Having never owned a property, should we buy or rent a house in Oxford?

The reader says renting in Oxford is rather high and, together with childcare costs, would make saving money challenging. Photograph: Robert Stainforth/Alamy

Q We are two academics – with one child – moving to Oxford after the summer. My partner has a permanent contract in Europe and I will have a full-time position in Oxford for the next three years.

Because of the nature of the academic job market, we have not yet bought a property because we don’t know where I might end up having a permanent position.