Is there any location in the South where you can rent a house for £850 pcm?

[ByAmberteacher]

I feel totally trapped in my house. I really would like to move from my area (in the Midlands) closer to the sea and to my Family in Dorset. My Grandma and Dad both passed away last year and I would like to be there for my Mum and for my daughter to have a better relationship with my family. I am trapped by only having one income, having a dog and not being able to pass affordability checks. I am not even being allowed to look at houses with some agents as they say I cannot afford them - yet I have never missed a months payment in 32 years of renting / having a mortgage. With the agent affordability checks I would need to find a house £850 pcm or below. I am finding this an impossible task .

• looking for a location further south - ideal one hour max to Poole
• we have a dog who comes to work with me in the days and never left alone
• me plus 13 year old living there full time plus room needed for 20 and 21 year old 'children' to come and stay in university holidays
• my daughter is autistic and attends a specialist autism school so would be looking for a suitable school

Anyone got any advice on locations to look at please?

It’s such a tough position to be in but if you need a 3 bed, it’s very rare to find one for £850 anywhere in the country.
I would look at 2 beds and your uni age kids can bunk down in the living room for holidays as you can’t afford to keep a room empty for them half the year

So 3 bedrooms? And other requirements? Garden? Proximity to anything other than Poole like stations, hospitals etc.

I don't know for sure, but DS rents a room in a house with no access to a kitchen for £780 per month so I'd be amazed if you could.

We would love a small garden but would compromise on house and location for a yard or no garden. Could cope with 2 bedrooms to help with price and location

Look for a 2 bed with a larger kitchen so the older kids can stay in the lounge when they come back? Have you applied to HA’s? You maybe eligible due to your low income/ child’s ND requirements

Guessing you’re used the filters on Rightmove? This one’s probably too small but looks like something out of Sense & Sensibility…

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161396510#/?channel=RES_LET

I’m in Hampshire, just under an hour from Poole, here a room in a HMO is £600 pcm, my DN pays £1050 for a 1 bed flat, 2 beds are £1200 + pcm 🙁

Isle of Wight has a few apartments for your budget. You could get the ferry from Yarmouth to Lymington. No houses though and IoW is cheap.

@ByAmberteacher is Somerset too far?

These are 2 bed but within your monthly budget

sorry looks like a bad link.

Here's the long version, didn't work either, apologies

something like this? https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161396510#/?

No way you'll find a 3 bed for that price.

It's the fact you are looking in Dorset that is the issue. You need to cast your net wider.

that is so nice! thank you

I had no even thought about IOW - thank you

I am open to anywhere further south than where we are now - just have run out of ideas so thought I would ask here

I live just down the road from the Stoke sub Hamden house, in Ilminster
It's a really lovely part of south Somerset. Lots of secondary schools, often small ones, and we are about 25 mins from the south coast (Lyme Regis area). About 40 mins from both Exeter and Bristol. Absolutely beautiful countryside and such friendly people!
We moved here 6 years ago from north Wiltshire and absolutely love it! Ask me anything you want.

just added your area to my list - thank you

@ByAmberteacher as Swifey mentioned, Ilminster, although it's 1hr 20m from Poole (50 miles)

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/69976498/?

This house is right in our little town, by the primary school. It's walking distance to everything (and Ilminster has everything....a co-op and a a quite big Tesco, plus a lovely butchers, deli, bakers, cheese shop, veg shop, etc) and the added bonus you can walk into a nature reserve (Herne Hill) from town in 10 mins. Plus a about 3 parks and loads of sports clubs etc

The ferry is very expensive though

If you do a search on rightmove for properties within 30 or 40 miles of Poole quite a few come up and some of them look pretty nice. There aren't any 3 beds but there are some decent looking 2 beds and you might find you could adapt one of the other rooms for your older children when needed? Good luck, I hope you find somewhere nice.

Thanks so much to everyone who has replied so far. I am very grateful

I used to live on the South Coast, moved away, and honestly I don’t think you would get a two bed house for under £1350pm, the prices are crazy and rentals get snapped up very quickly.

I would look for an adaptable 2-bed house in the area surrounding Yeovil, as Yeovil has a specialist autism secondary school. Your daughter would be eligible for transport to school from villages in the area, and not too far from Poole.

Stoke sub Hamdon is lovely!

I live in Poole OP rentals are horrendously expensive, you would get a one bed apartment for £850 and that would be a ‘bargain’