Hannah shares a three-bedroom flat in Brockley with two people she met online (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Fancy living in London?

Hope you’re okay with paying a load of money, sharing with a lot of people, and taking a couple of trains each morning to get to work.

Renting in London can be… tricky. That’s putting it lightly.

Rents are high, space is limited, and if you’re lucky enough to find a place that’s affordable, you’ll have to accept that you’re not allowed to make it feel like home in any way – no painting, no pets, no pictures on the wall (unless you’re good with blu-tack).


Through What I Rent, we explore the reality of renting in London, good bits and bad.



This week we’re hanging out with blogger Hannah Louise, who shares a three-bedroom house in Brockley with two housemates.

She pays £620 a month (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hi, Hannah! How much do you pay to live here?

My room and en suite is £620 pcm, my two housemates pay £575 each.

All in, bills are about £230 per month split three ways, then we pay the water bill quarterly.

What’s the house like?

Three bedrooms, an open plan kitchen/living room, one main bathroom, and one en suite.

How long have you lived here?

A little over 18 months. I found it through the south east London house share Facebook group.

I didn’t know my housemates beforehand, but we’re all girls of similar ages and get on with each other.

Plenty of plants make the house feel more like home (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Are you happy with the area?

Yeah, really happy – I love my room and the area is great. We’re on two overground lines so it’s easy enough to get around, and there are loads of nice pubs, bars and cafes in Brockley.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

My room is a good size but I have a lot of stuff and work from home, so ideally I’d like an additional office/storage room too.

How have you made the house feel like home?

I think our house had quite a homely ‘vibe’ before we even moved in because of the fireplaces and wooden features, so adding plants, cushions, prints and things like that made it feel like home.

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Are there any issues with the house that you’re putting up with?

Nothing really, we’re very fortunate to have a good landlord who has replaced the oven and the fridge when they have broken during our time here.

Any plans to move again?

I would like to have my own place at some point but I definitely don’t have plans to do that in the near future.

And… what about buying?

Buying isn’t really something that is on my radar while I’m still single and living in London.

Shall we have a look around Hannah’s place?

The house has a main living room combined with the kitchen area (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Fireplaces make the house feel extra cosy (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hannah says there are no issues with the house, and they’re lucky to have a nice landlord (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen is a bit snug, but they make do (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Up we go (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s the main bathroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

With a good supply of toilet paper (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Yep, five toothbrushes (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s Hannah’s room, complete with neon light (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Spot the beret (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

There’s a fireplace in here, too (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

And a *lot* of plants (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

We’re big fans of the posters (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hannah has an en suite bathroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

That’s handy, as she has quite the supply of beauty stuff (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s that toothbrush shot you were after (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

And, yes, some more plants (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am. Check back next week to have a nose around another rented property in London.

How to get involved in What I Rent What I Rent is Metro.co.uk's weekly series that takes you inside the places people are renting, to give us all a better sense of what's normal and how much we should be paying. If you fancy taking part, please email whatirent@metro.co.uk. You'll need to have pictures taken of your kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, plus a few photos of you in your room. Make sure you get permission for your housemates! You'll also need to be okay with sharing how much you're paying for rent, as that's pretty important.

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