A year to decide our next step

Kevin and I signed a one year extension on the lease to this flat today. The contract is onerous, the rent has gone up by 10.6% and there’s stuff that’s been wrong with the flat since we moved in that’s never been fixed.

I looked at Kevin as we left the estate agents and we both said “Let’s not renew.” So, we have a year in which to decide on our next step. Do we find another flat locally that’s maybe a bit bigger? After all, we’re very convenient for Kev’s work here, we have a nice corner shop, the gym over the road, Waitrose five minutes away, and very easy access to tube and buses.

Or we could move further out, perhaps get something with a garden. That would give Kevin a much longer commute to work, though, and having lived on the outskirts of London before, I’m not sure that the trade is worth it. It used to be that you could get a much bigger, nicer place further out, but the cost of both commuting and living in the commuter belt has risen, the railways are rubbish, and I wonder if it’s not more hassle than it’s really worth.

Or do we give up London completely? Give up the UK completely?

I doubt that we’ll be in a position to start the self-build process in March next year, not unless something miraculous happens in the meantime, but we do need to figure out what the next step is. Right now, I don’t think either of us is sure about what we want, and a year seems a long way away, but I know how fast it’s going to creep up on us. We’d better start mulling it over soon.