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Alison Withers
Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers House prices in the UK are still too high for most first time buyers to be able to consider them despite the ongoing global recession. It is much more difficult to get a mortgage and reportedly the deposits needed are as high as 35% of the purchase price. But in any case as people are bracing themselves for the UK government's announcements of proposed cuts in state help and public sector jobs, it is likely that many people are wary of taking on the huge commitment of a mortgage, particularly if they are worried they might be facing unemployment or redundancy. A shortage of affordable housing in the UK means that even renting is expensive with the rent of an average one-bedroomed flat, even in a relatively low rent area like Suffolk, costing an average of £350 per month. The UK media has recently suggested that people on lower incomes will be forced out of expensive city centres like London into cheaper peripheral accommodation as a result of the proposed cuts in housing and welfare support. It is becoming increasingly common for the under-30s, many of them already burdened with paying back student loans (currently averaging a total of £25,000 by the end of a three-year course) to either delay moving away from home, or to return home if independent living becomes unaffordable. For someone who has been made redundant a gap-year is another option for putting redundancy money to good use while adding something positive and different to the CV and hooping that by the time the year is completed the competition for jobs may have eased a little. Whatever the situation there will be the question of what to do with accumulated "stuff". While surely no parent would refuse to help in such difficult circumstances, an adult child moving back home or even taking a year out to travel is likely to be someone who has collected at least some possessions beyond the basics of food, music and perhaps a computer or lap top. Finding room for a quantity of extra furniture as well may be more than most family homes nowadays can accommodate. In the last few years self store facilities have mushroomed on the edges of most towns throughout the country. They provide an economical solution for the storage of property for periods of as little as a couple of weeks to more than a year. Many, too, offer discounts for longer storage periods. The space that can be rented is flexoble so that customers only need take the amount they actually require. These facilities are worry-free because they are secure, well lit, clean and dry and staff will advise customers on possible insurance cover options, which could range from extending the home insurance cover to being added to the storage company's insurance. Many also supply storage and packaging materials and can advise on the most economical and safe way to pack to minimise the space needed while also protecting belongings from breakage. Self-store units, therefore, offer an affordable solution, that will save some of the potential friction and stress of an overcrowded home in difficult times.
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