Kelly, 32, Kieran, 39, and Grace, 11, live in a three-bedroom house in Hinckley, Leicestershire (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Renting isn’t just for students and twenty-somethings struggling in the city.

Lots of families rent a property rather than buying, wether that’s out of choice or a struggle to put down a deposit on a house.

But it can be hard to make a house feel like a proper family home when you’re renting – especially if you’re not allowed to hang anything on the walls or touch up the paint.

Kelly, a 32-year-old conveyancing paralegal, is lucky to have found a place where she has the go-ahead to do some redecoration.


She lives with her fiancé Kieran, 39, and her 11-year-old daughter Grace in a rented three-bedroom house in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

The home is £625 a month in rent (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Hi, Kelly! How much does it cost to live here?



Rent is £625 a month and bills are around £400 a month, including council tax.

And what do you get for what you pay?

We have three bedrooms in our house, they’re all very spacious and larger than the average terraced house in my opinion (having rented terraced houses previously)

We have a backyard that leads through to an enclosed garden (complete with a shed) which we’ve made really pretty and we spend a lot of time out there in the summer, it’s a little sun trap and we enjoy eating out there whenever the weather permits!

Are you happy where you live?

Yes! I love my house and the area is very convenient for us. We both grew up in the vicinity. We’re lucky to have such a spacious terraced house as a lot of them are quite pokey!

They’ve made the house a home with paint, hanging photos, and bits and bobs around the house (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Definitely, I’m really thankful for our spacious kitchen/diner in particular.

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

Other than our neighbours, who can be extremely loud, we don’t have many issues.

Mine and Kieran’s bedroom is an attic conversion which actually gets very cold in the winter but really hot in the summer, we can’t seem to find a balance!

Kieran bought me an electric blanket for the bed before Christmas though.

Parking can be an issue as we’re quite close to town and people park up here to avoid paying for it which is really annoying, especially when I’ve done the grocery shopping and have to cart heavy bags up the street having had to park a good distance from our house. But until they introduce permits in this area, we just have to roll with it.

The family has no plans to move any time soon (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

How have you made the house feel like home?

We’ve updated the walls with neutral tones, added shelving in the kitchen and replaced the dated window treatments (retaining these to hang back up when we decide to move as these belong with the house) as well as adding our own personal touches and decorative items.



Do you have plans to move again?

Definitely not until we eventually do buy our forever home, for which we are currently saving.

Have you considered buying a place?

Yes, we are currently saving for our deposit. Once we have finished paying for our wedding, we aim to bulk up our Help to Buy ISA contributions to shorten the length of time it will take to get our deposit together.

We plan to stay in the area once we are in a position to do so.

Sounds very responsible. Shall we have a look around?

This is the house will Grace grow up (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

The living room (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

A strangely cute skull (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Gotta have candles (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Look at that fireplace (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

A stash of blankets for getting cosy (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Neutral tones create a soothing space (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

They’re a very organised family (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen also serves as a dining area (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

A strong booze collection (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

And an even stronger collection of tealights (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

We’re impressed by the storage options (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Let’s head upstairs (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s Grace’s bedroom (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Yes, she’s a Stranger Things fan (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Some excellent cushions (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Spot the Harry Potter (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Upstairs again is Kelly and Kieran’s bedroom (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Nice, right? (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Finally, the bathroom (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

More candles (Picture: Mark Radford/Metro.co.uk)

Even the toothbrushes are neatly arranged (Picture: Mark Radford/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.

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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