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Moving Out

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Hi there me and my girlfriend are both uni students and are hoping to move out in 6 months time or so. We dont want to live in university dorms and just want a normal house or flat. We're both worried about being able to afford it. Does anyone have any advice or info about being able to get benefits and whatnot?

many thanks dean
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    students don't qualify for benefits if they don't have dependents or disabilities AFAIK.

    you will need to pay your rent with student loan/money from parents/money from part time job.

    you are exempt from council tax though.

    you may find it's cheaper to share a house with someone else too.

    your accomodation office or SU help centre will be able to advise you on the best action hopefully.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you'll probably find that living in a house is cheaper than living in halls. i live in a typical student house, and pay £45pcw without bills. but to be honest they amount to very little. i have friends in halls who pay in the region of £80-100pcw so work out the maths! is there anyone else you could live with? and i'm not sure but i'm assuming you pay per person and not per room?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Even if you can dont move into a house with just you two, it will isolate you from the rest of Uni and you wont get the most out of it.

    House sharing will be the cheaper and the more social way forward.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thanks for your replies, we would like to have our own place. We dont see the point in sharing as we live at our parents houses and we live and work outside the town the uni is in. So we both only travel in to attend lectures and seminars do work etc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    bongbudda wrote:

    House sharing will be the cheaper and the more social way forward.

    :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    deano2005 wrote:
    thanks for your replies, we would like to have our own place. We dont see the point in sharing as we live at our parents houses and we live and work outside the town the uni is in. So we both only travel in to attend lectures and seminars do work etc.


    you can still share...why does any of that make a difference?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You aren't entitled to benefits as you are full-time students; the only perk is being exempt from council tax liability.

    Two-bed places of any quality are about £550pcm in Newcastle, I would imagine the rates will vary somewhat depending on the town but not that much. Utilities are another £100pcm. Then there's food, socialising, etc.

    A good way is to rent two rooms in a large house if you haven't been together long. Moving in with a partner is a big step, and many relationships don't clear the hurdle. If you only rent as a couple, and you split up, you are stuck there. It's an important point to consider.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I finished uni this year and my boyfriend and I rented an "ordinary" flat for the past two years, he was working full time. It costs us nearly £600 per month, which is alot when you are a student, especially when you consider that you need food and bills money. Then you need money for clothes, general beauty products and just going out. It was tight to say the least, however we did get the "peace and tranquility" of living together and we didn't have the hassle of bad housemates (something we had both experienced). I would definately think about the financial consequences of such a commitment, if you could find a nice student flat you could probably save yourselves around £200 a month in rent in comparison to an "ordinary" flat.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    rachie004 wrote:
    I'm doing my degree on a part time basis, so do I get to be exempt from paying council tax?

    I don't think so.

    If you have a limited income you may be eligible for Council Tax benefit though. Pop into your local council and ask.
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