Start with the money: work out what you can comfortably pay each month for rent and bills, and how much you’ll need up front, before you start viewing places. Then find your home, decide what comes with you, and agree with your parents what happens to everything you leave behind.
It’s a big step, and a good one. Here’s how to take it in order.
1. Work out what you can afford
Rent is only part of the cost. Your monthly budget also needs energy, broadband, food, travel and Council Tax. You’ll usually have to pay Council Tax if you’re 18 or over, and if you live on your own you can apply for 25% off the bill. Your local council can tell you whether you qualify for any other discount.
Then there’s the money you need before you move in. If you’re renting, a landlord can ask for a deposit of up to five weeks’ rent (where the rent for the year is under £50,000), and a holding deposit of up to one week’s rent to reserve the property.
2. Find your place
When you rent in England on the most common type of tenancy, your landlord must put your deposit in a government-approved protection scheme. That’s what makes sure you get it back at the end, as long as you keep to the tenancy, look after the place and pay your rent and bills. If the deposit is the hard part, your local council can tell you whether you’re eligible for a rent or deposit guarantee scheme.
3. Decide what comes with you
If your first flat or room in a shared house is smaller than the home you grew up in, take what you’ll use every week and leave the rest for later. Measure the space before you move big furniture: it’s much easier to bring a wardrobe over once you know it fits.
4. Agree what stays behind
Your parents may be happy to keep your things for a while, or they may be planning to use your room. A quick, honest chat now saves a tense one later.
If your things need somewhere to go in between, a storage unit can hold them while you settle in. Our minimum stay is two weeks, and if you need more or less space later, we can move you to a bigger or smaller unit when one is free. You can get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585 and we’ll help you work out the size.
Related questions
- Should I store furniture, sell it or give it away?
- Moving into a smaller rental: how short-term self storage helps
- Storage unit size guide for a 1-bedroom flat
Further reading
- GOV.UK: Private renting, deposits
- GOV.UK: Tenancy deposit protection
- GOV.UK: Council Tax, who has to pay