On the move again

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The last month has been a real rollercoaster of a ride for us. On 15th September hubby phoned me to say that he'd just been informed that we'd been served an eviction notice and had two months to find another house because the landlords were selling up. I felt sick. It's a risk that's always there with a rental property but that didn't lessen the shock.

Two months seems like a long time but it wasn't as straight forward as just finding another house. Since we moved here just over two years ago hubby has had an IVA, which means that very few landlords and letting agents want to rent to us as we're a big risk, on paper. We've never once defaulted on bills or rent but that IVA agreement affects his credit rating and I simply don't earn enough.

There are also very few 4 bedroom houses for rent in this village and they get snapped up instantly. I was determined to keep the children in the same schools as they were so settled and we were all so happy.

Being the worrier that I am I started looking into options if we got to the end of the two months and we were homeless. It was so stressful. I had visions of the five of us being crammed into a B & B room. We also started looking at moving further afield as there were more rental options, but still close enough to drive to school but with school runs and my work I would have been driving at least 30 miles a day. The fuel costs would have been astronomical.

Another big worry was the cost of the move. It cost a fortune to move here and we had very little in savings so with fees, deposits, moving costs etc it was all mounting up. We've just about managed to scrape through thankfully.

It's no wonder that I couldn't, and still can't, sleep properly at night. So much has been going through my head, particularly in the early hours (why does your mind do that?!) and I have been mentally and physically exhausted ever since the announcement.

We eventually found a lettings agent willing to rent to us and their fees were reasonable. They had a small 3 bedroom house a mile away from here so I went to look. On my own. I was terrified of having to make a decision that would affect my family but the decision had to be made quickly. Although the house is much smaller than we currently have it wasn't as small as the photos made out. The current tenant has it nicely decorated and best of all, it's on the same estate. It's no longer walking distance to school but we'll cope with that!

Even before we were accepted I started packing, sorting out, raising money at a car boot, advertising an selling on Gumtree and getting rid of LOTS of stuff via local charity shops. They must be sick of the sight of me but I just don't have the time to advertise every little thing that we don't need or want. It hasn't always been the case but occasionally it has been quite therapeutic having a clear-out.

Boxes, boxes everywhere! 
Image courtesy of SundayMorning at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

All references went through and we officially had a new home to move to, but I still couldn't relax. We started getting grief from the landlords and letting agents about niggly little things and we also have the added strain of house viewings.

This time next week we will have the keys and I really can't wait to be in and settled. If we really hate it we can look to move again at our own leisure once we've built our savings up, but in the meantime we have a roof over our head, it's cheaper to rent, cheaper to run, will be cosy in the winter, has a manageable garden and the childrens' lives don't have to be disrupted too much. There are a few silver linings to this cloud!