Ellie rents a studio flat in Wood Green, Haringey (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Trying to live alone in London is tough.

Rents are high, and if you’re looking to rent a one-bedroom flat you’re faced with the option of a tiny studio with a toilet in the kitchen or massively overspending just for the sake of privacy.

It’s tricky – either you find some housemates, sharpish, and put up with the annoyance of a flat-share, or you spend a lot of money going it alone. Or you move out of London.

What I Rent is our weekly series exploring what it’s like to rent in London, and this week we’re hanging out with Ellie.




Ellie lives alone in Wood Green, Haringey. Like many solo renters, she’s paying quite a bit for a studio flat.

She pays £800 a month (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hi Ellie! How much are you paying to live here?

I currently pay £800 pcm.

My rent includes council tax, water and gas bill, so I only have to pay for electricity, internet and TV licence on top. On average my bills come to about £65 per month.

What’s the set-up of your flat?

It is a studio flat so there is only one room – excluding my cosy (tiny) little bathroom – but I’ve separated it into four sides, so I have my ‘bedroom’, my ‘living room’, ‘kitchen’ and ‘dining area’.

How did you find this flat?

I have lived here a little over 8 months. I found this flat via Spareroom, it was advertised by an agency on the landlord’s behalf.

After multiple house-shares, Ellie was ready to live alone (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Surprisingly, yes.

If I could add any more space it would be an extra kitchen counter as I love cooking and only have the one counter which can be quite a challenge when I’m making a big meal or batch cooking. But I make it work.

Are you happy where you live?

Very happy. A studio flat isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it is perfect.

I’m a writer and the solitude is really helpful, but I also like having people over for dinner parties or drinks.

I feel like I have more control over my social life and how people view me by living on my own – there’s a lot less space to keep tidy as well!

I used to live in a flatshare with my best friend and her boyfriend but found that after sharing living spaces practically my whole life I was ready to move into my own place.

How have you made the flat feel like home?

I like to utilise the space as much as I can and my landlord is really great when it comes to decoration and holes in the wall. He’s very laidback and says I can do what I like so long as when I leave I fill in any holes, so I’ve hung a lot of things up!



The kitchen was my favourite space to ‘hack’ and I’ve used all of the wall space, and YouTubed a lot of Home DIY videos for fun and unique ways to store things with limited room.

But I’ve also added a lot of my ‘favourites’ to the space, with my books, favourite artwork and perfumes on display.

She says the studio provides just enough space (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

I live at the front of the building which is on a road often used by car ‘racers’, so there is a lot of noise at night of speeding cars, or car radios turned up to the max volume. I have to wear earplugs in order to sleep but I’ve gotten used to it with time.

Are you planning to move again?

Not any time soon. I like my space and it is within my price range, near enough shops, my friends and the local tube station. It’s perfect for now.

Have you considered buying a place?

I would love to buy a place outside of London one day, but I’m a long way off moving out of the city. I feel like I’ve only just got here!

The flat is all one room apart from the bathroom, but Ellie has divided the flat into four areas: the bedroom, the living area, the dining area, and the kitchen (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

She’s made the flat her own with plenty of her favourite things (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Ellie is lucky to have a landlord who lets her hang up artwork (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

So she’s able to make the studio feel more like home (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Fake flowers and candles help, too (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

This bit’s the living area (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

There’s space for a small set of bookshelves (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Ellie’s been smart with wall hangings for storage (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

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

The dining table doubles as desk space (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

And finally, the bathroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Yes, it’s pretty cosy (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

But it does the job (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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