(Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

Renting in London can be miserable and confusing.

Have a trawl through RightMove and you’ll find £1,500 studios with the shower next to the fridge. Go on a few viewings and you’re bound to discover that the living room you saw online is in fact just a sofa wedged awkwardly into one of the bedrooms.

It’s hard to know what’s normal or what we can expect for what we can afford to pay.

To make things a little clearer we launched What I Rent, a weekly series that takes you inside the homes of people renting in London.




This week we’re having a nose around James’s one bedroom flat.

James lives alone in a one-bedroom flat in Crystal Palace. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

Let’s chat money. How much are you paying each month?

A grand.

Never thought I’d pay four figures for rent. When I came to see the place I went thinking I wouldn’t take it, but once I stepped inside I was like, f*** it. It’s really decent and actually yeah, I would like a garden.

And what about bills?

About £150, I guess.

Tell us about the location.

The flat’s in Crystal Palace, about five mins walk from the best park in London.

I can walk for about five minutes and look at a physical living farm animal which is absolutely mind-blowing, frankly. And of course there’s the dinosaurs.

There’s a bloody decent Gipsy Hill pub practically next door called the Douglas Fir, the station is under 5 mins walk (and there’s no less than FIVE off-licences on that short way home, that’s like an off-licence per minute which is a really good number), up the hill there’s the Westow House pub which seems pretty lively, and the triangular high street that has a decent selection of shops and cracking views of London.

There’s a bedroom, a living room and dining area, a kitchen, and a bathroom. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

I think the other thing that hit me moving was how much more chilled out the south feels. I was in Stratford before which was flat, grey, and was kinda aggro.

And how much greener it all is – I didn’t realise how much I liked trees until I was surrounded by them.

I don’t think I’ll ever live north of the river again, and if I want to go there it’s p*ss easy to get to on the Overground*.

I really don’t understand people that are so desperate to live in Zone 1 they pay £2k for a box room in Kensington or whatever. They are doing it wrong.

*Until about midnight, in which case it’s buses from New Cross Gate or a train if you’re lucky.

What’s the flat like?

It’s a self-contained single bedroom flat, so just a bedroom, sitting room, one bathroom and kitchen.

The bedroom’s not massive, but it does the job. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

How long have you been there?



Three weeks, maybe a month? Nearly a month.

It looks a bit spartan at the moment but I’m going to work on the garden and make it a cozy den with plants and lights and a barbecue, all that gaff

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Totally. The bedroom is a little cramped but I spend most of the time sitting in the garden or in the living room. Loads of storage in the kitchen.

It’s not a huge place but it’s big enough. Be nice if the ceilings were a bit higher I guess, but I can’t really complain.

How did you find it?

First day of looking at places and saw some pretty awful ones (the view from one was a McDonald’s on a roundabout in a retail park in Charlton), then I had a look on OpenRent. Can’t recommend that site enough.

I hear about everyone paying hundreds of pounds in fees and having to mess about with dodgy letting agents.

I paid £20 in fees for a background check and the process of putting down a holding deposit was simple – I did it on my phone as soon as I left the viewing (you have to move so fast, the person viewing it before me was already talking money). Also I reckon the sort of landlord that’s going to use it is probably a bit more friendly and forward thinking – mine seems like a really nice bloke.

James has only lived in the flat for a month, so is looking forward to make it more his own. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

Do you like living alone?


Well my girlfriend is here most of the time so it’s not like I’m lonely, but it’s nice having my own place again. Currently working on getting mates to travel all the way here on the regs but they seem quite happy to do this once they’ve sat in the park with a big bag of cans and realised how great it is.

Is there anything you don’t like about where you live?

It’s a bitch to get to once the Overground is done.

We were at a rave in Hackney Marshes the other week and being on the bus for nearly two hours at 5AM when you’ve been dancing in a field for god know’s how long isn’t an experience I’d particularly recommend.

Any plans to move again?

I’m really happy here, I don’t think I’d want to live anywhere else in London really.

When I move it’ll probably be to Berlin or Barcelona or somewhere like that.

And… have you thought about buying a place?

I’ve never seen that as something that was possible so I don’t waste time entertaining the thought.

The bedroom is narrow but has enough space for essentials. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

And there’s a bookshelf, which is crucial. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

Some classic kitchen supplies. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

The bathroom has a shower and a tub. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

James’s girlfriend often stays round, so he doesn’t get too lonely. (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

Oh, and did we mention the garden? (Picture: Alexander Crawley/Metro.co.uk)

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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