Adam moved to London from Sydney three and a half years ago (Picture: Susannah Ireland)

When you’re renting in London, extras included in the cost are pretty enticing.

After all, it’s not uncommon to be spending more than £1,000 a month on a studio flat – you might as well get a gym membership and access to a private bar thrown in.

That explains the appearance of new specialised living options like Tipi, offering perks to entice renters into their buildings.

One such option is The Collective, which has setups across London.


Adam, a 28-year-old personal trainer and the owner of company Fitmego, moved to London from Sydney three and a half years ago, and has lived in different rooms from The Collective ever since – first at the one in Old Oak and now in Canary Wharf, where he’s been for the last four months.



He rents a studio flat in The Collective Canary Wharf with his girlfriend, getting access to the gym, a pool, a bar, and other communal areas as part of his rent.

Rent is £1,690 a month and includes access to the gym, library, bar, pool, and other communal areas (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hey, Adam. How much do you pay to live here?

I pay £1,690 per month, split with my girlfriend. All my utilities are included in the one overall monthly charge.

This cost includes access to everything including the gym, swimming pool, spa, cinema and communal spaces as well as the full events programme, which includes cooking classes, group exercise classes and a film club in the cinema, to name a few.

My room is a studio with one bathroom.

The only other real expense is doing my laundry in the laundry room provided.

Do you think you have a good deal?

I believe it’s a great deal, especially considering my location and the facilities I have access to.

Before moving to London, I checked out a few places across a similar price range, yet nowhere else had the number of included benefits and amenities – and didn’t include bills.

The communal spaces and the events are what separate The Collective from other places.

The bar at restaurant Mthr (Picture: Ed Reeve)

The pool (Picture: Ed Reeve)

The library (Picture: Ed Reeve)

Adam says the communal spaces were a major draw (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

What do you like about where you live?

I love the fact that I can make friends so easily and I can run my business from any room in the building, including my own, should I need more privacy.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

As a self-diagnosed minimalist, I have enough space for my needs. I can easily get to any of the communal spaces like the library (for peace and quiet), the study (to be surrounded by like-minded, hard-working people) or break-out gallery area (for phone calls or consultations).

How did you find this place? What made you choose The Collective?

I found The Collective by accident when looking online. Before I left Sydney I was checking out rooms in London on Gumtree, but found so many time-wasting scammers.

When I found The Collective, I thought it sounded too good to be true but I sent an email and got asked to come down and check out the rooms for myself. That’s when I got toured around The Collective Old Oak and was sold on this way of living.

Hi, monkey (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

How have you made the flat feel like home?



My girlfriend and I have definitely put our own personal touches on our room. The Collective provided the furniture, TV and appliances which makes the place super easy to set up and feel like a home.

Are there any issues with the flat?

If I had to pick something, it would be that the sink in the bathroom is too small. Bit weird, but that’s it.

Do you have plans to move again?

Yes, my girlfriend and I are looking to move to Helsinki in August. We have already found a place in central Helsinki, which is a bit bigger than where we are now, but obviously doesn’t have any of the communal spaces.

We hope to buy a place in Helsinki when the time is right.

Sounds great. Let’s have a look around.

Here’s the hallway of Adam’s flat (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

There’s a mini kitchen and dining area (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Plus a living area (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

There’s not a huge amount of space, but Adam says the flat suits him (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

He describes himself as a minimalist (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Yes, Adam is into fitness. how could you tell? (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Looks a bit hotel-like, no? (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

And here’s the bathroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

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

Well stocked bathroom shelves (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hi, toothbrushes (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.

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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