[Simply]

Hi all,

I'm 15 years old almost 16, I have a part time job earning £4.30 an hour for 12 hours a week (varies) and am considering moving out shortly after I turn 16 (which I believe you are allowed to). I feel the time is right and I wouldn't be running away or anything. Anyway, I was seeking some advice - has anyone had experience doing this, whats the best way to find a place to live (small 1 bedroom flat or something) and will there be any problems legally?

Cheers.

[Genocidal]

£4.30 a hour on 12 hours a week and you think you are ready to leave the home? You are clearly not ready to enter the real world yet.

[OU Student]

What would you live on, exactly?

[ZMunro]

So for roughly you get £200 a month varying right?

And you would have to pay for rent, which will most likely be more than £200 depending on area and quality.
Food and Drink
Any type of Social life
Electric, Gas, Water, Telephone, Internet Bill etc.
Television Licence (if you want one)
and clothing necessities, make up, toiletries etc

So no you won't be able to live out, and live at home for a few more years save up your money for when your financially ready to move out, you're only young live with your parents and soak up the amount of free food and living you can get.

[gooner4ever]

I would seriously reconsider whether you want to leave home. I would work for a year or two to become more financially stable and to enable you to have a feel of employment. Anyway unless there are problems at home why wouldn't you stay? Free room, free meal and no electricity or water bills to pay for!
Hope this helps!

[PinkMobilePhone]

(Original post by Simply)
Hi all,

I'm 15 years old almost 16, I have a part time job earning £4.30 an hour for 12 hours a week (varies) and am considering moving out shortly after I turn 16 (which I believe you are allowed to). I feel the time is right and I wouldn't be running away or anything. Anyway, I was seeking some advice - has anyone had experience doing this, whats the best way to find a place to live (small 1 bedroom flat or something) and will there be any problems legally?

Cheers.

try earning £4.30 a week for 40 hours a week. Then we'll talk.

[Bobo1234]

Legally, your problems will be the bailiffs coming to take your stuff when you can't pay your bills, because the amount you're earnign per hour and the amount of time you spend working...is not enough.

[SunsetNightmares]

£200-ish a month is not enough to live on. That probably wouldn't even pay for rent, let alone food, electricity and water bills. If you're serious about moving out, you're gonna need a better job, most likely full-time, which will be impossible if you're still in education. Plus you'd need to put down a deposit on any place you rented which I think is like two months' worth of rent straight up & possibly a security deposit as well I think, so unless you have some kind of savings that you'd be willing to use, I don't know where you'd get that from.
Unless you've got some SERIOUS problems with living at home, I'd suggest staying there. Wait a couple years, save up some money, and wait until you can actually afford it.
Chances are, the urge to leave home will pass; I wanted to move out when I was 15 too, I had my heart set on moving out as soon as I turned sixteen - I'm eighteen next month and still quite happily living at home.

[sammy-lou]

As everyone else has said, you don't earn enough to live on.

Yes, you are legally allowed to move out, but don't expect that you can get your own flat and live there happily ever after. Also, I know you didn't mention it, but it is reality for some people - don't expect the council to provide you with benefits galore. Unless there's a real problem at home that means you aren't safe living there, it's not a viable option.

If there is a real safety issue at home, moving out and getting your own place is not the best option. Social services can provide other places that are better suited to someone of your age.

[xmarilynx]

Without wanting to sound patronising, as SunsetNightmares said it's probably just a phase. I was determined to move out as soon as I hit 16, and ended up staying (very happily) until I was nearly 19. Don't give up rent and bill free living and home cooked meals for no reason, the time will come sooner than you think anyway

Legally speaking, you can move out at 16 with parental consent. Although even if your parents refuse, the authorities would be unlikely to force you to return unless you were in real danger.

[Jrgndk]

Whatever you earn... It's quite early to leave your home, isn't it?

[shezshez]

so I reckon rent will cost you £300 pcm, even of you just ate enough to survive that's got to be £50 a month, bills. Well you see where I'm going...

[Crimmy]

had a friend with a similar thought, pretty sure you need parents permission to leave home at 16, they legally look after you until 18 unless they officially say you can leave... and like everyone else says, without the security of a full-time job, you wont be able to survive for very long at all :/

why do you want to move out, out of interest?

[Jake22]

(Original post by Simply)
Hi all,

I'm 15 years old almost 16, I have a part time job earning £4.30 an hour for 12 hours a week (varies) and am considering moving out shortly after I turn 16 (which I believe you are allowed to). I feel the time is right and I wouldn't be running away or anything. Anyway, I was seeking some advice - has anyone had experience doing this, whats the best way to find a place to live (small 1 bedroom flat or something) and will there be any problems legally?

Cheers.

Obviously you would need money. People who keep commenting that he only works part time are forgetting that at 15 he is probably still at school and can't work full time yet. I am sure he is well aware that he would need to get a full time job.

If things are ok at home at the moment then you should concentrate on getting a full time job first. Unless you will earn a higher hourly rate then at present - you will find it difficult to afford a 1 bed flat or even bedsit in most areas. Also, unless you look older than you are so that question wouldn't come up - people would be reluctant to rent a flat to you. You should consider looking for a room in a shared house/flat instead.

I can't see any legal problems. I moved out when I was 16 and didn't have any.