Moving Out – #MyFirstRentalHome
As I’ve posted quite a few home and interior inspired pieces lately, I thought I would continue on the home front and share my experiences about renting my own home. Back in 2008, I took the plunge and rented my own home all by myself. No flat share, no splitting the rent, just me and the terror of having to do this all on my own. Looking back, it was probably the best decision that I have ever made and even now, I am still in the same house, a decade later. Although I had previously been in a flat share, the house that I’m in now is my first rental home and I have filled it with furniture and love.
It’s really quite funny how the British are so adamant about buying their own home. In fact, within Europe it’s actually quite rare for people to own their home with many choosing to rent. Whilst some will say that renting is dead money, I don’t believe that in this day and age that I would be able to get back on the property ladder without making huge changes to my lifestyle and moving back in with my Mum whilst being rent free. At the moment, I have a secured tenancy with a very reasonable rate of rent and pretty much a free reign of what I can do within the house. I have zero plans to move at the moment and I’m really content with just me and my Thomas plodding along as we are.
The apprehension of moving into your own place is nothing compared to how happy I have been making these four walls my own. From the early days, before Thomas came along, I just remember how weird it was to be in a somewhat strange house where I didn’t know the creaks and groans that went on in the house. The noise of the pipes in the bathroom really used to make me jump, and I always used to overthink being in the house alone.
These days, being alone in my house is my sanctuary. I have my own routines and rituals and I am happy to spend my days relaxing my house, surrounded by my favourite things. I take joy in soft furnishings and I have loved spending time carefully curating each room to my style.
Moving out does not have to be scary and with my top tips, you can make light work of your first step to becoming independent in your own Home Let.
- Save, save, save! Although I did the majority of my first rental by finding second hand bargains, I wish I had saved up some more money for homely items. You don’t realise how quickly costs mount up!
- Check the Inventory. If you’re moving into a furnished house, make sure that you check off all the items in the house, and again before you leave. I had an issue in a previous flatsharewhere I had to fight to get my deposit back however as I had checked it all, I could prove that they were in the wrong.
- Remember the bills! Gas, electric, water, council tax, internet, rent. There are so many bills to look after when you move out. It really helps to have a clear guideline of what is going out, and if you can, get them to go out on a direct debit for the same day. It makes the rest of the month so much easier to manage
- Housemates. I loved living with my housemate but we also had tough times. Having breathing space and doing your fair share around the house makes for a comfortable living space. Wine in the fridge always helps!
- Set a budget. It’s very easy to overspend and I have found that setting a budget for food helps a lot. This means cutting down on takeaways but I also spend lots of time making delicious, nutritious meals that I can batch cook and freeze for later.
- Don’t feel under pressure. There’s so much pressure to have perfectly furnished homes worthy of Instagram. It has taken me a long time to put together each room, and still it’s no where near finished. I like my home projects.
*Collaborative Post