Jennifer and Celine have known each other for five years. They share a three-bedroom flat with Alex (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Renting in London: It’s a bit of a nightmare.

Box rooms in cramped houses get snapped up off SpareRoom before you have an hour to ponder if they’re worth £600 a month.

You find your dream flat, but it’s well out of budget and an hour and a half away from work.

If you manage to find a decent, affordable place, you’re winning – but with the heart-destroying knowledge that you’re funneling cash straight into landlords’ pockets instead of investing in a property to call your own.


Fun, right?

To get a better insight into the true situation of renting in London – from dire digs to surprisingly lovely flats in the city – our series, What I Rent, takes you inside someone’s rented property each week.



This time we’re chatting to Jennifer, who shares a three-bedroom flat in Clapham with two housemates, Celine and Alex.

Jennifer pays £835, Celine pays £813, and Alex pays £760 (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

I pay £835 per month, Celine pays £813, and Alex pays £760.

We don’t actually know how much our bill breakdown is because our agency includes it in our rent. I’ve never lived somewhere that does this for you but it’s been great so far as normally in house-shares dividing the bills up can be a bit of a pain when you first move in.

And what do you get for that price?

It’s a three bed flat, plus a kitchen and bathroom.

We don’t have a living room which was almost a deal breaker for us and we initially declined the property but the agency then got back to us and offered to put a sofa in each of the larger rooms – and because the rooms were so nice we were sold (and it’s also only a six-month contract).

Our monthly fee also includes a weekly cleaner who provides us with hand soap and toilet roll. Super millennial.

How long have you lived there?

We spotted the flat on SpareRoom.

We moved in at the end of July so we’ve now been here a few months. I’d say each of our rooms now feel very homely but not so much the rest of the flat.

They’ve managed to make the place their own (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Are you happy where you live?

I’m super happy with my room, the location, and who I live with but the standard of the rest of the house could be improved.

The Clapham/Balham area was a huge selling point for us though and the price seemed very reasonable for what was included.

It’s in Clapham South and a 5-minute walk max to Clapham South tube station. We’re also a 15-minute walk from Balham and a 15 minute walk to Clapham High Street so it’s pretty ideal. Brixton and Battersea are also really nearby and great areas to explore over the weekend.

With regards to my commute, I work at the PETA UK office by Kings Cross, so it’s a pretty straight forward journey. If you get on the Northern line before 8am it’s the dream, and then I can swap over on the Victoria Line at Stockwell.



It’s great to be near so many vegan-friendly restaurants, brunch places and markets too. There are also great bars, clubs (the legendary Infernos) and the Common has been great to live near all summer.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Almost. Each of our rooms have turned into mini living rooms and we’re all close so it doesn’t feel anti-social but our kitchen is very small and means we can’t really have dinner parties (or more than four people at a time in the kitchen).

However, we enjoy having dinner together as a flat and have movie nights in our rooms so it’s not really an issue. Luckily we all have friends who invite us round to theirs for dinner.

There’s no living room, so the housemates hang out in each other’s bedrooms (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

What’s it like living with Celine and Alex?

Celine and I used to work at Jack Wills together in Edinburgh and have been friends for around five years. I then moved down to London and she followed a year later.

We always wanted to live together but a suitable time didn’t arise until this summer, and we jumped at the chance.

The agency actually found us Alex and we then got in touch with him directly and organised to go for a drink. We all wanted to make sure he would be a good fit before committing to the move – and it’s been great.

Are there any issues with the flat?

Unfortunately, there have been a lot of issues with the property since we moved in but our agency has done their best to resolve them.


The worst problem we had was during the two month long heatwave when none of the kitchen or bathroom windows would open. They weren’t actually fixed until few weeks ago, so that was pretty rubbish.

We were also given the impression that the property would be re-carpeted but that hasn’t materialised so the staircases are very squeaky, especially whenever anyone is walking in trainers.

Each bedroom serves as a mini living room (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

How have you made the flat feel like home?

The agency was great at furnishing our rooms so when we first moved in we had brand new beds (+ mattresses), sofas, bedside tables, coffee tables, wardrobes, chest of drawers and even a blanket provided for us.

Since then we’ve all got TV’s in our rooms and added our own décor. We’ve tried our best with the kitchen and bathroom but it’s still a bit of a lost cause. I think our duck egg blue clock in the kitchen really adds a homely vibe and adds a bit of colour to the room.

Any plans to move again?

I’ve lived in seven different places since I moved to London three years ago and they’ve all had gardens, dining rooms, multiple bathrooms and large kitchens, but to be honest I’m actually really loving living in our little flat – even with all its character flaws.

I think in my next move I’d definitely want a living room and outdoor space.

And what about buying a place?

I will start saving for a deposit soon but at the moment I’m happy renting.


Shall we have a look around the place, then?

Jennifer’s room is the largest (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The addition of a sofa makes it feel like its own cosy space (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The TV helps, too (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Celine’s bedroom has a sofa, too (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Plus plenty of personal touches (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Alex’s room is the smallest, so he pays the least rent (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

He still has enough room to get by (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Jennifer wishes the kitchen were a bit more spacious (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

She can’t have many friends over for dinner (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

There’s just the one bathroom (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

But it works for the three housemates (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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