came back a decade ago and some things are still weird!
for renting, read the link below to get clued up on English tenant rights. Lots of misinformation around and while most landlords do it properly, the dodgy ones prey on the clueless. BTW most fees to tenants have now been outlawed, and deposits are now capped at five weeks rent. Section 21 (the 'no fault eviction' - actually the only way to get a tenant out) is going to be outlawed soon in England and landlords will get very choosy. Your positives are you are an adult who has run a home, you don't smoke (I hope) and you've no pets, plus a job which means that the rent is no more than 40% of your takehome.
Don't rent a shithole expecting it to get better, and especially not an expensive shithole - happens a lot on here. There's no need. A landlord who doesn't do all the checks is one you don't want to be renting from.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent/how-to-rent-the-checklist-for-renting-in-england
car finance is a very expensive way of doing it. Plenty of decent 8-10 year old cars around. You will have an insurance issue with no no-claims; if by any chance you've been a named driver on someone else's policy, that can help. Otherwise you are looking at ££££. Don't forget breakdown cover; I use Start Rescue who provide the full works for around £60 a year.
broadband should be around £20 a month at most, I'm paying £25 including unlimited landline calls.
contact lenses; get a checkup and a prescription, then buy from one of the online services. This will piss off your optician so be discreet. Feelgood contacts are one I use, there are others.
dentistry ; good luck finding an NHS dentist even when they do reopen. Expect to go private.
gas and electric; you take over the supplier 'in situ' when you move into a property. You then use one of the comparison sites to get quotes for alternatives. The official model compares with the expensive standard tariffs, best bet is to look at actual unit costs and standing charges and then get a fix. At the moment gas should be 2.5p to 3p a unit, electricity 12-18p a unit and standing charges for each about 20p a day. (as you may be able to tell, I've been reviewing my costs recently!) The ridiculous smart meter programme is currently stalled due to Covid-19. Many smart meters go dumb when you switch supplier, although it isn't a big deal to give readings.
yes you will need contents insurance; it isn't expensive. Again, use a comparison site.
finally, if you haven't been back in a while you will find the crowding and traffic in Surrey terrifying. Be warned!