Moving out of home

For most people, renting is the most affordable option for moving out of home. But if you have some money saved you could also consider buying your own place.

Here’s what to consider.

• Where - where would you like to live? Where can you afford to live? Are there good transport links to work? Will you have friends nearby?
• Who - who will you live with? Friends or strangers? Or will you go it alone?
• When - when do you want to move out? Can you afford it straightaway?

Look around
It can take many weeks to find an ideal place to suit your needs. Make sure you check out a few places at least so you can get an idea of the market value.

Tenancy agreement
The tenancy agreement is the legal contract between you and your landlord. It outlines the rights and responsibilities of both of you.

Know your rights
As a tenant, you have rights. Know what you’re entitled to and what you can expect from your landlord.

Here’s a brief outline of your main rights and responsibilities:

Your responsibilities:

• Pay rent
• Keep the place in a sanitary condition – throw out rubbish, for example
• Maintain the supplies in the house, like the gas, electricity and water
• Don’t intentionally cause damage
• When moving out, restore the property to the condition it was in when you moved in

Your rights:

• The landlord must give two days’ notice if they intend to enter the property, unless it’s an emergency
• The landlord must maintain and repair the property
• The landlord must provide smoke detectors
• The landlord must keep common areas such as lobbies, clean and free from hazards

Find out more about your renting and your rights from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Moving out of home is expensive. There are upfront fees, as well as the ongoing bills and living expenses.

Upfront costs
This will depend on how much your rent is and what you need to buy. You will have to pay a deposit, which is normally four weeks’ rent. Then you have to pay rent in advance, which again is normally four weeks. That’s eight weeks’ rent you have to fork out before you can start thinking about replacing the curtains!

Unless the house is furnished, you need to get the basics. Shop around or even look for secondhand goods. Consider renting certain items, which will also save you from lugging them from one rental property to another.

Ongoing costs
Running a household costs money. You need to budget, making sure you have enough to cover the essentials and some leftover to enjoy yourself. Ideally, you should be saving money too.

The biggest expenses include:

• rent
• Council Tax
• bills e.g. gas, electricity, phone
• food
• socialising
• clothing