Whether an immigrant moving to the UK from the U.S or someone already in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland, getting cheap housing in the UK is possible and should be something that everyone in this part of the world clamors for.
Related article: Cheapest way to book hotels
Related article: Moving to the UK: 11 things to expect
Let’s face it, the cost of living in the United Kingdom is pretty exorbitant, juxtapose that with the huge amount of people immigrating to the UK from other parts of the world, what you get is simply the laws of economics at play, translating to demand outweighing supply. Little wonder why there is a housing crisis in the UK.
However, irrespective of government policies, laws of economics or financial circumstances Fuse Chronicles is here to inform you that it is possible to get cheap housing in the UK and the different ways in which this can be done, is what this article seeks to reveal.
How To Get Cheap Housing In The UK
Most people find it short of annoying and indeed frustrating moving to a rented property. For instance, an international student looking to transition from on-campus to off-campus accommodation or for a professional moving from the U.S to UK, it could be quite daunting.
Particularly if seeking a rental unit on a budget, then the task of finding the right cheap housing in the UK becomes an uphill struggle. Most people usually recommend that you find the right realtor, but even doing that does not guarantee cheaper rates. Well, here are somethings that could be done to fix this.
Negotiate!! Get A Discount On Your Rent
It is important to be mindful that you are not buying a new house, if so the prices of properties for sale in England and Wales are usually fixed and not negotiable. The reverse is the case for rental units in the UK. The asking price can always be negotiated.
The challenge most people face is the pressure to pay the quoted price, the fear that the house could be off the market before one makes up his/her mind. Worse, with the housing crisis being experienced in the UK, backed by the huge amount of immigration, adding up to more people looking for fewer homes.
First Approach
The first step to going about negotiating a rental price is finding a home that has been in the market for a long time. Listing a house comes at a cost and you can bet your last pence that the owner of the property wouldn’t find a continuous payment of listing fee funny.
When such a house is found, the next step is approaching the landlord directly and offering to pay a reduced rent for the property than the one advertised. No sensible property owner wants an empty rental unit devoid of tenants. It’s important to run an inspection of the place before payment though.
Second Approach
Another way of driving down monthly rent cost is by finding out from the property owner whether you could take care of the interior decorations. Suggestions of starting a garden could sometimes do the trick or you could demand that all furniture such as cupboards, bed frames or carpets not be installed for a lower rent payment.
There’s no greater turn off to a potential tenant than seeing a rental property with no curtails, radiator or bed frame. In the eyes of the landlord, a tenant looking to put these essentials in place is God sent. Negotiating a reduced rent in this case becomes possible.
It is paramount that you get all conditions for a reduced rent captured in a written agreement before any payment is made and before moving in.
Third Approach
Conveying intent of staying in a rental unit for a long time, usually 2 to 5 years, could make a potential tenant an attractive proposition to any landlord. This eliminates the double extra cost incurred in renovating the property and then re-listing it.
Being a potential long-term tenant becomes immaterial if there are a lot of people competing to secure a rental property. Thus, this strategy is unlikely to work as more demand means the landlord is at liberty to offer terms that must be accepted.
Get Cheap Housing In The UK By Renting A Property In The Suburbs
We’ve heard it said a million times that everything is expensive in cosmopolitan cities like London, Manchester and London, even housing. However, what most people fail to add is the fact that most things are expensive the closer you are to the city centre.
For instance, a family paying rent on a property located in Abington will pay a higher rate than another family living in a rental unit out in Rushmills. Both houses are located in Northampton, but Abington is close to the city center and Rushmills is in the suburbs.
There are a host of reasons that make houses close to the city center more expensive than those located in the suburbs, this ranges from close proximity to the train station and bus terminals making access to different routes easy. Also, there is the ecstatic that come with living in or close to the city center.
Sub-letting A Room That’s Part Of A Property
Most people want to live private lives, but cannot afford the exorbitant cost of renting a full house in the city they are residing in the UK. This category of people could settle for renting a single room in the house. There are a variety of ways in which this can be done.
Renting the Property By Going Double Dutch
It’s common for 2 friends or more to come together with the intention of renting a room or a house together (double Dutch). This usually lowers the rent cost as well as cost associated with other utilities. If this is the option being pursued, then it would be wise to be protected with a written agreement.
It is recommended that even though the cost is evenly shared, all rental agreements and obligations entered into must be done on an individual basis instead of a joint tenancy. This is because it saves both parties the pain of having to pay for damages that was caused by a single member in the union.
House In Multiple Occupation (HMO)
In a bid to secure cheap housing in the UK, an individual could decide to rent a room in a shared house. In such as way that only one room is rented, sometimes this could come with a bathroom (en suite), other times, both bathroom and kitchen are shared by the individual and other occupants of the house.
Sometimes the house might be empty and after proper negotiations, the landlord could decide to rent out one room, while he/she awaits the remaining rooms in the house to be taken up. This arrangement is usually very rare, as managing tenants on an individual basis could sometimes be a nightmare.
Individuals who live in house in multiple occupation, do not have control over who takes up the remaining vacant rooms in the house. However, the upside is the fact that tenancy agreements are normally signed on a personal basis.
There are a number of websites that offer houses for rent in which this sort of arrangement can be carried out. Companies such as Spare room and ideal flat mate are examples of them.
Get Cheap Housing In The UK By Renting A Room As A Lodger
It is also possible to secure cheap housing in the UK by renting a room in somebody’s house as a lodger. An individual is considered a lodger, if he/she lives in the same property with the landlord sharing common amenities such as the bathroom and kitchen.
In most cases, lodgings are usually informal arrangements, but we recommend that a written agreement be used to cover all conditions agreed upon for moving in. If interested in renting a room as a lodger, Spare room and ideal flat mate also offers this service.
Offering House Sitter Services
It is common to find individuals who do not plan on staying in a place for a very long time, but seek to secure a short term accommodation while in a city. Such individuals could oversee upkeep of an apartment while the owners are out of town, staying free of charge. Sometimes even getting paid.
Home-sitters are used when families or single individuals plan on traveling for some days or a couple of months and need their pets to be looked after by a person, not just putting it in a kennel for the duration of time they plan on being away.
The use of house-sitters is becoming a popular means of getting cheap housing in the UK. Although listings of this nature are usually short term in nature and a lot of character vetting goes into this arrangement before the keys to a house can handed over. Thus, its referral based.
Cost Of Being A House-Sitter
It’s worth mentioning that there are cost associated with house-sitting, individuals interested in exploring this option must take into consideration travel fares to the designated property as well as membership fee to be listed on house-sitting websites.
In some cases, the owner of the property could request that house-sitters settle bills that accrue from the use of electricity and phone. Even maintenance of the property against damage could be roped in. It is thus import to ensure that all conditions relating to engagement are covered in a written agreement.
Employment With Housing
Some companies offer housing to new employees, this is more predominant in the hospitality and healthcare sector, where in-house accommodation is offered as part of the pecks of working for a particular organization.
It’s important to be mindful that tax deductions could apply. Although there are special circumstances that prevents this from happening such as:
- If in-house accommodation is necessary for the performance of one’s role within the company
- Whether housing provision is a prerequisite for the nature of work towards lightening the burden and improving ease of executing corporate functions
- If housing is required for safety of life, this affects military personnel
Employment based housing is one of the best ways to getting the cheapest property in UK, because apart from taxes, they usually come at zero cost. However, it only has one drawback, most beneficiaries get the feeling that they never truly leave work as they could be made to work around the clock.
This form of housing could be very handy for people interested in living within company premises while looking to save up money to get their own place. Most find out that even though wages are taxed, this option remains relatively cheaper that the going rate to rent a house in the UK
How To Get Cheap Housing In The UK By Becoming A Property Guardian
It is common to see properties in certain areas that stay empty for a while, such property units are susceptible to activities of miscreants and squatters. A property guardian is allowed to live in the property, thus warding off trouble makers from vandalizing the property.
Some houses might have been earmarked for demolition in order to bring some level of development to the area, guardians are offered short term permission to stay in the property, they are expected to pay some form of rent, which is usually a subsidized sum in exchange for keeping an eye on the property.
Companies such as Dot Dot Dot offer interested individuals the opportunity to become guardians of properties at rates so discounted that they almost do not exist. Beneficiaries in return are expected to commit to devoting a specified period (16 hours) allotted for working with a charity on voluntary basis.
Imagine an individual accepted as a property guardian, who rents a 2 bedroom flat with a sizable garden in West London for £800 per month; the closest affordable equivalent property advertised on Rightmove at the time of writing this piece was £1,300 per month for the same area.
It must be stressed at this junction that guardianships are only offered to single individuals and never to people who have children, properties are rented on a short-term basis and the rights of guardians are viewed differently since they are considered licensees instead of tenants.
Also, 28 days is the notice period after which property owner can gain access to the building without prior warning. Standards relating to health and safety must be adhered to at all times.
Conclusion
Getting cheap housing in the UK is not as difficult as a lot of people paint it out to be. There are specific steps that have to be followed to get the desired results. These stages and their criteria can be met by anybody and is not restricted to locals alone.
Some steps that could be followed to get the cheapest property in UK are making sure that potential tenants negotiate a discount with the landlord before paying the agreed rate. Going for housing units in the suburbs instead of those in the city centers.
Renting a room that’s part of a house, sharing the payment in letting a house or squatting in a property that houses the landlord as a lodger. Then there is the prospect of lowering the rent by staying in a house as a house-sitter, a property guardian or a beneficiary of a company’s accommodation.
Whatever method is chosen to get cheap housing in the UK, it is paramount that all conditions governing the reduction in tenancy rate be captured in a written agreement to avoid liabilities that could pop up in the future.
Were these tips on how to get cheap housing in the UK helpful? Share you thoughts in the comment section below.
