Carlie lives with her daughter in a two-bedroom flat in Streatham Hill (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

What I Rent doesn’t take a break over Christmas – don’t you worry.

Each week we take you inside someone’s rented property in London so we can all have a better sense of what people are paying and what they’re getting in return. Today is no different, except you’ll spot some tinsel.

This week we’re with Carlie, a 34-year-old creative director for an art gallery who lives with her four-year-old daughter in a two-bedroom flat in Streatham.

Carlie got in touch after seeing Stephanie’s flat, which she pays £650 a month for.


The single mum wants to show that not everyone in Streatham gets such a sweet deal, but also to remind us that sometimes high rents aren’t down to landlords being mean – she tells us her landlord has to pay a lot for the flat’s mortgage, so the rent is high to match.

Carlie pays £1,500 a month in rent (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hi, Carlie! How much rent are you paying?



£1,500 a month including service charges.

It’s hard to say how much I pay for bills because I pay things quarterly, but I would say including Sky, phone, and broadband maybe £400 a month.

My gas and electric would roughly be £200 for winter. In summer nowhere near as high. But I have a four-year-old so I like to keep the heating on. My Sky is £85, my council tax £95. So yeah, £400 is roughly right.

My private landlord is very honest and open about the mortgage and how much he has to pay therefore he makes no profit from renting it out.

And what do you get for what you pay?

Two bedrooms, a kitchen/living area, and a bathroom.

How did you find the flat?

Through a friend. They recommended me. I’ve lived here since March 2018.

Do you like the area?

I love where I live. I’m on the high road. I can get to pretty much anywhere from the bus stop right outside my front door. I have parking out the back and fantastic neighbours.

She says the rent is high because the landlord’s mortgage is high (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Do you feel like you have enough space?

The rooms are huge apart from the kitchen and bathroom. But who spends that much time in those rooms anyway?

How have you made the house feel like home?

My landlords are amazing and have given me free reign to decorate how I like. I run a budget/DIY Instagram @carliescandles so I take great pleasure in finding ingenious ways of decorating with no money.

I have found furniture on the street, bought flooring from the Poundshop, spray painted old stuff to make it new. Even painted the floor in the hall to freshen it up.

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

We need a new kitchen and the landlord has told us next year it will be replaced but it’s really not bad at all.

Carlie’s cat, Ziggy, is welcome too (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Was it important for you to find a place that allows your cat, Ziggy?

Yes, The women in my family would never be without a cat. My six times great grandmother was eight hours away from being buried alive until the Vicar’s cat jumped on her and woke her up. She had sleeping sickness but of course then they never knew what that was.



So the women in my family are very superstitious about our familiars. Luckily my landlords are animal lovers and was happy for me to bring Ziggy.

Do you have any plans to move again?

If I move it will be a little cottage in the countryside. Close enough I could get back into London quickly but far enough away from the hustle and bustle.

Have you considered buying a place?

Not very likely for me in this climate but maybe if I cast enough spells?

Shall we have a look at Carlie’s place?

The landlords have been nice enough to let Carlie decorate as she wishes (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

She’s a fan of budget buys and DIY (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The living room looks particularly festive (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

What’s more Christmassy than sitting in front of a fire drinking mulled wine? (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

There’s plenty of space for a dining table (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

And decorations aplenty (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen has just as much cutesy stuff (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk

Here’s Carlie’s bedroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

We’re fans of the punchy colour scheme (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Now that’s a feature wall (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

And here’s Carlie’s daughter’s room (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

A spare bed is there for guests or for relaxing in the room (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

There’s desk space for writing and drawing (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Ziggy seems to call this room his own, too (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The bathroom. Yep, that’s a freestanding tub. Yep, we are jealous. (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Merry Christmas, one and all (Picture: Susannah Ireland/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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