[Aikatarine]

Hi,
I just finished college (last week) and am looking for jobs in travel and tourism. My best friend is going to Uni where I want to work (Bournemouth) and I have another great friend who is at Bournemouth too. I really want to move out and live with my best friend while she is at Uni in shared housing. Can I still do this even if I am not on a uni course??? I don't really understand the whole student accomm/finance thing because I never wanted to go to uni. My friend is desperate to leave home too. So what's the deal?
Thanks!!!!
Aikatarine

[Tenfield]

Is it housing provided by the Uni? If so, you'd be best checking with them. If its done privately there's no reason why not, but bear in mind that because there's a non-student in the house you'll wont be exempt from council tax.


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[MeGusta]

If it's private, then you'll have to ask the landlord. If it's owned by the University then you won't be allowed.

[Aikatarine]

Okay, so as long as it's private housing, I'm okay? Thanks a lot!

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Aikatarine)
Okay, so as long as it's private housing, I'm okay? Thanks a lot!

Essentially, yes. However, if you are the only non-student in the house, then you will be solely liable for the council tax. Although you will get at 25% single occupant discount, the bill is likely to be £800+ per year (you can get a good idea from the Bournemouth Council website, although the exact amount will vary by property. This is higher than you might expect if you lived alone, because you will be living in a larger property than you would otherwise have done.

[Aikatarine]

Wow that's a lot....I wouldn't be earning very much because I would be doing an apprenticeship (£120 a week) so I could get a reduction on that maybe...? Anyway, thanks for highlighting that for me!

[Sazzle4]

(Original post by Aikatarine)
Wow that's a lot....I wouldn't be earning very much because I would be doing an apprenticeship (£120 a week) so I could get a reduction on that maybe...? Anyway, thanks for highlighting that for me!

You wouldn't get a reduction for your income I don't think as council tax is mostly worked out based upon the size and location of the property. It never hurts to do a quick google search and check though. You would get 25% off for being the single person liable for the tax in the property but I think the other poster had already taken this into account when they gave you the £800 figure.

[Persipan]

(Original post by Aikatarine)
Wow that's a lot....I wouldn't be earning very much because I would be doing an apprenticeship (£120 a week) so I could get a reduction on that maybe...? Anyway, thanks for highlighting that for me!

You might be eligible for Council Tax Benefit.

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Sazzle4)
You wouldn't get a reduction for your income I don't think as council tax is mostly worked out based upon the size and location of the property. It never hurts to do a quick google search and check though. You would get 25% off for being the single person liable for the tax in the property but I think the other poster had already taken this into account when they gave you the £800 figure.

Indeed; OP can get an idea of council tax rates on this website http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/Counci...ouncilTax.aspx

[LettersFromTheSky]

a lot of private house contracts I know, including mine say that all tenants must be full time students registered at the uni, so it might not be possible.

[Aikatarine]

(Original post by LettersFromTheSky)
a lot of private house contracts I know, including mine say that all tenants must be full time students registered at the uni, so it might not be possible.

Why is that? I would be an apprentice so I would still be a "student" of sorts!

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Aikatarine)
Why is that? I would be an apprentice so I would still be a "student" of sorts!

I can only presume that they have found that groups of students are better tenants than groups of other sorts of people. For instance, Eastern Europeans will often squeeze several people into each bedroom, thereby breaking the terms of the HMO licence.

I'm sure you will be able to find a landlord who isn't too bothered about the status of the people living there - certainly there's no clause in my contract about tenants having to be students.

[Aikatarine]

Mmm, letting the eastern european comment slide.... I gotcha. Okay that's great, thanks for all the input!!
Now how do I lock up...?

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Aikatarine)
Mmm, letting the eastern european comment slide.... I gotcha. Okay that's great, thanks for all the input!!
Now how do I lock up...?

It's not an unfair assessment; I have an Eastern European colleague who is living in a house with more than twice as many tenants (all Eastern European) as bedrooms, and from what she's said it's a fairly common situation. However, I'm also living with an Eastern European student, and the talk (admittedly, not entirely from the EE student) of fitting in more people than we have bedrooms & an HMO licence for has been minimal!

If you're referring to closing the thread - you can't, unless you're either a subscriber and it's your own thread, a local Forum Assistant (I'm the FA for Manchester Unis, not Accommodation), or a mod. There's not really much point in closing your own thread though, and mods will only normally do it if there's a good reason.