Jack and Harry share a two-bedroom flat in Wimbledon. Jack’s the one wearing glasses. (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Trying to find somewhere to live in London can be an overwhelming mess.

You’ll visit overpriced studios with no space for a bed, dingy house-shares with grime-streaked bathrooms, and the occasional dream flat that’s perfect except for having a two hour commute to work.

Faced with all those less-than-ideal options, it’s handy to see exactly how other people live in London – what they’re paying and what they’re getting in return – if only so you can make sense of which areas are actually worth looking into.

That’s why each week we take you inside someone’s rented property in our series, What I Rent.




This week we’re chatting to Jack, who lives with housemate Harry in a two-bedroom flat in Wimbledon.

They each pay £700 a month for rent (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hey Jack, how much are you paying for this flat?

£700pcm each – so £1,400 in total for two people.

And what about bills?

We’re not too sure at the moment, we only moved at the start of August and haven’t yet had the pleasure of receiving a bill through the post.

What do you get for that money?

Two double bedrooms, both of a decent size. Mine is slightly larger but both have sizeable fitted wardrobes. We have one bathroom with a bath and shower built in.

How did you find the flat?

We found it on Rightmove after weeks of searching. We unfortunately had an offer accepted on another flat not too far away and were all set to move in but the landlord pulled out as he wanted to sell.

We managed to view this place, pay the fees, sign the documents and move in within a week; safe to say it was a pretty hectic week.

The flat comes with access to a shared garden (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Whereabouts is the flat?

We’re about 10 minutes walk from South Wimbledon tube and 7 minutes from Waterloo main, it’s pretty well situated between the two and a couple of road backs from the high street. We’re probably a bit too close to Dip & Flip for my bank account’s liking…

Do you like the area?

We’re very new to SW19 having moved in early August this year. We both previously lived in Surrey so it’s a big step up moving to Greater London. Apart from the fees and price of living so far so good!

We’re thoroughly enjoying it so far, we’ve got really good links to Central with a 15 minute train to Waterloo and the Northern Line is great if we want to explore the rest of South. We’ve also found a parking spot for free which makes my life easier as I drive into work.

Our place isn’t the most modern but it’s nice enough for what it is.

The best thing about moving has got to be the food selection on Deliveroo, we’re pretty spoilt for choice compared to our old area. With it being so close to Surrey and the number of parks around it doesn’t feel like such a jump, I can still see trees around which I enjoy.



I’m now really close to my girlfriend so that keeps her happy too.

The friends have a decent collection of games (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Do you feel like you have enough space?

For two people it’s definitely enough space. We lack storage space for random bits and bobs but our living room and bedrooms are big enough with plenty of space for our huge collection of tees.

What’s it like living with your housemate, Harry?

I have no qualms…I know he’s reading this (it’s only for a year).

Are there any annoying bits about the flat?

We had a couple of issues with our window locks when we first moved in but it was resolved pretty quickly by the landlord.

There’s also a couple of little rapscallions upstairs who love to run a 100m sprint every couple of hours, but they’re usually in bed by 7pm so we don’t have to put up with them for too long.

And they get points for having a shoe rack (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Would you move again?

I’m not planning to move again until next Summer when I’m probably going to look to move in with my girlfriend.

Have you thought about buying a place?

Yes I have, that’s next on the agenda.

I need another year of saving and then I think that could be a realistic option, but I need to stop spending money on Deliveroo and craft beer to do so and that’s quite a challenge in London!

Agreed. Shall we look around Jack and Harry’s flat, then?

The kitchen looks into the living room (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

There’s plenty of space for gaming, watching TV, and drinking wine (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

They’ve even managed to fit in a dining table (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Looks like someone had a birthday (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

A varied selection of beverage options (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Jack in his bedroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

He’s got a good range of glasses (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Harry’s room (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Spot the dry shampoo (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

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

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

The bathroom, complete with a tub (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

And of course, the obligatory toothbrush photo (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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