomorrow if we could.

Thank you everyone. Really appreciate the advice. I really thought I was going to be shouted at not to do it 😂

I would be most concerned with the single glazing, this will be the biggest drain. Price up getting this replaced with at least double-glazing.

Next the oil boiler and tank, how many years life do they have left? We were quoted 5K to replace both a couple of years after we moved into our house.

Septic tank, again what condition is it in, has the drainage field been maintained well, will it need attention in the next few years etc. Are there any access or easement issues to the drainage field.

I would get all the above checked out by experts before exchange of contracts.

Thank you @Dotto this would be to rent. Not buy

But we have had a chat together, dh and I. We have decided. We think we need to think long term. As much as I love the house. I think we are better off paying the difference in price of rent to save to buy a house ourselves. We have a promotion coming up so we will have a bit more spare. If we can stay where we are for another 3 or 4 years we should hopefully be able to buy ourselves.

Oil is cheap at the moment (summer). Our road just bought at 55.5p/litre last week. The secret is to buy in the hot weather and not buy in the depths of winter, and having a large tank helps. Do look at what insulation etc the house has as older properties tend to be more costly to heat.
Septic tank - generally needs emptying every couple of years, (about £100 for ours) but this works out cheaper than we'd pay the sewage element of a normal water bill.
I think a big plus is the fact that the family won't be selling the property o you'll get a long tenure.

Ah renting, no I definitely wouldn't live anywhere in the UK with single glazing, tons of money down the drain! There are no real cost-effective solutions to this.

I think your plan to save and buy is sensible.

We think we are going to go for the rented house now. Even with saving for a deposit. Its a secure tenure and we will still have enough to save. It will take longer. But we won't worry constantly about landlords wanting to sell. And worrying about deposits etc if that does happen.

We have a month or 2 to think about it still.

Out of interest, where do you live? We lived with a septic tank for 30 years and it was totally our responsibility to have it emptied, maintain the soakaway etc. It was nothing to do with the council.

Can't advise for oil or septic tank but when one of our window units need replacing we use this film over it until we can afford it. It is very effective in winter and all you need is scissors and a hairdryer to fit it.

https://www.diy.com/departments/diall-clear-window-film-l-4m-w-1-5m/1802835_BQ.prd

Thank you.

I checked. We would be liable to empty and maintain the septic tank.

Thank you @AutumnFroglets I will book Mark those!