How sky-high rents forced people into imaginative alternatives
Tenants and others who found unusual ways to keep a roof over their head in an era of record costs
Renting a property in the UK can be a bleak business. The average monthly rent rose to £932 last month and in London it is even more expensive at £1,588, according to new figures. It is of little surprise then that more young people are choosing to stay in the family home. Recent research showed nearly a million more young adults live with their parents than was the case two decades ago. The proportion of people aged 20 to 34 who live with their parents has risen from 19% in 1997 to 25% in 2017 – some 3.4 million people, according to the thinktank Civitas.
Hitting the road
When Michael Hayne, 41, a delivery driver from Mansfield, split up with his wife after 10 years of marriage with two daughters, he sofa-surfed at various family members’ homes for about six months because he couldn’t afford to rent.
“I worked out it was about £1,100 to get a house to rent plus bills,” he says. “I needed somewhere for the kids to stay and didn’t want a bedsit. I realised I wouldn’t have much money left after paying child maintenance and childcare costs.”
He was inspired by reading about a couple who sold up and toured the world in a van. “I took out a loan and bought a Mercedes Sprinter van for £2,500 and spent weeks stripping it out and turning it into a home.” His van includes beds for when his daughters stay, a four-burner cooker and storage at the back for his bike.
“I wanted a van because it’s cheaper than a camper van, which can cost upwards of £10,000, plus I like the style of a van. It’s a blank canvas that I can build myself. For example, I made a sleeping area for my girls, and I can change it around.”
The cost of running the van, including vehicle tax and breakdown insurance but not petrol, sets him back about £70 a month.
Hayne has lived in the van for a year and parks for free in country lanes and near industrial estates. He showers at a local gym. “The girls love it. They’ve been to Scotland, Whitby, Scarborough and the Norfolk coast. Not paying rent frees up the funds to do those things.”
Sitting it out
While some people house-sit for free to get a taste of luxury or a different life for a few weeks, designer Jennifer Hamley, 39, and her husband, Ben, 37, have turned it into a way to live rent-free.
“We decided to try house-sitting after we came back from a year living in Bali,” says Hamley. “Rental prices had escalated and a friend suggested it. We run a business together from our laptops, and are used to being a little nomadic, so the idea suited us well.”
The couple tend to stay in a property for at least three weeks, depending on what’s available. “Since we do this full time we tend to only apply for house-sits of three weeks or more. Running a business and moving around too much is way too stressful.”
The couple house-sit through TrustedHousesitters.com, which connects home and pet owners with house-sitters and costs each party £89 for an annual membership. They house-sit mainly in Brighton, taking care of pets, the home, post and watering plants.
“It is a peace of mind for many homeowners. A homeowner doesn’t need to get anyone to check in on the house, and pet owners don’t have to pay kennels, catteries or dog walkers.”
Sometimes there’s a signed agreement but mostly the exchange is done on trust. The duo try to line up consecutive house-sits but sometimes there are a few days’ gap, when they stay in a hotel, B&B, Airbnb, or with friends.
Guarding the home
If Carl Francis, 27, was renting his one-bedroom flat in Barnet, north London, at market rates, he simply wouldn’t be able to afford it. But as a property guardian – a person who temporarily looks after an empty property that’s between uses in return for cheap rent – his rent comes to just £425 a month.
“I didn’t want a cramped studio flat for £600,” he says. He found Dot Dot Dot, which provides affordable housing in buildings that range from flats and houses to churches and even disused fire stations. In return it asks guardians to volunteer for 16 hours a month with a charity of their choice.
“I’m saving a hell of a lot more than if I was living on my own,” he says. The drawback is the property is set to be demolished. “Then I’ll be given 28 days’ notice. But I’ve been here for a year and it’s a really good way to live.”
Co-operative living
Patrick Smith, 62, the director of a vegan catering co-operative, lives with nine other people in a housing co-op in Nottingham, where he pays a fraction of the typical rent. Housing co-ops tend to be democratic organisations controlled by members, who set their own policies and decisions. In Smith’s co-op, the housemates have two meetings a month, discussing topics such as household issues, cleaning and checking in with others’ wellbeing.
The household divvies up chores, with each member spending 30 minutes a week cleaning a designated area. The tenants are the landlords and they set their own rent and take responsibility for the needs of the household.
Smith pays about £50 a week in rent, plus £40 a month in bills and he chips in £14 a week for food for communal meals. “The money wasn’t a driving force but it does have its advantages. You’d be lucky to get a room for £50 in Nottingham. We also have a sliding scale [in rent] to help the less well off.”
Each person has their own bedroom but shares communal areas such as lounge, bathrooms and kitchen, where every night a member cooks a group meal.
“Rather than it just being about finances, everyone wants to engage in a sustainable cooperatively managed household.”
No comments:
Post a Comment