To live in a Travelodge

[oakkiln]

Inspired by the other poster who started a threads about liquidating their assets and living in luxury hotels in their old age (but, for us, sadly without the assets!)

My husband and I are in a desperate situation. We are both late middle age and still rent. We are doing everything we can to save for a deposit for a house and live very frugally.

Rent, rates and all house costs etc come to £21k a year. But we could live in a Travelodge for £11k. Storage for furniture etc would be £2k

Are we crazy to consider it for just a year or two?

You’d need an address though for your bank account and payslips and such?

I was thinking this too. It would cost a lot in eating out / takeaways.what if the room rates increase?

I would definitely go for a large double room in a house share.
Essentially the same as a Travelodge, but access to a shared kitchen, washer/dryer if you’re lucky and living space (you could still have a microwave and kettle in your room if you want!)

We have a touring caravan. We often stay on sites which have a few 'permanent' residents. They tend to be the non-touristy sites, mainly fields on the side of farms which the people have an agreement with the farmer/land owner.
This is more common than you think, the last guy we got speaking to had got divorced and it had crippled him financially.
We have been touring with our caravan for many years and our caravan has a fixed bed and is great for a few weeks at a time but I wouldn't want to live in it full time tbh. You might be better off looking at fifth wheels, they are lovely and spacious, you can pick them up second hand on eBay.

This is a good idea, though it still doesn't solve the problem of a postal address for banking etc

Maybe you could give more info on your finances?

How have you got to late middle age and renting rather than buying?
What work do you do, your joint income, the deposit you need and the range of properties you want to buy?
Is your work reliable? If it's not you'd struggle to get a mortgage anyway.

It's a bit pointless asking if you can live in a TL when we don't know if you need £100K to buy a house or £250K. Prices vary so much across the UK.

But the income from those jobs is meagre.
The 'attraction' of them is free lodgings, not earning money.
The payment is next to nothing.
Assuming they can't continue with their current jobs (which some may not allow.)

One option with this house sitting is that one person (usually the man) does DIY and gardening and the spouse continues with her other job.

We have one too, but ours is a tiny micro. We wouldn't want to live in it full time, but we've done 3 week trips before and it's fine. If it was more spacious inside, I might consider it if it was the best option.

Some travellers near me have bought a field and stuck statics on it and rent them out

A large room with an en-suite shower

I know of someone who uses trusted housesitters and other sites as rent free accommodation.
requires often looking after someone’s pet .

big no. years ago I was referred to Social Services for a hostel place but none available as it was an urgent service I was put in a local hotel which in those days was unusual.
I lived there nearly 2 years and it was awful. I had no privacy all I heard was people coming and going, traffic outside plus as people have said it was hard with food. A breakfast was included but limited choice. the allowance I had was pitiful and I ended up on a diet of sandwiches which were reduced at the end of the day or take hot snacks.
A few years ago I ended up in a Women's Aid refuge then had to move onto a Bed And Breakfast which was miserable. it was freezing cold so the me and the 2 kids used to snuggle up today for warmth. we had to be out 9-5 so I ended up tramping the streets I used to buy reduced stuff for the kids tea again snacks etc but we had to sit in a bus stop to eat it as food was not allowed in the hotel. weekends were awful trying to entertain the kids could not afford cafes etc I would never ever contemplate living in travel lodges hotels etc through choice the twice I had to was not by choice

As others have suggested, how about a campervan and tour around? At least you get to see things and have a place to cook.

Or, how about a tiny home. Some areas in Wales and Scotland allow these to be put up on a bit of land. I don’t have affiliation with the firms below, but provide the link so you can get an idea
https://www.twttinyhomes.com

https://www.thetinyhousing.co/blog/understanding-the-uk-laws-of-a-tiny-house-y24y6#:~:text=Things%20can%20get%20a%20little,completely%20legal%20under%20many%20circumstances.

There’s no way you will last more than a month with just a microwave. You will actually get quite ill.

You can survive with an Ikea travel induction hob and an air fryer.
But not having a fridge will also cause problems.

I would look at a shared room in an HMO for a couple of years. Or if you are going to do the travel lodge then sign up to house sitting services and bob around to be able to use kitchens properly.

Do you have children? If it’s just you and DH, and you’re in late middle age, I’m not sure why you want to buy rather than carry on renting? To what end? Once you’re a property owner, you have all the expense of maintaining your home etc.

i travel a lot for work and find Travelodges really grim. Very basic rooms, few amenities, etc. And living in any hotel means no kitchen so where will you cook? No laundry facilities. And you and DH living on top of each other in one room. Which would strain any marriage.

What about a mobile home/static caravan?

But if you’re just planning to do this for a few years in order to save for a deposit, why? I feel if I was your age and in your situation, I would just carry on renting. Late middle age isn’t a time to do this - what if one of you gets ill and you’re stuck in a hotel room with no stability or home comforts?

Wouldn't having to essentially eat out all the time add up quite quickly, though?

I would definitely avoid Travelodge.

Not bad for the odd night here and there. I've done a week or so in one on a course which wasn't ideal and I've known people who have done 3-4 months in them due to work and it was a struggle.

Travelodges don't have free WiFi so that would be an additional cost.

A houseshare with a shared kitchen or an aparthotel or something with a small kitchen would work better.

How can they tour around if a) they've both working an b) they need to save that income towards a house deposit?

They need an address for a mortgage, bank statements showing regular earnings or savings - so how does a camper van road trip tick those boxes?

I think the downside of a house share is they are often 'shared' by much younger people.

Late middle age suggests late 50s or older.

I'm not sure it would be easy to find a house share as a couple at their age.

I can imagine it may work if you got the travelodge breakfast, have access to a work canteen with discounted food and then you could make a salad for dinner or get takeaway sushi.

And if it was near a laundromat.

@Fountofwisdom The downside of renting is that the owner can sell up at any time and you're forced to move.
That can be a nightmare especially as you get older.

You have no security and are at the mercy and whim of someone else.
Also, rents can increase hugely when your income doesn't.

@oakkiln I read an article a couple of days ago about guardianship. Where you apply to be the guardian of an empty building. It's cheaper than renting, but the waiting lists are quite high now because it's so appealing for people in exactly your position. My ex did it for a year or two in London and said it was fine.

Or a container home. We looked into this a couple of years ago when DH got offered a job in a tricky location.

Unless OP comes back and says what work they do if it's remote or in an office/ building, this is all pie in the sky.

They might have hybrid roles or WFH?

If they need to be in one place, a tiny home might do the trick. They are about £55K, yet because they have a wheeled chassis, so it is legal to park them in several places. They are quite popular in the States, New Zealand, Canada, Australia. There is a good YouTube called exploring alternatives that covers different types of housing like this.

Tiny Housing co indicates.

You can legally put your tiny house in a number of places including;

• Within the curtilage of your home/dwelling i.e in the garden
• On a plot of land, such as farmland for a period of 60 days or you can place it there for longer under permitted development rights and/or with a certificate of lawful development
• On a caravan site as tiny houses are movable homes on wheels, therefore they fall under the caravan rules & regulations - find sites that have long-term seasonal pitches
• On a park home / residential home site - this can be done if your tiny house is built to specific standards such as BS:EN 3632:2015 (must be no more than 3.05m tall internally) which ours are!
• On land where you’ve applied for planning permission within a residential area
• On a glamping site for holiday let purposes (with planning permission approved)
• On a certified site, offered as a site management building - check out ‘freedom camping’
• On farmland / stables / equestrian land