How do you manage renting as a single person

[bannaba]

Looking into renting solo, relationship with "DP" is very much on the rocks and first baby due in a matter of weeks. How do people afford it? The cheapest you can get in the area is around £1000 and I take home just over £2000. I've widened my search as much as possible to cover cheaper areas. I have savings to cover me as my situation is just getting unbearable but will be on smp soon. I have applied with the HA but not expecting any progress for a few months due to their backlog.

Have you checked if you'll be entitled to any benefits once baby is here? Gov.uk links to free benefits calculators you can use

You would receive benefits and maintenance once the baby arrives. But yes, it's a valid question and I'm sure impacts people's decisions about leaving unhealthy relationships.

Thanks both. I haven't looked yet, it's all very new and up in the air but I will take some time to look at what I may be entitled to. Baby's father will help out with maintenance and more if I really need it but I'd obviously not want to.

@Perfect28 I know what you mean, it does make it very hard to feel like you're making the right decision or not or whether to try and stick it out and see how things go. I don't know if private renting will make it more difficult to get on HA list or not but with even just an application taking 20 weeks to process time really is not on side.

Try one of the benefit checking tools like turn2us or EntitledTo. Alternatively contact Help to Claim (run by Citizens Advice) on 0800 144 8 444.

Have you considered shared ownership?

I looked previously into this when I split from another ex a number of years ago. I have heard negative stories on the shared ownership of when people then try to sell. Is that correct in what I'm thinking; it's the same as part buy, part rent scheme?

Shared ownership starts at about a salary of 75k. London.

It’s not a budget option.

I don't know about London but that's certainly not the case here in the Midlands.

No it doesn’t - I’m doing it in London on a salary of under 50K, & that’s owning 45% of my flat.

Do a benefits calculator to see if you’ll be eligible for UC once baby arrives. The LHA will factor in how much you will get towards rent.
I’m in Brum and sometimes HA’s put properties on rightmove/zoopla- that’s how I got mine

I haven't tried selling mine yet but know a few that have and had no problems doing so.

If I did decide to sell I'd have to give the housing association first options on selling it (at market value) and if they cannot find a buyer within 4-12 weeks you are then allowed to put it on the open market although, you're not allowed to make a huge profit due to it being their housing stock.
Yes, part rent, part buy.
The market value of mine was £240,000 2 years ago. I purchased a 45% share with £80k cash and a mortgage for £28k. The rent is £338 pcm which makes up the 55%.
I'm actually in the process of paying off the small mortgage so that I only have the rent to find. I'll never own the property outright but I still have equity in it plus, I get to live in a lovely new build 2 bed semi with no worry of being turfed out. It's been an affordable solution for me.
Definitely worth looking into ☺️.

Universal credit ( as long as you don't have savings over 16k ) and child maintenance.

You'll get 25% off your council tax if you are a single adult household.

You will be entitled to child maintenance, but best not to account for that when you're working out the other income ( like tax credits) you should get.

Reason being, many women find that they can't rely on child support, for all sorts of reasons, after a split. My ex promised he'd help with maintenance, but when it came to it he dangled it like a carrot, and would often refuse to pay.

The child maintenance service are next to useless too. I don't want to be a downer, but I just want you not to factor maintenance in, just in case your stbx turns out like a lot of men (and women) do when they separate.

I do shared ownership in London and my salary is just over £2500 monthly net. I have lovely one bed flat 5 min walk from the Elizabeth line. Near to shops and parks and a 30 min walk to work.

Ive literally not had to do anything to it- it was new and I was first person to move in. In total all my bills rent and mortgage come to £1300 of that income so I still have a a good chunk of disposable income left over. I didn’t want to house share anymore and it was the best option for me as just rental flats alone plus bills for one bed flats I looked at came to £1800 minimum. The others would have been about £2000. If you shop around you can get a good deal.

Also no problems selling if you have the fire safety certificate for new cladding - can’t remember what it’s called. I know the flats in my area are in demand even shared ownership as population is dense in this area and it’s cheaper than many other areas in London.

Shared ownership isn't a good option for everyone (or at all as far as I'm concerned, for many reasons).

To answer your question OP:

Use the online govt calculator to work out maintenance, if your ex is offering more take that but make sure it's at least the legal minimum. Maintenance is disregarded when claiming benefits by the way so don't worry about that.

I always had an agreement with my kids father that we split other expenses on top of the maintenance (for us it was extra curricular activities and shoes), so might be worth thinking about that. Children are increasingly expensive as they get older! You'll have childcare costs so maybe make an agreement about splitting the cost, as it enables you both to work (many men seem to think it's the woman's cost and allows the woman to work....)

Claim universal credit, you should get something towards rent and childcare.