# Renting in Birmingham



## miss direct (May 15, 2008)

I'm going to be looking for somewhere to live in Birmingham in a few months. 

I'm after a one bedroom flat, I can't do sharing anymore. Can anyone give me an idea of prices? Obviously I'd rather live in a nice area, but I'm not too bothered about crappy areas, I've lived in enough before. 

Anyone know any housing associations that would even consider a single 25/26 year old woman with no kids?


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## baldrick (May 15, 2008)

£350pm + depending on where you're looking at.  a mate of mine rents a one bed in moseley, she pays about that.  I briefly considered a 1 bed in erdington, the cheapest was £350.  If you drive, it's easier to live in a crap area with no shops.

I have no idea about HAs.


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## Roadkill (May 15, 2008)

I didn't know Brum was that cheap!


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## baldrick (May 15, 2008)

If you want to live anywhere nice, then you'd be paying more than £350 for certain.  But is possible to find places that cheap, you just have to be prepared to live in the middle of a run-down council estate, ime anyway


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## Roadkill (May 15, 2008)

Ah, I see.  £350 a month is pretty much the going rate for a flat in a decent area of Hull these days, and I thought Brum had to be more expensive than that!


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## aqua (May 15, 2008)

a 2 bed terrace round us will rent for about £550-600 a month


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## baldrick (May 15, 2008)

Roadkill said:


> Ah, I see. £350 a month is pretty much the going rate for a flat in a decent area of Hull these days, and I thought Brum had to be more expensive than that!


oh god yes   we did actually go and view a 3 bed semi that was up for rent at £350, in a "is this a complete bargain or a complete shithole?" kind of way.

It was a complete shithole  sad thing is though that a family who came to the viewing with us actually took it. i hoped that they spent a week scrubbing the place before they moved in.


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## g force (May 15, 2008)

Moseley and Kings Heath are both 'nice' areas and have 2 different buses - 35 and the 50 that will take you into the centre easily.

Selly Oak is another option...although it is full of students


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## zenie (May 15, 2008)

Are the wages half the price of London in Birmingham? 

*considers moving*


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## mr steev (May 15, 2008)

zenie said:


> Are the wages half the price of London in Birmingham?
> 
> *considers moving*



Pretty much!

London's mean gross annual pay is £41,759, 148% of UK average. The West Midlands' is £25,320, 90% of the UK average*

*Source: The data is from 2005 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings - workplace based; published by the Office for National Statistics.


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## Roadkill (May 15, 2008)

mr steev said:


> Pretty much!
> 
> London's mean gross annual pay is £41,759, 148% of UK average. The West Midlands' is £25,320, 90% of the UK average*
> 
> *Source: The data is from 2005 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings - workplace based; published by the Office for National Statistics.



That's maybe a bit misleading, though.  There are a fair few people in London earning very large sums indeed, mainly in the City, which is going to push the mean up.  Most people in London aren't earning that much more than people in similar jobs elsewhere.


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## mr steev (May 15, 2008)

Roadkill said:


> That's maybe a bit misleading, though.  There are a fair few people in London earning very large sums indeed, mainly in the City, which is going to push the mean up.



True. 

It's also the stats for the whole of the West Midlands and not just Birmingham (which I guess would bring down the average a bit)



Roadkill said:


> Most people in London aren't earning that much more than people in similar jobs elsewhere.



Perhaps not in low paid/manual work. But from what I've seen in better paid jobs the difference is noticable. 

This checker on totaljobs.com gives you an idea.

My gf for example earns 25k, for a similar job in London it would be more like 40k. Friends I know who have moved to London, have all earnt a lot more than they would've done in the Midlands - but all still struggled as the cost of living/rent etc is so much more

But as you say London is a big place, and salaries in the City aren't going to be the same as in Hackney etc


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## Roadkill (May 15, 2008)

mr steev said:


> My gf for example earns 25k, for a similar job in London it would be more like 40k. Friends I know who have moved to London, have all earnt a lot more than they would've done in the Midlands - but all still struggled as the cost of living/rent etc is so much more



I'm surprised the difference is that great tbh, but then maybe that's because I work in a field where there isn't a great regional variation in wages.  I'd be earning much the same as I do now elsewhere, with the exception of the London weighting.


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## miss direct (May 15, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. 

I was paying £370 a month in Wolverhampton for a nice flat in a nice area, including most bills (not council tax). I didn't expect it to be so cheap in Brum. But really don't want to go back to Wolves.


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## 8ball (May 15, 2008)

I pay £430 in Nottingham for a nice 2-bedroomer in a pretty nice area - I imagine Brum ain't far off.


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## Belushi (May 15, 2008)

Roadkill said:


> That's maybe a bit misleading, though.  There are a fair few people in London earning very large sums indeed, mainly in the City, which is going to push the mean up.  Most people in London aren't earning that much more than people in similar jobs elsewhere.



Innit, I dont earn enough more in my job than I would outside of London to make up for the extra expense of property etc.


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## moomoo (May 15, 2008)

What about living outside Birmingham and commuting in?  Don't know if it would be any cheaper mind.


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## Belushi (May 15, 2008)

baldrick said:


> I briefly considered a 1 bed in erdington, the cheapest was £350.



Thats got me thinking again. If I were to leave London for another part of the UK Erdington would be top of my list, spent the happiest year of my childhood there.


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## aqua (May 15, 2008)

yay come join us


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## miss direct (May 17, 2008)

I really want to live in Birmingham. I didn't like living outside it. I couldn't have proper nights out, and all my friends and boyfriend are in Brum. 

Wouldn't mind Erdington, my friend used to have a lovely place there, nice leafy road, may hunt out some places. It's the other side of the city to most people I know but ah well. They have a good variety of pound shops to make up for it.


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## cybershot (May 17, 2008)

Get on rightmove website and get it to email you daily with new places that go up in the price ranges you want, set it for say within 5 miles of five ways train station so you cover most of the fairly decent ish places that ain't too much of a taxi fair home from a night out. Something will come up if your prepared to bide your time.


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## beesonthewhatnow (May 20, 2008)

Come to Erdington, it's fab 

You're on the 11 bus route and the cross city railway, so it's dead easy to get anywhere, and you're only 10mins from the city centre by bus.  There's a decent selection of local shops, and it's safe to wander about at night.

Best place in Brum IMHO


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## baldrick (May 20, 2008)

miss direct said:


> It's the other side of the city to most people I know but ah well. They have a good variety of pound shops to make up for it.


if they have a train station nearby it's ok travelling the other side, otherwise it's a right pain in the arse


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## beesonthewhatnow (May 20, 2008)

baldrick said:


> if they have a train station nearby it's ok travelling the other side, otherwise it's a right pain in the arse



Nah, you just hop on the 11 bus


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## baldrick (May 20, 2008)

where does that go then?  have i missed out on something here?


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## aqua (May 20, 2008)

its the outer ring road bus  follows the A4040 I think all the way round the city and hence joining it all up 

Perry Barr - Bearwood - Cotteridge - Kings Heath - Acocks Green - Erdington - Perry Barr [Outer Circle, Anticlockwise]
VIA  Handsworth, Winson Green, Harborne, Selly Oak, Hall Green, Yardley, Stechford, Fox & Goose and Witton


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## baldrick (May 20, 2008)

so only when i move out of erdington do i discover it


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## aqua (May 20, 2008)

LOL  you daft nana  the 11 is the outer circle bus and the 8 the inner circle


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## baldrick (May 20, 2008)

Lol


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## beesonthewhatnow (May 20, 2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Outer_Circle

Europe's longest urban bus route


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## baldrick (May 21, 2008)

Aces   gonna have to go visit my mate in harborne now


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## beesonthewhatnow (May 21, 2008)

baldrick said:


> Aces   gonna have to go visit my mate in harborne now



And I've not been sad enough to do a full lap on it, not me, nope, never


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## baldrick (May 21, 2008)

lol    tbh i'd be quite tempted to do it, it goes through loads of places i've never been to


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## blossie33 (May 21, 2008)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Outer_Circle
> 
> Europe's longest urban bus route



I walked the whole of it for Charity in the 80's
Took me about eight hours and my feet were really stiff the next day but I was pleased I made it 
Without training and in unsuitable shoes too.
Wish I was fit enough/ had the energy to do it now!


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## MooChild (May 21, 2008)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> And I've not been sad enough to do a full lap on it, not me, nope, never



Lies!  

*i have*


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## miss direct (May 21, 2008)

why would anyone choose to sit on the whole 11 route? I used to get it to school, then to uni, then to my boyfriends. The number 11 sucks.


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## MooChild (May 21, 2008)

It was warm, and i was an alcoholic 

Thankfully, those days are long gone


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## beesonthewhatnow (May 21, 2008)

miss direct said:


> why would anyone choose to sit on the whole 11 route?



It was as good a place as any to take LSD


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## aqua (May 21, 2008)

shall we have our own circle line party?


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## cybershot (May 25, 2008)

baldrick said:


> lol    tbh i'd be quite tempted to do it, it goes through loads of places i've never been to



haha, I've been saying for a while, someday i'm gonna do a full lap (bit in the car, i hate buses), but with diesel about to hit 130 a litre, i'll pass for now.


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## baldrick (May 27, 2008)

aqua said:


> shall we have our own circle line party?


 
hahahahaha


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## Cammy66 (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi back to this thread is there many houses for rent in holliday road arthurs road or hart road in Erdigton up for rent.


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## Maurice Picarda (Feb 25, 2011)

If Rightmove's investors found out that people could circumvent their site simply by resurrecting three year old threads and demanding a house, they'd pull the plug instantly.


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## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 26, 2011)

Maurice Picarda said:


> If Rightmove's investors found out that people could circumvent their site simply by resurrecting three year old threads and demanding a house, they'd pull the plug instantly.


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## Cammy66 (Feb 26, 2011)

Maurice Picarda said:


> If Rightmove's investors found out that people could circumvent their site simply by resurrecting three year old threads and demanding a house, they'd pull the plug instantly.


 
I did not demand a house i only asked sorry i thought thats what this sight was all about to talk to people about Urban life 3 years 10 years does it really matter i only asked.


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## FridgeMagnet (Feb 26, 2011)

"Site".

Punctuation.


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## Spion (Mar 11, 2011)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Outer_Circle
> 
> Europe's longest urban bus route


Yep, I've done it all, at least once. And I was sober. I was about 12 or 13 and I used to go all over the place on buses and trains just for fun in school holidays

The buses on it looked like this back then







I also once walked from Brum to Wolves along the canal and got the train back. 

LOL. I was an odd one on my early teens


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## blossie33 (Mar 11, 2011)

I walked the whole of the 11 route for charity back in the 80's - was quite chuffed I managed to do it as I'd not trained or anything and I didn't have any sensible walking shoes, only pumps!


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