Deena and Josh own a two-bedroom house in Chatham, Kent (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

What’s it like to buy a home?

Our new weekly series, What I Own, wants to answer that question, nosing around a different person’s property each week and asking them questions about how on earth they afforded it.

Basically, this is the owning version of What I Rent, because we’re curious about those magical people that somehow manage to save up a deposit rather than spaffing thousands on renting a tiny studio flat.

Last week we chatted to Bernadette, who owns a family home in Coggeshall, Essex.


This time we’re looking around the two-bedroom home of Deena, a 26-year-old marketing assistant, and her boyfriend Josh, who bought a home in Medway, Kent they share with their pug, Woof.

Their deposit was £40,000, but they only had to save up half (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Hey, Deena. Let’s talk deposit. How much was it?



Our deposit was £40,000 (eek). We saved up half between us, we already had some money saved and got the rest by being super strict. We were renting at the time so it was difficult!

We were, very kindly, gifted the other half which we’re SO appreciative of.

We purchased the house together. We have a legal agreement (declaration of trust) that if we ever part ways and sell, we will get back what we put in.

So what’s the total cost of your home?

Our house cost £192,500 in total. So our mortgage is £152,500 and lasts for 35 years, to keep monthly payments low.

The couple now pay £520 a month for their mortgage (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

How much do you now need to pay per month?

Our mortgage is around £520 per month, but this goes up after five years of living here, and bills come to around £200 a month (including the essentials like Netflix and Spotify).

We’ve been here for one year and seven months.

How did you choose this house?

We literally looked at about 100 houses. We put offers in on a few and got to the legal part on one house before pulling out because the survey came back awful.

A lot of the houses within our budget had front doors that opened into the living room and bathrooms downstairs, so we love that ours has a porch and hallway with a living room at the back of the house and a bathroom upstairs.

And this is their dog, Woof (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

And why Kent?

I am originally from Swanley in Kent and wanted to stay close to home. Josh is from East London, which we obviously cannot afford London prices, so it made sense for him to come down here. We rented in Gravesend before we bought our house but Medway is way more affordable!

What was the process of getting a mortgage like?

The process of getting a mortgage was less daunting then we thought it would be. We did have a lovely mortgage adviser who made the process simple and easy for us (for a small fee, of course).

We will probably go back to her once we’ve lived in the house for five years to see if we can get a better rate.

The couple have been living in the house for a year and seven months (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

How have you made the house feel like home?



We’re slowly making our way through decorating the house. We were lucky that the house was in a really good condition so everything we have done is just down to personal taste.

We still have a bright green spare bedroom which is sickening but it will do for now!

The kitchen and hallway needs a good lick of paint too and everything needs neatening up.

Have you had to spend a lot on things for the house?

We had to get new windows and doors shortly after we moved in as they were falling apart. That was the largest expense, and we’ve replaced the boiler, kitchen cabinets and furniture items.

The previous homeowners gifted us a LOT of furniture which we’re slowly replacing. In total it’s probably come to around £10,000.

Monthly payments will increase after they’ve lived here for five years (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Enough for now! There isn’t much built-in cupboard space for storage but having loft space makes up for it, especially for random tat that you don’t need all year round, like Christmas stuff and fans.

Does owning pose any problems you didn’t have when you were renting?

Yes, our boiler broke down in March and we had to fill up the bath using the kettle or take cold showers. And it was freezing cold this March! If we rented, we would just call up our landlord to get it fixed.

Although, if we rented we probably wouldn’t be able to have a dog.

What are your housing plans for the future?


We won’t stay here forever, but we aren’t looking to move in the near future. Our house opens up onto the path so our next home will have a driveway, and maybe more bedrooms! Woof would like a little bedroom of his own.

Here’s the living room (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

It’s big enough for a dining table, too (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

There are plenty of personal touches dotted around the place (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Flowers on the table? You’re fancy (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s the kitchen (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

We approve of the pug mug (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

And the magnet (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Up the stairs we go, passing the guardian of the home (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Ooh, cool clock (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

There’s the green bedroom they mentioned (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

And here’s the main bedroom (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Cute (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

Finally, the bathroom (Picture: SWNS/Metro.co.uk)

How to get involved in What I Own What I Own is a Metro.co.uk series that takes you inside people's properties, to take an honest look at what it's like to buy a home in the UK. If you own your home and would be up for sharing your story, 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've paid to live there and how you afforded the deposit, as that's pretty important. If you're renting, you can take part too! What I Own runs alongside What I Rent, which is the same series but all about renting. Again, if you'd like to get involved just email whatirent@metro.co.uk.

MORE: What I Own: Natel, the 28-year-old who saved £17,000 for a deposit on a one-bedroom flat in Dagenham

MORE: What I Own: Lauren, the 32-year-old manager who paid a £24,000 deposit to buy her one-bedroom flat in Sydenham

MORE: What I Own: Vanessa, the 29-year-old photographer who paid a £5,100 deposit on a house in Belfast

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