Author Topic: How much should we pay? (Read 6383 times)

colliewobbles · « **on:** March 20, 2013, 09:50:01 am »

We have been offered a lovely piece of land to rent - excellent grazing, nearby mains water supply, post and rail and stock fenced - about an acre and a half. We are thinking of putting sheep on it and owners have also said they will feed for the odd weekend if we need to go away.

We are in south Norfolk - what would be a fair rent per month?

Donna

zwartbles · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2013, 10:35:52 pm »

We are not far away and a small plot may be £150 per acre per year. Larger plot about £90 per acre per year.

doganjo · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2013, 11:41:42 pm »

Sounds about right - we had 22 acres and let it for a season at £85 an acre, but that was from 1st March to 31st October, then we had sheep in to clean the remaining grass before winter.

colliewobbles · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2013, 07:44:20 pm »

Ouch - they are asking £90 per month, think we will pass

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2013, 07:56:50 pm »

A month? Really? That's a horsey rent level (bad for the land and will chew the fences, I know, I have them!) not a sheep rent - the sheep will be good for the land. Too expensive IMO. Of course they may well say they can get that from horse owners but I would let them at that rate, for that small area even horsey peeps might find it a bit steep.

colliewoman · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2013, 09:31:27 pm »

Quote from: colliewobbles on March 22, 2013, 07:44:20 pm

Ouch - they are asking £90 per month, think we will pass

I am in Somerset and I pay one of the dearer rents for the area.
I pay £60 per month for 4.5 acres. It does have a pole barn and water, but the best bit for me is when I asked what I could and couldn't do on it I was told 'Do what you like my darlin' you can live on it for all I care'!

colliewobbles · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2013, 09:37:11 pm »

Thanks everyone, we have decided to pass on this after realising how over-priced it is. There is a possibility of something 200 yards from our house so we are keeping our fingers crossed that comes up and that the price is right.

Was a good thing joining this forum, has saved us a mint already.

Donna

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2013, 10:24:13 am »

Good luck finding something at the right price

SteveHants · « **Reply #8 on:** April 20, 2013, 10:08:08 pm »

I wouldn't pay money for an acre and a half - maybe give them half a lamb or something.

In reality, I would probably want paying to keep the grass down on a plot that size.

Nortonhillbilly · « **Reply #9 on:** May 02, 2013, 03:54:57 pm »

SteveHants is right, the best deal is an occasional half a lamb, but on that amount of ground they'd be getting the better deal. £90 is ridiculous. I pay no rent at all for 80% of our (now) 66 acres and we still can't make the sheep pay, so if anyone is paying that kind of money a year, let alone a month, then its a massive and unecessary overhead. Keep looking and soemthing else will turn up, but rememeber you will have to move your sheep onto another plot to rest the land

SteveHants · « **Reply #10 on:** May 07, 2013, 11:07:06 pm »

Quote from: Nortonhillbilly on May 02, 2013, 03:54:57 pm

SteveHants is right, the best deal is an occasional half a lamb, but on that amount of ground they'd be getting the better deal. £90 is ridiculous. I pay no rent at all for 80% of our (now) 66 acres and we still can't make the sheep pay, so if anyone is paying that kind of money a year, let alone a month, then its a massive and unecessary overhead. Keep looking and soemthing else will turn up, but rememeber you will have to move your sheep onto another plot to rest the land

I have a block of 30 or so acres that I pay no rent on - just bung them a lamb every year - they were tired of horse mess. Rest is 20p/head/week. Pays me, but only on an all-grass, low intensity system. It helps that I had a lot of free hay over the winter though - I would have probably gone under otherwise.

colliewobbles · « **Reply #11 on:** May 07, 2013, 11:22:57 pm »

We are still looking - loads of land around us but no-one wants to rent any to us. The local estate wraps around the side and back of our garden and we adjoin a 5 acre field that would be perfect. We have been and asked them but they are not keen on livestock because they keep cattle on the other end of the estate - not sure I understand the objection to be honest.

It just seems around here that a few people own it all and simply don't want to share.

If only we were rich.

Donna

SteveHants · « **Reply #12 on:** May 07, 2013, 11:51:32 pm »

Quote from: colliewobbles on May 07, 2013, 11:22:57 pm

We are still looking - loads of land around us but no-one wants to rent any to us. The local estate wraps around the side and back of our garden and we adjoin a 5 acre field that would be perfect. We have been and asked them but they are not keen on livestock because they keep cattle on the other end of the estate - not sure I understand the objection to be honest.

It just seems around here that a few people own it all and simply don't want to share. If only we were rich.

Donna

It is because it is the same holding so your movements would interfere with theirs - there is a standstill period when animals are brought on, so they would, technically be unable to move animals for however many days (depending on what you moved), which could seriously impact their business/biosecurity.

The way round it is to get the RPA to allocate you a holding number whilst grazing their land, you are then two separate holdings and thus the problem is solved.

Also: the first bit of grazing you get is always the hardest to come by. Once people start to know that you pay up front, are quick to remove any deads, and move animals off when you say you will, grazing seems to magically appear...

Nortonhillbilly · « **Reply #13 on:** May 14, 2013, 09:41:08 pm »

Also: the first bit of grazing you get is always the hardest to come by. Once people start to know that you pay up front, are quick to remove any deads, and move animals off when you say you will, grazing seems to magically appear...

Quote from: SteveHants on May 07, 2013, 11:51:32 pm

Quote from: colliewobbles on May 07, 2013, 11:22:57 pm

Thats exactly right. Landowners get understandably aggrieved when thsoe who rent therir land don't keep to what they say, or repair any damage. Half a day repairing horse damage over the winter just secured us another 8 acres and the landowner takes a real interest in the sheep - and always has a glass of homebrew whenever you drop by. Free grass, free beer. Doesn't get much betetr than that