Max lives with three housemates in Tooting (Picture: Andre Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

It’s time, pals, to take another look around someone rented property for our weekly series, What I Rent.

The aim of What I Rent is to create a more honest picture of what it’s like to rent in London – the good, the bad, and the mouldy.

That means being real about how much we’re paying and what we’re getting in return so we all have a better sense of what’s normal.

This time around we’re hanging out with software consultant Max, 27, who shares a house in Tooting with three housemates, Jack, Robbie, and Charles.


Max is the one wearing a white tee, Jack is in grey (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Hi Max! How much are you paying for this place?



We pay 3,100 pcm total. The rooms are of different sizes so we each pay different sums. I pay £900 for the big room with the en suite. The cheapest room is around £700.

We pay about £80 each for bills, which includes council tax, gas and electricity, internet and TV (we have Sky Sports, BT sport and Eurosport).

We also have a cleaner who comes every 3 weeks. She charges £15ph for four hours.

And what do you get for that money?

4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and another toilet on the bottom floor with the urinal.

How did you find the house?

RightMove, it was put on through Marsh & Parsons, who weren’t the best it must be said. We moved in September 2017.

The housemates know each other from university (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

What do you think of the location?

I’m very happy. I have lived in tooting for four years now in a few different houses with other uni friends.

We are a five minute walk from Tooting Bec tube station, which is on the northern line so easy to get to work for all of us. We never have to wait for a tube in the morning, as platforms only start getting busy by Balham.

We are also a five minute walk to Tooting Common which is ideal in the summer. There is a lido there too, which is the UK’s biggest apparently!

The high street has loads of pubs and bars too. There’s also a couple of clubs in the area, we go to Chasers quite a bit, and New York New York, but it closes at 1am annoyingly.

I also have a company car, so street parking is fine too. And allows me to drive to the many golf courses which are less than 30 minutes drive away.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

I do as I have the master bedroom! So plenty of wardrobe space. Jack’s room is a bit tight, but he doesn’t mind.

Downstairs our kitchen/living room is very spacious. And the garden is great in the summer for BBQ’s, especially with the decking and the hot tub.

How have you made the house feel like home?

It came unfurnished, so we had to start from scratch. My parents donated some furniture like sofas and chairs, and we got the rest from a trip to Ikea. We’ve had the hot tub for a couple years now, so is a mainstay of our place.

There are a bunch of fancy features in the house, like these LED lights (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

You’ve got some pretty unusual features in your house – the LED lights, the bidet and urinal, the fancy fridge… what’s the deal with those?



We fell in love with the house as soon as we viewed it. Think there were 20 viewings on the first day!

The sliding French doors were a big selling point, as we thought it would be perfect for hosting BBQs in the summer. The island in the kitchen and the LEDs also helped.

Having a urinal is obviously very useful in a house of four guys too. I don’t think the bidet has ever been used, but it looks nice.

How long have you and your housemates lived together? Did you know each other before moving in?

We are all from Uni of Southampton where we were in the same halls of accommodation. Me and Charles have lived together for three years, me and Robbie for two years, and Jack moved in at the start of the tenancy.

All the housemates are into sports (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

What’s it like living with your housemates?

I love it, we all get on really well. We’re quite an active house so we play most sports. We play football, golf, tennis, cricket, basketball, baseball and even squash.

Weekends are taken up by either watching or playing sport.

We also like to do a bit of gaming from time to time, Charles even has a separate gaming spot where he plays Fortnite!

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

Not really, any issues have been fixed by the landlord fairly quickly. We did have an abnormal smell coming from behind the fridge a while back, but that resolved itself somehow. The cause is still unknown.


Any plans to move again?

We have a break clause in our tenancy which would take us up to March 2019. I’m hoping to buy a place, whereas the others are still undecided on what to do.

I am hoping to buy a place early next year, when our tenancy finishes. Looking to buy in this area too, as I know the area and think it will be a good place to buy. House prices are down at the moment, so I feel like it’s a good time to do it too.

Shall we have a look around the house, then?

Fancy, huh? (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Yes, there is a hot tub outside (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

The boys spend a lot of time gaming (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

In summer it’s BBQ time (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Did we mention they like sports? (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

There’s plenty of seating for guests (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

And more than enough games to choose from (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Behold the snazzy kitchen, complete with a fridge large enough for four (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Board games are essential (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

There are four bedrooms in total (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

They’re different sizes, so housemates pay different rent accordingly (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Someone likes elephants (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Max has the en suite (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

The boys have made the house their own with some interesting decoration (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

Spot the bidet (Picture: André Zuccolo for Metro.co.uk)

And yes, that’s a urinal (Picture: André Zuccolo for 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.

MORE: What I Rent: Alex and Andy, £1,400 a month for a maisonette in Hither Green

MORE: What I Rent: Max, £900 a month for a room in a four-bedroom house in Tooting

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