Alex shares a three bedroom flat with his girlfriend Jess and housemate Tash. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Renting in London isn’t much fun – especially when you have no idea if you’re getting a good deal.

Trawling through listings magically makes paying £1,000 a month for a studio seem reasonable, then you find out your deskmate is only paying £680 and lives in a massive one-bedroom with a little garden.

It’s tough to get a sense of what’s normal, what you can expect, and when you’re being ripped off – and that’s even harder when the only flats we see are flatteringly photographed listings and fancy influencers decking out their apartments in velvet sofas.

That’s why each week we take you inside someone’s rented property in London for our series, What I Rent; to give us all a clearer sense of what people are paying each month and what’s they’re getting in return.




This week we’re chatting to Alex, who shares a three bedroom flat in Blackheath with his girlfriend Jess and housemate Tash.

The trio live in Blackheath and pay £600 a month each. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Oh, hey. How much rent do you pay?

Three of us pay £600 each a month. £1,800 per month total.

How about bills?

Roughly £100 each. £300 a month total.

And what do you get for that price?

We have three bedrooms. One bedroom we leave as a spare room. Two bathrooms. Kitchen and living room.

How long have you lived there?

Jess and Tash have lived here for two years. I have been here six months.

There are three bedrooms in total. Jess and Alex share one, Tash has another, and the third is kept as a spare room. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Are you happy living in Blackheath?

We are really happy living here. Greenwich park is really close, both Blackheath and Greenwich are beautiful parts of the city to visit.

It can sometimes feel like it’s far out from central but we like that it’s quiet and transport links are pretty good. It’s also a great place to have people back for socialising.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Fortunately the flat has plenty of space so none of us ever feel like we are tripping over one another. We are lucky to have the two bathrooms so there’s never a problem in the mornings.

How did you find the flat?

Jess and Tash both found the place with another person while searching online.

Tash has her own room. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

What’s it like living with two women?

Jess and I have been dating for almost three years and Jess met Tash on spareroom.com in 2016. I moved in after the person they were living with moved away.

Living with two women is great! I lived with six women in my first year of university and it suits me well. The three of us make a great team and our lifestyles match.

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

It’s a top floor flat so it can get pretty warm in the heat. But the windows are really big so it’s normally pretty easy to control.

Other than that it’s just the normal stuff related with being on the top floor. Sometimes we have to rush downstairs when the doorbell rings but the person at the door has already gone.

Jess and Tash have lived in the flat for years, while Alex has just moved in. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Any plans to move again?



Not anytime soon. I expect at some point we might want to find our own places. But that time seems a long way away, as we are having so much fun at the moment!

And have you thought about buying a place?

I haven’t done anything proactive about it. But I definitely aspire to one day. I think Jess and Tash are of the same opinion.

Right now renting suits our lifestyles perfectly.

Right then. Shall we look around Alex, Jess, and Tash’s flat?

The living room has plenty of space for all three housemates. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

There’s a small dining area, too. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Don’t read the lightbox, it’ll only make you sad. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Alongside three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, there are also two bathrooms. Lucky. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

One of the bathrooms. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Tash’s room. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Jess and Alex share a room. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Hi, owl. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The third bedroom is used as a spare room and storage space. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

A decent collection of spices. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

And booze, of course. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

The second bathroom. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture:: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

Look, a toothbrush. (Picture: Matthew Chattle/Metro.co.uk)

(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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