# Moving to London is this a good salary?



## yesname (Jan 24, 2018)

Hello there,

I have question regarding living in UK. 

I have been interviewed by one company and now I am waiting for signing the contract. I have family with one baby currently and I am thinking about moving to UK. I have been offered 65,000GBP base salary + some yearly bonus (ranging from 0 to 15% of yearly salary). Work is situated in London and my question is - is that salary good enough for family with one kid, when we would love to rent the house (we have 2 dogs) somewhere in London? My wife is taking care of the baby and won't be employed for some time.

And side question is - is significant problem for renting to have dogs there? 

Any help will be much appreciated!


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

That's a decent salary for London. It's comfortable but not extravagant. A lot depends on where you want to live and how much space you require, you should do some budgeting and have a look on rightmove.co.uk or zoopla.co.uk to look at property prices

Having dogs will significantly reduce the number of properties available to rent. "SORRY, NO PETS" is common. I've been doing a lot of property searching recently and it seems most do not allow dogs/cats


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## yesname (Jan 24, 2018)

I think that's okay, we are not heading to have costs for going out very much as the child is 9 months old. 

We are not going to UK for saving money for returning back either, so I was think whether it is possible for example buy house somewhere in the London suburbs rather. I have been checking Rightmove for some time, but when I did research I have found additional costs, like concil tax and etc., which are not included in the rent. 

I was thinking about 2,2k GBP would be maximum what would we pay for rent/mortgage, but I don't know whether it is possible.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Since you have no credit history you will not be able to qualify for a mortgage.

Here is a tax calculator so you can figure out your take home pay. £2,200/month for rent will be about 1/2 of your tax home pay.

https://listentotaxman.com

London rents are quoted weekly. At £500/week, for a 2 bedroom flat you should be looking in Zone 2. The farther away you get from Central London, the cheaper things get and the more you get for your money but obviously, your commuting costs may be more.

Council tax varies by council and is roughly based on the size and value of the home. So, you'll pay more council tax for a 3 bedroom flat than for a studio. Expect to pay at least £100/month.

Other expenses:

Heat
Electric
Broadband
Mobile phones
TV Licence
Landline
Water
Cable


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## yesname (Jan 24, 2018)

Thank you for all the help, really appreciate it much.

Well, I will have to wait with mortgage few years then.  On the other hand, I was looking at rightmove and noticed, there are some terraced houses for rent farther from the Central London with the price around £1,600-2,000 mothly, which I find relatively acceptable. Do you have any experience whether rent there is the final price you pay to your landlord?

When I used the calculator, I got something around £3,500 of net income, that would mean that after rent deduction and the other expenses you mentioned (taking each of them roughly £50 monthly + council tax) I get £1,000 remaining. Not taking into consideration travelling cost, which I may cover by yearly loan from my employer. If I found the correct price, it should be from Zone 3 £1,600 annualy, so that's around £900 left now for food for us, some clothing and so on. Is that "livable" within London area or do I miss something else?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

It's acceptable to make a lower offer within reason. Having pets may limit your bargaining power and you may be asked for an extra deposit. Another roadblock is that because you have no credit you may be asked for 6 month's rent in advance.


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## 1Katewg (Feb 2, 2017)

No!! I have tried as single person & one old dog. This will not work in any shape or form. That also is a salary that they were offering back in 2007-8 and the Pound was much stronger then.

Think though the longer 11 plus hour day of commute, metro from out side center of London. Think of all the things you need to buy new due to electricity, the car that need to be shipped to and from and may not work after you change from UK back to US fuel ( SUV's pistons exploded and rendered it useless on a highway). The parking not only near your house, parking for your wife or friends, The cost of breakage not just the move of household goods. Chance of Credit card slim and somethings can only be gotten with a UK card (ex. telephone service). Child care, if you wife does work, is so high she would have to have a very very good job!. By all means do not use FOXTONS my Fortune 500 company HR had to step in for me and others to get them to do the basics. Also be very cautious, if you sign the lease and the frig that was promised, old items removed is not already in they will not put in after you sign the paper. They do not care if the water pipe out side is leaking for over a year. I ended up with on property that was "almost" done and ended up with no dishwasher, no fridge, no washer. UK has lovely scenery but London its as expensive as New York City or worse, its not like Washington DC where I had lived before.


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## HKG3 (Jan 11, 2015)

nyclon said:


> Since you have no credit history you will not be able to qualify for a mortgage.


The OP can improve his/her credit history in the UK by being on the electoral roll. A Czech citizen can register to vote in local and European elections in the UK.


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## csuthar (Mar 12, 2018)

Hello there,

I have been interviewed by one company and now I am waiting for signing the contract. I have family with one baby currently and I am thinking about moving to UK. I have been offered 90,000GBP base salary + some yearly bonus (ranging from 0 to 35% of yearly salary). Work is situated in London and my question is - is that salary good enough for family with one kid, when we would love to rent the house in London?

Any help will be much appreciated!


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## londoner007 (Feb 13, 2017)

What sort of jobs are you guys doing to be offered 90k salary with bonus? 

90k is more than enough for a family of 1 in London, unless of course you are used to having servants and maids, then you will feel like a peasant too.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

csuthar said:


> Hello there,
> 
> I have been interviewed by one company and now I am waiting for signing the contract. I have family with one baby currently and I am thinking about moving to UK. I have been offered 90,000GBP base salary + some yearly bonus (ranging from 0 to 35% of yearly salary). Work is situated in London and my question is - is that salary good enough for family with one kid, when we would love to rent the house in London?
> 
> Any help will be much appreciated!


Depends on where you want to live, what kind of lifestyle you have. Housing is expensive in London and will be your biggest expense. The farther away you get from the centre, the more you get for your money but depending on where your office will be that could mean a longer commute. 

In general, £90,000 is a decent salary, but London has the most expensive cost of living in the UK.


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