Looking at buying my 1st flat - how much should I expect my bills to be

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i know council tax will vary and I can contact the council for that...

And I know tv license is currently just over £13 a month...

But i wasn't sure how much I should budget (it'll just be me)...

For water, gas, electric, water, internet, insurance, maintenance, anything else i can't think of...

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Advice appreciated. Thank you

Is it in a block? Is there ground rent and service charges to pay?

Haven't decided on a specific flat but I know for most you have to ground rent and service charges but I can just check that with the various agents. Looking probably for a 1 flat...

It's the other bills I am trying to get my head around...

You can look at your council tax band here: www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands
And then just look up council tax on your. Local councils website to work our what that will be. Mine was about £150 a month.

You need to consider service and ground rents and mortgages.

Then water I paid about £35 a month for a two bed flat, gas and electric was about £50 a month.

Internet - £25 (for a high speed uncapped)
Contents insurance - £100 a year
British gas home care (cover boiler, electric and plumbing emergencies) - £20 a month

Obv you also need some funds for maintance and repairs (there's always, something) plus every day spending like food etc

We live in a 1 bedroom flat in SE London and bills are -
Council tax - £144
Electricity & gas - Roughly £60 but varies
Water - £35
BT internet & TV - £53

Obv you also need some funds for maintance and repairs (there's always, something)

Any ideas on how much to budget for this would be useful too...

Re;maintenance - it depends on the state of the property. If it's a freehold flat you might need to contribute to a communal fund for roof repairs for example. They say put 1% of the property price aside for repairs annually. You'll need to factor in replacing kitchen goods every now and again ie; washing machine etc.

You MUST check the length of the lease before buying a flat.
If it is too short you may not get a mortgage on it or be able to sell
it without significant cost and/or hassle.
Check this with your solicitor before you even put an offer in
The leasehold Advisory service can help re info regarding rights
and obligations of lessees in flats

Zoopla has a really good costs calculator. Don’t forget management fees and ground rent charges with a flat. These can catch people out.

I love alone in a 1 bed flat OP in London and pay:
£90 council tax
£40 gas and electric
£60 tv and internet
£220 service charge (inc water and ground rent)
£20 British Gas insurance
£13 tv license
£20 tv streaming subs

On maintenance - unfortunately this is a massive risk with a leasehold flat/any property. Within 18months of moving in I was presented with a £12,000 bill for my share of a roof problem and had 1 year to pay it

@Lightsabre

Re;maintenance - it depends on the state of the property. If it's a freehold flat you might need to contribute to a communal fund for roof repairs for example. They say put 1% of the property price aside for repairs annually. You'll need to factor in replacing kitchen goods every now and again ie; washing machine etc.

Thanks this is very useful to know

It’s very important to see how well the building is managed, what work has been done, what is planned, how much money is in the sinking fund is etc Otherwise, you could have a costly suprise like LockdownQ says.

I would also chip in by saying that heating bills are likely to be half or less in a modern, insulated block vs a Victorian conversion (esp with high ceilings or original single glazing).

thank you

As another poster has said please make sure your solicitor checks the lease and tells you about the length, ground rent and other charges. It's not just about what you can afford now it's about future saleability.
Google leasehold scandal to be frightened off buying anything leasehold (with good reason).

The leasehold scandal is largely related to leasehold houses and not flats.

It's not a given that you will be shafted by leasehold charges. I pay £600/year all in for ground rent, sinking fund and management fees. Haven't been asked to pay a single extra penny in 12 years.

I live alone in a 1 bed, electric-only flat in SE London

CT - £75 (with single person discount)
Electricity - £49 (monthly DD which I want lowered as I'm always in credit)
Internet - £15
Netflix/Now TV - approx £18
Service charge including water - £165
Ground rent - £10