Before taking a house, be careful to calculate that the rent is not
too high in proportion to your means; for remember that the rent is a
claim that must be paid with but little delay, and that the landlord
has greater power over your property than any other creditor. It is
difficult to assign any fixed proportion between income and rental to
suit all cases, but a reasonable basis for the settlement of this
point may be found in the assertion that while not less than one-tenth
of a man's entire income need be set apart for rent, not more than a
sixth, or at the very utmost a fifth should be devoted to this
purpose, and this amount ought to include parochial rates and taxes.