A doctor and her family sold their home and are now renting as a lifestyle choice to “try before they buy” as research reveals a new phenomenon of people moving to a different area to see if they like it.
Maria Birnie, 32, her partner Robert and their two-year-old daughter Emily, were living in a three-bedroomed detached house in Glossop, Derbyshire. Ms Birnie had owned a home in Glossop for eight years before the family moved to their detached house, where they lived for three years.
However, they have now sold up and moved to the coast of Devon for a new life. But instead of buying a property immediately, they are renting first to get a better sense of the area and are enjoying the freedom of not being tied to a mortgage.
Ms Birnie said their adventure happened almost by accident as they had planned a two month break in Devon during the summer and were staying at a holiday let when they suddenly decided it would be nice if they stayed longer.
“My partner Rob introduced me to the Devon area because he has been holidaying here since he was a baby. When we got together, it became a thing that we would come here every year and I realised what a beautiful area it was and what a great place it would be for a child of Emily’s age to grow up in,” the GP told i.
“We are renting as a lifestyle choice – just for the moment, not forever. With my job, we can go anywhere as people always need healthcare so I know I can get a job anywhere.
“It is nice to be a bit more nomadic and explore a different part of the country. We’re not yet sure what we’ll do when we’ve finished renting in Devon. We’ll either buy somewhere or who knows, we might go somewhere completely different and rent there to see what it is like.”
Ms Birnie isn’t alone as seven in 10 people now say renting is a lifestyle choice according to research from MoneySuperMarket’s latest household money index.
Two in 10 (20 per cent) of renters say they are exploring the phenomenon of ‘try before you buy’ – moving to an area to see if they like it before committing to purchasing a property there as they want to make sure it is right for their family.
Of those who have rented in an area to try before they buy, 55 per cent ended up buying a property and 37 per cent rented for longer than planned.
In Glossop, Ms Birnie knew a lot about the area and where she would want to live and where she wouldn’t, but with Devon being more unknown to her, she wanted to get to grips with the different areas and discover where would be best to live and where there would be good primary schools for Emily, so renting at first seemed the best idea.
After staying in a holiday let property over the summer, the family moved into a short term let property where they are living now. That let will end in November and they have already found another place to rent where they have signed up for 12 months.
“Our home in Glossop has now sold, but we are going to continue renting to try before we buy and look around the different areas deciding if we want to buy. If we want to stay, we’ll buy, but for now, we are in no rush.
“I like the idea of being free for a bit and not tied into a mortgage. Growing up, I stayed in the same house for 18 years of my life in the same village. It was the same for Rob as his mum and dad still live in his childhood home. While that is lovely, it is also nice to dabble into the other side of life and we are enjoying the sense of freedom and adventure.”
Ms Birnie says many of her colleagues in medicine are doing similar things and moving out of areas such as London to places like Devon for a better family life.
She isn’t very concerned about house prices going up too much while they are renting and says she won’t let such anxieties force her into buying somewhere in a rush and then being stuck if it isn’t quite right. “I am loving what we are doing now and it is nice just exploring and taking our time before we buy a house again. For us, it is more important that we buy the right place when we’re ready.”
Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, says: “Our latest Household Money Index report reveals how perceptions about renting and some of the reasons people choose to rent are changing.
“The research shows people feel less tied to one area. For families contemplating a big lifestyle move, renting lets you try a new area to make sure it’s right for you and your family – whether you’re looking for a sense of community, more green space or to test your commute.
“And, as we hear from Maria and her family, another benefit of renting is that once you’ve decided an area is right for you, you can take your time to find the right property.”
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that average UK private rents increased by 2.4 per cent in the 12 months to August 2024.
Mortgage rates have also been rising for the last few years as from the end of 2021 until August 2023, the Bank of England increased the base rate 14 times in succession to 5.25 per cent. This was to combat rising inflation, although UK inflation has recently fallen to 1.7 per cent in September.
While mortgage rates have tumbled in recent months, several lenders have started to hike their rates again amid uncertainty over the forthcoming Budget.
Data from the Office of National Statistics has also uncovered a trend of people moving from major UK cities to more rural areas.
Figures reveal more people moved out of England’s major cities than moved in last year. In 2023, London saw around 860,000 residents leave to live elsewhere in the UK, 130,000 more than the 730,000 who chose to move into the capital.
This pattern was mirrored in other major cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Leicester, Coventry, Bristol and Sheffield.
The new Labour government has pledged to build 1.5m homes in five years to deal with the critical shortage of housing.
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