Megan rents a two-bedroom home with her daughter, Isabelle (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

In our weekly series What I Rent, we take you inside people’s rented properties to see what they get for what they pay.

While we’re usually despairing at the overpriced studio flats in London, this week we’re in Hull, which has been named has the most affordable place to rent in the UK.

This week’s renter is Megan, a 24-year-old single mum with a one-year-old daughter, Isabelle.

Megan, who works for a car dealership, is from Hull originally and grew up in Gipsyville, but lived in Brighton and Leeds for years before returning home.


Last year she moved into a two-bedroom flat in Hessle, where she lives now.

Rent is £550 a month (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

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



I pay £550 a month in rent. Bills are around £230, including things like council tax and TV license and internet.

What do you get for what you pay?

There’s a living room, kitchen and mini conservatory which is currently a dumping ground as the last tenant still hasn’t emptied the garage, which is annoying. There’s also a downstairs bathroom but it’s always freezing as it leads on from the conservatory.

Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. My room is pretty small but Isabelle’s is massive. The garden is a really good size and I can’t wait to do it up in the new year.

The house is filled with cute details, like this polar bear doorstop (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Do you think you have a good deal?

I think I do, yeah. A lot of people I’ve spoken to think I overpay as houses around here are generally cheap, but I do think it’s good value, for sure.

My mum lives in a similar size house two streets away and pays less but the houses around here go so quickly so I was really lucky to get this one and it’s in really good condition, which was a bonus. It’s walking distance to work and in a nice area.

Do you like the area?

It’s a village just on the outside of Hull, you can walk into Hull so really not fa,r but it’s far enough out of the centre that you don’t get much trouble. It’s mainly families as there are a few good schools around and we have a square with shops and pubs. I really like it.

I can walk to work, I’m close to my family and friends and everyone nearby is friendly. There are good schools and good transport links which are handy for the future and my landlord is really nice.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Some of the rooms are a weird size but I definitely have enough space, there is storage under the stairs too which helps and as soon as the garage is cleared I’ll be laughing.

Plus decoration that shows this is where Megan calls home (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

How did you find this place?

I actually found it on Gumtree. When I moved to Hull I was in a flat but just didn’t have enough room and really wanted to be in Hessle, but as I said the houses go so quickly.



I was looking every day on Rightmove, Zoopla etc, but one day randomly decided to look on Gumtree and this had been listed two hours before, I was still the second person to enquire so didn’t think I’d get the house but luckily the first couple failed referencing so I got it!

How have you made the house feel like home?

I have a lot of prints which I have up in every room. I love wrestling and cartoons so a lot of them might not really be to everyone’s taste but they make me happy so I don’t mind.

I spent a lot of time making sure Isabelle had a lot of room to play and making sure most rooms were at least somewhat baby-proof.

Most of our furniture is a mix of second hand or gifts so it’s not the most Pinterest looking house ever but it’s ours and we love it.

You’ll spot a lot of greenery (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Are there any problems with the house?

Nothing that I can think of. There was an issue with the boiler when we moved in, but they got that fixed straight away, and some damp in the conservatory from the cold weather but that is getting sorted too.

If I have any sort of problem my landlord will come ASAP so I’m not worried about things going wrong.

Are you planning to move again? When? What would you be looking for?

In the past five years I’ve moved house eight times so I’m definitely staying here.


I feel really settled here and have everything we need. There’s a really good school down the street so if I did ever want to move it would be when Isabelle goes to high school in 10+ years!

The only thing that would make me move would be a rent increase as with rent, bills and childcare costs I’m pushing my monthly budget already. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

Have you considered buying a place?

While I’m on my own with Izzy there’s just no way that would be a possibility… but who knows in the future.

Shall we have a look around?

The living room, complete with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Check out those baubles (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Inspirational messaging above the fireplace (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

And look at those presents! (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

This is Isabelle’s first proper Christmas (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

They’ve even got customised stockings (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

The conservatory is currently a bit cluttered (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

There’s a small downstairs toilet (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Is that a llama we see? (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

The jazziest glass we’ve ever seen (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

An impressive collection of vegan cookbooks (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Let’s head upstairs (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Isabelle has the larger bedroom (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Gotta say, we’re a bit jealous of all those toys (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Everything is so colourful (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

There are plenty of books for reading time (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Yes, that is a teepee (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

These puzzles double as artsy decoration (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

Megan’s bedroom (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

True (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

And finally, the upstairs bathroom (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

It’ll be a long time before they run out of loo roll (Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Simon Ashton/Metro.co.uk)

And there’s the toothbrush (Picture: Simon Ashton/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.

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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