list of costs for 18 year old moving to an apartment?

Question

My brother(17) and his girlfriend(16) are looking to rent an apartment when he turns 18. Neither of them have a job, or have ever had a job. My brother has 150 dollars in his savings, i dont know how much she has but its obvious its not much. My brother plans on going to a local engineneering school and she is not going to college. My brother is also taking an internship through our high school and his girlfriend just applied at vg's.
Im 14 and im into all the apartment and house buying stuff, and my bro and his gf arent exactly the brightest. They think they will be able to afford it no problem **i laugh**. So can you give me a list of everything they would have to pay for monthly?

Answer 1

It will be everything they are now getting for free by living at home. The list is long.

Rent

Utilities

Grocery's

Cleaning supplies

Furniture

Bed linen & towels, etc

Appliances like toaster, coffee maker or whatever they use

grooming supplies

If they have a car, there is gas, and upkeep. Tires wear out and have to be replaced.

There is probably more

Answer 2

Off the top of my head:



Security deposit - usually equal to one month's rent

Rent

Renter's Insurance (not absolutely required but offers you protection on all of your belongings and is only around $14/month)

Utilites: may include - water/sewer, electricity, gas, trash pick-up (but some apartments do include the price of utilities in the rent)

Cable

Internet

Cell phone

Car payment

Car Insurance, Maintenance, and Gas - if they have a vehicle... or the cost of public transportation if they don't

Groceries

Household products - toilet paper, laundry soap, paper products, cleaning supplies, etc

Personal products - shampoo, toothpaste, contact solution, tampons (for the girlfriend obviously), etc

Medical products - co-pays for doctors, medication, band-aids, contacts (if needed), etc.

Furniture costs - if they'll be needing any furniture items

Dishes, Pots and Pans, etc.

Enterntainment - going to the movies, going out to eat, vacations, purchasing a new book, etc.

Clothing Costs and Haircuts -- obviously, not part of moving out necessarily, but part of being an adult.



Some of these will be a necessary cost and some will be a choice. Your brother may have additional costs with schooling: school supplies and books, etc. They would also have to find a landlord willing to rent to an 18 year old... and most will not allow the girlfriend to live their until she's 18 because that's the legal age to sign a contract. It's likely that your brother and his girlfriend may require a cosigner unless they have decent credit and/or are making 3 or more times the cost of rent.



If they find a cheap 1-bdrm or studio - all inclusive - for $500/month and neither has a vehicle... they could probably make it work. They may not be able to afford to have cable or internet, and they may have to eat at home all the time and watch their grocery bills, but it's definitely possible. There are a lot of 18 year olds who move out... but they're going to have to be willing to work so that they can afford to live on their own. It's not cheap and it's not easy, but if they watch their spending and live frugally, they could do it. They'll need to wait until she's 18 though - for her to move into the apartment.

Answer 3

Your brother and his girlfriend should seriously wait to move in together. It is very expensive and since neither of them have a job, they will not be able to rent. Landlords want someone with a steady work history. The United States government strongly recommends that rent doesn't exceed 30% of your monthly spendable income. That being said its pretty much impossible for most 18 to 20 year olds to live without roommates. The average price of a single bedroom apartment near a big city is about $600/mo. Meaning you have to have a salary of about $30,000. Jobs with that kind of pay just don't exist for 18 to 20 year olds anymore.



Most apartments have a 12 month lease. Rent is due on the first of the month every month whether you are employed or not. Rent is a large expense but it does not pay for all your necessities. Most apartments have separate charges for heat, hot water, electricity, phone, internet, cable, etc. This can easily add up to a couple hundred dollars a month. Renter's insurance is also a necessity. If your brother has a car he will need to pay for gas and car insurance.



If you lose your income you cannot just move out and break the lease. You will be required to give 30-60 days written notice while you continue paying rent. You will then be charged 2-3 months rent plus administrative fees in one lump sum as penalty for breaking the lease early. That's easily over $1,000 of money wasted because you left before the lease was up. This does not include the cost of moving all your stuff out of the apartment. A broken lease will remain on your credit report for 7 years and may make it difficult for you to find another landlord willing to rent to you.



$150 in savings is nothing. It might pay for his first month of food, but that's about it. Your brother and his girlfriend need a reliable source of income before they even consider living together. They should both try to put money aside. It costs money just to submit an application to rent an apartment. If they do get approved they will need to pay a security deposit plus first month's rent which is easily over $1000.00. Living together is not like playing house. It takes serious money and commitment to make sure the bills are paid on time every month. Your brother's girlfriend's age will be a problem. Landlords do not want to rent to a minor for obvious reasons. Your brother and his girlfriend are not very realistic. He would be better off living at home and saving his money at least for the first year.

Answer 4

Here's all I can think of. He needs to remember that if he moves out many basic things he will have to cover instead of parents. It's not just about living expenses.



(ones with "?" are optional and not necessary)

Rent

Electricity & Gas [$50]

Possibly water & trash bill (some apartments cover this some pass it on to you) [[40]

Internet ? [$40]

Cable ? [50]

Laundry (if no washer & dryer in unit) [$10]

Food [$150-300]

Gas (if driving) [$30-$100]

Phone (land-line or cell) [$40-$90]

parking for school ? [$40-$100]

clothing ? [$20-$100]

misc (unless they just want to sit around and do nothing together) [$25-$200]



and then there's one time or sporadic expenses like furniture (if they can't take all they need with them), cleaning supplies, security deposit (this can sometimes be as much or more than the monthly rent- especially for someone so young), application fee [$40] (just so they apartment will consider renting to them),

Answer 5

Most landlords if going to apartment complex will rent to a 18 year old, you will have to be 19 and also will pay more with deposit with no credit if they allow you to move in with no credit. Here is a break down of things:



Deposit: lets say 99

First and last rent: 1000

1 bed 1 bath rent monthly: 500

Cable installation: 65.00

Cable bill basic cable: 75.00

Cell phone bill 2 people: 100.00

Utilities deposit: 200.00

Utilities each month: 100.00

Food for 2 people a month: 400.00



Total: 2539, not including furniture such as couch, tv, bed and also cooking supplies, pots pans plates.



Don't forget about car insurance, gas for vehicle(s), personal care such as shampoo, conditioner, razors. It adds up fast and landlords are not friendly on late payments and definitely not on nonpayment either.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

list of costs for 18 year old moving to an apartment?

My brother(17) and his girlfriend(16) are looking to rent an apartment when he turns 18. Neither of them have a job, or have ever had a job. My brother has 150 dollars in his savings, i dont know how much she has but its obvious its not much. My brother plans on going to a local engineneering...

Answer 7

WOW!!!! It's hard to even think of where to begin. The cost of first month and deposit on the apartment. The range for that is huge and it depends on where you are located. But I would have to say minimum for anywhere first month and deposit would be at least $1,000 even for a crappy apartment. They would have to have at least electricity even if they don't have cable, internet, etc. Some electric companies require a deposit to set up the electricity. So, 2 to 4 hundred to set up the electric. Probably on a monthly basis at least $150 a month (probably more). Plus, there are all kinds of expenses associated with moving out. Pots, pans, broom, vacuum, silverware, etc. Even if you get the cheapest crap you can find once you get all you need you will probably have spent at least $500. Do they work? If not how could they even imagine that they would have the capability to pay even the bare necessities.

Answer 8

First requirement:

Permanent full time job with a minimum pay check of $360.00 a week after they take out all taxes, in other words, they took out, let's say 75.00 in taxes, so the left over is $360.00. So, multiply $360.00 a week times 4 weeks, and that adds up to $1,440.00, exactly what your brother will need to cover his monthly responsibilities.



This does NOT include a car nor car insurance, tires, oil change, tune-up, etc. It also does NOT include medical insurance.



Let's not even talk about a baby! It does not fit into this very tight equation.



I added the minimum Monthly expenses WITHOUT any of the deposits: $1,440.00

PLUS all deposits required to move in : $1,585.00

___________________________________________________________________

TOTAL amount needed to move in and pay for first month: $3,025.00



Rent- first month- $700.00

last month- $700.00

cleaning deposit-$700.00



normally they require you have a job for at least a year

they do a credit check/application fee ($35-$50)

________________________________________________________________

$2,150.00 to rent an apartment for the first time

and then is $700.00 a month

________________________________________________________________



Utilities- gas----- $40.00 + deposit ($50)

electric------ $80.00 + deposit ($100)

water-------- $10.00* some places include it in the rent

trash---------$10.00* " " " " " " "



Phone- land-line/cell $40- $150.00 + contract + deposit



Internet/basic cable t.v./phone bundle----$135.00 + deposit



Groceries--(food) $300.00



Cleaning supplies-- $75.00

(dishwashing soap, detergent, bleach, fabric softener, mop, broom, scrubbers,paper towels, etc)



Toiletries---- $75.00

(shampoo, hair conditioner, shavers, cologne, toothpaste, deodorant, acne medication, band-aids, hair gel, make-up, toilet paper, women's intimate needs, etc.)



Of course this list does not include some one-time purchases:

a bed, dressers, chairs, sofa, dining room furniture, drapes, rugs, linens, towels, pillows, clothing, kitchen stuff (small Appliances, pots and pans, utensils, mugs, drinking glasses, bowls, plates, can opener), vacuum cleaner/bags, lamps, light bulbs, trash can/bags, etc., etc., etc.

Answer 9

It sounds like they think because they are fighting over college and child support issues, you have no rights over your own person. You already are legally an adult. You have no reason to seek emancipation. They appear to wish you to release them from their court ordered support of your education. Tell them they must fight it out between their lawyers and that you will no longer allow them to use you as an excuse to hurt each other. Good luck to you. With parents like that, you may need it. Edit: After again reading your question, I see that you hadn't worded it the way I took it... However, no court will ever grant you emancipation and free your parents of their obligation only to put it on the backs of taxpayers. A large part of being emancipated is the ability to care for ones own needs without the help of the state.

Answer 10

Valuable discussion, just what I was looking for.

Answer 11

thx for the answers EVERYONE <3