Lessons taken from Privately Renting for the first time...
At the
beginning of our second year of university, Andy (my boyfriend) and I made the
decision to move in together and commute to and from university. We settled on
Darlington – a half hour train from each of our universities – and moved in at
the beginning of September 2 years ago. Now, university is complete and we have
temporarily moved home whilst we start to find our feet in the world of jobs,
but two years of private renting has taught me a good few lessons. It was one
of the best decisions I have ever made, but I’ve definitely learned some things
for next time I leave home…
British Gas and Sky will never, ever be on
your side
This was
obviously the first time I’ve had to deal with bills, utilities and the like,
and I was a bit unprepared for just how unhelpful the customer service
departments at big companies can be. British Gas regularly tried to overcharge
us, and when we moved out demanded an extra £200 that I knew we didn’t owe.
Sure enough, about a month ago, they sent a letter announcing our account was
in credit by £200 and would we like a cheque for it? Erm, yes. Sky were a
complete and total nightmare. We regularly had internet issues, and by the end
of the two years our internet only worked consistently if the phone line was
unplugged. Yes, that’s the phone line we were paying Sky for… It’s definitely
taught me to stand up for myself a lot more, as if I hadn’t got cross on the
phone, both companies would have had far more money from us than they had
earned.
Water doesn’t automatically just come out
of a tap
This sounds
like a silly thing to say, but I’d never really thought about a water supply
before. I knew it had to be paid for, but it’s something we just take for
granted that we have in our homes. When
a huge water pipe burst about 6 months ago, it was panic stations time!
The idea that there was no water in the taps was completely baffling, and Andy
headed off on an emergency bottled water trip with the neighbours. This sounds silly,
but the point is you’re dealing with things you’ve just never really thought
about before. If there’s a power cut or water failure, there’s no parents to
get it sorted!
Never underestimate the value of a good
landlord
After
hearing plenty of nightmare stories from friends, I don’t think we could have
been much more lucky with our landlord, Andrew. He was there every step of the
way, responded to questions or issues quickly, and whenever we did see him he
was great to chat to. He was very present throughout the rental, although never
invasive, and when we did have contact with them he seemed to genuinely care
about how we were. When there were issues, such as when our smoke alarm broke,
he was there to sort it promptly, and if he was away, we always knew who we
could call in his place. We definitely got lucky with that one!
Bills and rent make your bank account sad
I would
always have a great day at the beginning of the month, when Andy transferred
his half of all our bills into my account. I had a very happy bank account
indeed. Unfortunately, Sky took some money on the 5th of the month,
and rent went on the 12th, and suddenly my bank account was sad
again. I know Andy had transferred part of the money to me that was for those
bills, but as it all then left my account, it felt like all the money was mine!
You can’t choose your neighbours
And, yet
again, we got lucky. A lovely old man lived in the flat opposite, who would
take in parcels for us and have a natter, and there was a generally very
friendly atmosphere around the close. We had a slight wobble when a man with a
DRUM KIT (IN A BLOCK OF FLATS) moved in upstairs, but he soon came down to
introduce himself, ask the best hours to play, and to let us know we could ask
him to stop at any time. Disaster averted.
It was HOME
I’m very
lucky in that I have always lived in an absolutely lovely home with my family,
and we are really close, so home has always been I place I have loved being.
Equally though, nothing is quite like that feeling of a place really being your
own. For Andy and me, it was the start of a totally new chapter, and we learned
so much. I had no idea I’d get so attached to our little flat, to the walk into
town, and to Darlington train station. For my 21st birthday, just
after we left Darlington, Andy made a slideshow of all the memories we made
there, and all I can say is it really was our second home.
Now it’s the
start of a new chapter yet again. We’re both living with our parents at the
moment, so we can take those steps towards a career, and getting some money
coming in! Andy starts a placement tomorrow, and I start my new job on 2nd
September. And when we do live together again, we’re going to be far more clued
up as to exactly what we need.
Onwards and
upwards!
Sophie x
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