Fun Stuff > CHATTER
Making ends meet
Jace:
I think one of my flatmates is moving out at the end of this month, he said he is, but I don't really know because both of us are recluses (doesn't help that our living room is our third flatmate's bedroom still). My rent is going from $200/month to $300/month, plus our landlord lost/it was stolen my rent for one month, so they want an extra $50 until it is paid off. I looked into my budget, and if everything is paid on the minimum, I can afford to spend about $25 a month on food.
I think I'm going to end up eating ramen noodles once a day.
The Seldom Killer:
Jace, explain more about this lost/stolen rent thing, because that sounds remarkably illegal. You shouldn't be obliged to cover anyone elses fuck ups.
Barmymoo:
Elysiana, have you considered getting an estate agent in to view the rooms and advise you on rental prices? I don't know if this is a free service or not but it would definitely be worth a small cost if you end up getting an extra $100-200 a month as a result! I would agree that there isn't much you'll be able to do about the lost money from your current roommates, but that doesn't mean you have to be trapped again.
I would suggest you give them notice, if that is possible, in order to have a definite date for prospective new roommates, and then advertise the room online. I've been househunting lately and there are all kinds of websites, from online estate agencies to Craigslist-style message boards. Good luck!
I've just signed up to a daily newsletter which offers tips about saving money - it's called Everyday Cheapskate and so far some of the tips have been quite good. Some of them are a bit wacky but what the hell, it's a free email service!
The Seldom Killer:
I'd agree about giving them notice. If it is likely to be 6-8 weeks then I'd suggest giving them that much notice. I also wouldn't be shy about asking them to pay up until that point and having a look around to make sure they haven't caused any damage. I know it's a lot of hassle to think about it, but it'll be quickier and easier to let if the place is clean with a fresh lick of paint on it as well.
I know a lot of letting agencies will come and view a property free of charge if they think there's a chance they're going to let it. It may also be worth seeing what sort of service they will offer to decide if you want to trade off income against protection. Remember to ask for sample contracts etc. For self letting, you are going to have to check into the legalities, tax side of things as well as insurance and I would imagine you will definitely need the written permission of the deed holder. If you have some spare time, get to your local book/stationery shop and see if they sell standardised letting contracts that you can use. If you have a local free legal advice drop in centre, contact them and see what they can offer to make sure you covered from a liability point of view.
Barmy - What's the way to sign up to that email?
Barmymoo:
I'm not actually sure how I found it, but I just googled and you can sign up here. I liked the look of last week's Friday recipes, and they were easily adapted to be vegetarian which is unusual.
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