Leia and Evan share a one-bedroom flat in Kennington (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

We’re nosy, you’re nosy, and thus we all like looking around other people’s homes – from the books artfully stacked on their coffee tables to the corners of the bathtub crowded by empty shampoo bottles.

Our weekly series, What I Rent, fulfills our endless need to snoop around, but it does have aims bigger than feeding our curiosity.

Namely, we want to create a proper picture of what renting actually looks like in the UK.

That means the reality of renting, rather than flattering real estate pics, from the absolute bargains to those places that make you question why anyone is still paying to live in London.




Last week we made Londoners weep by heading up to Halifax, where Charlotte and Jon pay £247.50 a month each for a two-bedroom flat.

This time we’re back in the city with Leia, 28, and Evan, 30, a couple both working in executive search who rent a one-bedroom flat in the Kennington/Elephant and Castle area.

They pay £1,600 a month between them in rent (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Hi, Leia! How much do you and Evan pay to live here?

We pay £1,600 a month in total for rent, and bills are about £150 between us each month. The vast majority of that is council tax. Cheers, Lambeth.

And what do you get for what you pay?

We have three rooms: a kitchen/diner/living room and a double bedroom, plus the bathroom.

Do you have a good deal?

Yes. We pay a little bit more than we could but we still think we have a great deal.

Location was a key factor and we save money because we are so central and can both walk to work in 30 minutes.

We were both getting tired of living in older properties with mice and single glazing so wanted to live somewhere newer too; this was refurbished just before we moved in so we are the very first people to live here.

Yes, those are freshly baked (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

How did you find this flat?

We found it on Rightmove – it was the first and only property we viewed and we immediately wanted it. We had actually booked to see one in Battersea first but the estate agent didn’t show up… That one was above a Papa John’s so it’s probably worked out for the best.

We’ve lived here for 18 months.

Are you happy with the area?

We’re really happy here. Living in Kennington/Elephant and Castle makes it incredibly easy to get pretty much everywhere in London.

The area also has some great restaurants, cafes and pubs, although our favourite local did close down last month: The Walcot, RIP.

We’ve also just discovered the Walworth Garden; a hidden gem that deserves to be shared with the world.

The only downside for us would have to be our two local Tescos. They are both absolutely shocking.



Do you feel like you have enough space?

It may surprise people but yes, we really think so. We don’t hoard belongings so it always feels pretty spacious for the two of us. We’ve even squeezed in 25 people for Thanksgiving dinner before.

Leia and Evan don’t have a dog… yet (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

What’s it like living together?

We moved in together after about nine months of dating and several years of knowing each other.

It was an effortless transition and living together is great so long as you remember not to fuss over the small stuff. Why argue over the occasional floordrobe or how much toilet paper gets used when you get to wake up to your favourite person every day?

How have you made the flat feel like home?

There are lots of meaningful things around the flat; champagne corks from different special occasions, a photo of Dele Alli celebrating Spurs’ 3-1 win against Chelsea, and a framed cross stitch of our family motto.

It also helps that we’ve decorated a little. We have maps of our home cities (London and Pittsburgh) in the bedroom and prints of two of our favourite places in the living room too – the Peak District and Santa Barbara.

And you might notice that we have photos of our family dogs, Bell and Coco, in the bathroom. Leia saw this in a Frank Lloyd Wright house we went to visit recently (Kentuck Knob) and insisted that we do it too.

But they do have pics of their family dogs in the bathroom (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Are there any issues with the flat you have to put up with?


Not anything major. Although a weird quirk is that all the taps are hooked up backwards and do the opposite to what they’re supposed to.

Also the flat can be a little too good at trapping heat in the summer and Evan misses American style air conditioning.

Do you have any plans to move again? What would you be looking for?

We just renewed for another 18 months! That said, we do dream of having somewhere with a spare bedroom and a garden so we could get a dog. Ideally multiple dogs. We haven’t named them already or anything.

Have you considered buying a place?

Nope. It’s expensive and would mean compromising on location and walking to work, something we both really value. Also….Brexit.

Fair. Let’s have a look around.

The couple moved in together after nine months of dating (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The living room, kitchen, and dining area (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The pair say they have plenty of space (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The key is not holding on to too much stuff (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Note the lack of clutter (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

They’ve made the flat their own with prints, photos, and plants (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Spot the prints of some of their favourite places (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The little ‘reserved’ sign is v cute (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Yes, those books are arranged by colour (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Corks to mark special champagne occasions (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

From the dining area you can see the kitchen (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Complete with a breakfast bar (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Spontaneity is key (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Now for the bedroom and bathroom (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

There are plenty of cushions, which we appreciate (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

And a jazzy headboard (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Read into that embroidery as much as you wish (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Very tidy, no? (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

A map of the area (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Photos of the couple are dotted all around (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

There’s lots of storage space, luckily (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

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

Oh hey, squeegee (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Look at all those robes! (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

There are those dog pics we mentioned (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Truly, we’re impressed by the robes (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for (Picture: Matthew Chattle/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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