Claudia and Steve have been together for 10 years and married for two (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

For the last year, we’ve been taking you around people’s rented properties in London for our weekly series, What I Rent.

We reckon it’s time to venture outside the city.

We’ll still be looking around places in London, but a good way to understand the reality of renting is to compare it to other places in the UK.

To start, we’ve headed to Surrey to spend some time with Claudia and Steve.


Claudia and Steve are a married couple with interesting lives and a home to match. Steve, 54, is a professional prop maker, creating products for film sets, commercials, and events. Claudia, 46, is a customer relations advisor and credit controller for a big security company. They’ve been together for 10 years and married for nearly two.

They share a flat in Walton-on-Thames (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

Hey, Claudia! How much do you pay to live here?



£1,260 per month. Bills are around £250 a month.

And what do you get for that money?

Two bedrooms, an open plan kitchen/diner/living space and a garden.

Do you think that you have a good deal?

Yes, we do. Considering that we get a house, garden and garage for our money, absolutely. We both are fully aware that the same money would not stretch this far in London itself and that many pay more for a flat. Our rent is average for the area we are living in.

Steve works as a model and prop maker (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

What do you like about living in Walton-on-Thames?

We both like the countryside, rivers, open spaces, etc.

We also like that we can be in central London in less than 40 minutes, which is perfect for work, events or outings with friends. However, the Surrey Hills, Guilford, Woking, etc are also just 30 minutes away, so we have the best of both worlds.

Steve and I are not the biggest fans of crowds and busy surroundings, so a small town like Walton was the perfect decision for us.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

No, but that’s entirely down to us. We love to collect things, plus, Steve is continuously creating new pieces.

We are slowly running out of space and always say that we won’t buy any more things. Unfortunately this is one of the resolutions we somehow never manage to keep.

As long as we are still able to move around, it’s okay with us.

That means their house is full of treasures (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

How did you find this place?

Online via a property letting site. We viewed a few places on the day but as soon as we stepped into this house, we knew that it was the right one for us.

What’s it’s like living together?

We love it. We both enjoy talking, laughing, crafting together, we truly enjoy each others’ company.

We share all the duties in the house (cleaning, etc) and have found the perfect balance between doing things together and giving each other space and the freedom to enjoy hobbies, meeting friends or simply reading a book.

How have you made the place feel like home?



Well, as you can see on the photos, we love to collect things… a lot of things. Steve is also adding to our collection by building more models.

Our style is a mix of gothic, alternative, pagan, sci-fi, Hot Rod/retro items. It’s a pretty unique mix and we admit this.

We recently upcycled our furniture to match our style, giving our house a look that’s even more us.

We are aware that this style is not everybody’s cup of tea but we love it and everybody feels at home, comfortable and welcome in our place, which is exactly the vibe we want to give our little sanctuary.

It also means they have a lot of stuff (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

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

The house is in a good condition, we do not have any issues at all. We are lucky to have a great landlord, who will sort things out as soon as we report them, which is amazing.

Do you have any plans to move again?

We will move again in the near future, both because we need more space and because we are planning ahead. Steve would like to have a workshop and I would live to have a conservatory, plus, we would both like to have pets, which we are currently not allowed.

My husband is self-employed and a workshop would be great for his job. A garage without power simply doesn’t work for him.

Luckily for us, the neighbour’s cat has sort of adopted us and sees this as his second home. He does visit us daily and plays the temporary cat. Our landlord knows about him and doesn’t mind at all.


Have you considered buying a place?

Yes we have, but we are currently not willing to risk this step, especially in this economical climate.

We are also not sure if we want to commit to a mortgage at this stage in our lives, especially as it is not impossible that we make the decision to move to a completely different area, maybe even a different country (especially considering Steve’s work).

You never know what’s around the corner and where your journey will take you.

True. Shall we have a look around?

There’s an open area with a living room, kitchen, and dining table (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

See what we mean about a lot of stuff? (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

If you can keep count of the number of skulls in this place, comment below (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

No prize, but you will get a sense of achievement (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

It’s amazing how a rented property can look completely different depending on its residents (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

Anyone still counting the skulls? (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

Claudia and Steve love living together, and are able to give each other space when they need it (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

The living room looks right into the kitchen (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

And through the window you can see the back garden (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

A dinky kitchen, but it works perfectly for Claudia and Steve (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

That’s some on-theme oil storage (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

A gentle warning (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

One of the bedrooms serves as a workspace (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

The other is, well, the bedroom (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

We’re fans of the giant tiger (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

We could nose around the bits and bobs for hours (Picture: Jerry Syder)

Finally, the bathroom (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

You didn’t think the bathroom would be plain, did you? (Picture: Jerry Syder/Metro.co.uk)

The couple that stores their toothbrushes separately stays together (Picture: Jerry Syder/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: Nicholas, £725 a month to share a flat with his girlfriend in Stratford

MORE: What I Rent: Jess, £625 a month to share a one-bedroom flat in Deptford

MORE: What I Rent: Abbie, £520 a month for a room in a three-bedroom flat in Manor House

Advertisement Advertisement