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Choosing an area

Getting in

Leaving

Lettings agents

Living

Looking for property

Renting introduction

   1. Who rents these days anyway?

   2. Types of UK accommodation

   3. Renting with your partner

   4. Renting with your friends

   5. Renting from your friends

   6. Renting on your own

Tenancy agreements

Viewing property

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Renting introduction

Renting on your own

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The list of things that you will not have to put up with if you live on your own is quite long:

• No couples arguing (unless you invite them round).
  
  
• No weirdo housemates.
  
  
• No need to compromise EVER on ANYTHING.
  
  
• No-one stealing your food.
  
  
• No waiting for the bathroom.
  
  
• No-one will wreck any of your things unless you invite them round.
  
  
• No petty squabbling over tedious things like cleaning.
  
  
• No one to clean up after.

Add to that a number of other unique advantages, and you have yourself a fairly compelling argument for striking out and being independent:

• Full independence.
  
  
• More time to yourself.
  
  
• More space.
  
  
• It can lead to you getting out more.
  
  
• The freedom to stamp your own style on your home without risking a conflict of tastes.
  
  
• Full control over the music you play and the TV that you watch and every other aspect of your life.

However, there are also a fair number of drawbacks, which are often the same as some of the advantages, just looked at in a different way:

• Loneliness. It will certainly be much less fun on nights in, as you will have less company. You may find that you spend more time that you would like to on your own.
  
  
• The rent is likely to be higher than it would be if you were sharing.
  
  
• You have to bear the full cost of all the bills. These are relatively more expensive as the fixed costs, such as as line rental or service charges are being spread between less people.
  
  
• You have to phone someone up and make an arrangement to do something, rather than just doing it spontaneously, unless of course you do it on your own.
  
  
• You have to do all the chores yourself, even the ones you hate doing.
  
  
• You don't get the benefit of other people's possessions and so may have to fork out for TV, washing machine, furniture and so on.
  
  
• Security is more of a worry.

Many people try renting on their own for a while and decide they don't like it very much. For others, it is exactly the right thing to do for a while and for some it is the best long term solution. Some take to it, some don't, it basically depends on the type of person that you are.

If you have lived on your own for a spell and would like to contribute your experiences for us to share on this page, please e-mail us.

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