Tuesday 17 December 2019

HOME: Renting as a Family - What are the Positives?

HOME: Renting as a Family - What are the Positives?
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With more and more people renting well into their 30’s, renting as a family is becoming more commonplace. Although for many people this might not be the ideal situation, it’s time to stop thinking of renting as a compromise or a temporary solution. It is still possible to live a fulfilled and colourful life with our children whilst living in rented property. 

 
Getting on the housing ladder is difficult if you don’t have a large amount of cash in the bank - we all know that. With house prices and the cost of living rising, it’s becoming more and more out of reach for so many people. Do you know what? That’s okay. There are so many unsung benefits to renting that no one really focuses on. I’m working with CIA Landlord Insurance to shed light on these benefits to highlight that renting as a family can be a really good thing… 
More money for the things that matter 

We’ve established that buying a house is very expensive with deposits, stamp duty tax, solicitors fees etc., not to mention that running a house is also expensive. You’re responsible for all of the bills, repairs, council tax, maintenance, and the costs involved with selling up and moving. That’s a lot of financial obstacles. 

These financial obstacles may not be an issue for you if having your own home is important to you. However if it’s not, the financial simplicity of renting could be looking much more attractive. Many people feel like renting is ‘dead money’, but instead think of it as paying to live a more simplistic home life without all of the financial responsibilities of home ownership. If something breaks, or you can a bad leak, it’s not you that has to go without money for a few months to pay for the repairs - unless the damage was your fault, of course.  
 
Arguably one of the best things about renting is that all the big financial ties are your landlords responsibility, leaving you with more time and money to spend on the things that matter - your family. 

Family security 
All landlords are different and whilst some may run a mile from a family of tenants, others will welcome them with open arms. Security will always be a risk with renting. Putting your whereabouts in the hands of a landlord who can decide to sell up and leave at any time can be daunting and the last thing you want is to be given your notice and potentially forced to relocate, which could mean uprooting your children from their school and away from their friends. 
 
Actually though, this situation is pretty rare; particularly if you’ve built up good relationships with your landlord. Landlords rent out their properties for a reason, so selling up and asking their tenants to leave won’t happen very often. In reality, what they really want is secure tenants who want to stay within a property for years to come. It’s low maintenance for them and it works for the tenants. They’re seeking long-term arrangements just as much as you are. 

Make a house a home 
So many people fixate on the idea that a rental never really feels like home. But you are the one who lives there, who knows the space and who enjoys their life in their day to day. A house is just bricks and mortar - it’s who and what is inside that counts. Make the space reflect your family and fill it with photos, memories, arts and crafts creations by the kids and special, sentimental items.  
 
If you find yourself looking around your rental property and thinking about all the things you’d do differently if you owned it, ask your landlord if you can make some changes. The worst that they can do is say no. If the walls aren’t already white, ask to paint them. White is the ideal canvas for anyone’s personal style and keeps things looking fresh and clean - and what landlord doesn’t want that?  
 
Keeping renting as an option for your family can really help to elevate the financial pressure to own a house. Society has told us that continuing to rent equates to falling behind on the timeline of life, but that should not be the case. Renting gives a flexibility and freedom to living that home ownership just can’t offer.  

If you’re currently renting and thinking about beginning the long process of saving for that house deposit, just think about whether it’s a change you really need to make for your family, or could you be just as happy renting? 

Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)

Helen x
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8 comments

  1. I rented for 10 years with my son and I never worried about the stability of it, I just looked at the positives that could come if I had to move.

    Now I’ve moved in with my fiancé to what we refer to as the money pit, it’s a constant worry!

    I long for renting days!

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  2. For me owning a home is a no brainer, it's somewhere that's paid off before retirement and rend is less than a mortgage. That said I can see that it's a noose round your neck and it's so hard to get on the housing ladder now too!

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  3. I rented for a few years in my early 20s - then once we had the children we got a mortgage. I am glad that we managed to get onto the property ladder as it is so tricky nowadays.

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  4. Renting is definitely quite popular these days isn’t it. For so many reasons too. I quite like the idea of being a bit foot loose and fancy free with renting to find the ultimate place to live. When you buy it’s a whole different kettle of fish when it comes to moving 🙈

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  5. I’ve been lucky in life and bought my first property when I was 27; we’re now on our 5th mortgaged home ... but it will be paid off soon. Ultimately though, a home is what you make of it ... it’s just a shell that you live inside

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  6. We only got out own place a year ago, when we turned 40. In Germany it's much more common to rent, many people rent their whole lives.

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  7. We are lucky enough to own our home now but did rent for many years before we did. Even though rent is pricey, you don;t have all the unexpected bills that come with home ownership!

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  8. My friend rents a home for her and her family. They're hoping to buy soon as it makes more sense to own their own property rather than rent. They can then do what they like to the home.

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