How Much Will it Cost?

The overall cost of your accommodation will depend where you choose to live and what type of accommodation you decide is best for you.

As well as your monthly rent or mortgage payments you will have to think about council tax, insurance, gas and electric, telephone and TV costs. 

Mortgages

For information about mortgages in Scotland download:

> Thinking about Buying - A Guide to House Purchase in Scotland
 
The Financial Services Authority has information on mortgages. Please visit the FSA Mortgage Pack Download .

Rent

If you are renting a room in a shared flat or a boarding house you might pay £50-£80 a week on average.
If you are renting a flat on your own the cost might be £300-£600 a month depending on the size of the property, its location and number of bedrooms.

The cost will be different depending on where you live in Scotland.

Find out the prices of different properties for rent at:

• > Scottish Solicitors Property Centre
• > Up My Street

Council Tax

Whatever type of accommodation you choose, you will almost certainly have to pay council tax.

This is a local tax set and collected by local authorities. It is based on the type of property you have.
Sometimes the council tax is included in your rent.

Make sure you find this out when you rent a room or a house.

In very general terms, the bigger your house, the more council tax you will have to pay.

Your council tax helps pay for schools, police, fire services, cleansing, parks and much more.

Council tax is split into eight bands, each one based on the value of the property. 

The amount you pay will vary according to what Band you are in and what rate your local authority has set.
You can get more details by asking the local authority in whose area you plan to live.
If you buy or rent a property you must pay council tax.

There is 25% discount if you are the only person living at the property.

Find out about council tax bands via the Scottish Assessors Association website.

You can also download a Scottish Executive council tax information pack .

Insurance

If you are planning to buy a property in the UK you will need to buy various types of insurance as part of your mortgage.

• Buildings insurance in case your home is damaged
• Contents insurance in case your furniture or possessions are stolen or damaged
• Life insurance in case something happens to you before your mortgage is paid

Find out more about mortgages via the Financial Services Authority FSA Mortgages website. 

TV Licence

If you are planning to watch television in Scotland you will need to buy a TV licence.

Find out how to get one on the TV Licensing website.

Telephone

There are a number of providers of telecoms services in Scotland:

• > British Telecom
• > NTL
• > Telewest
• > OneTel
• > SupaNet
• > Talk Talk

More general information is available at the Office of Communications website.

For broadband internet services visit the Broadband for Scotland website.

Courtesy of Scottish Government - Scotland.org .