Samantha and James rent a one-bedroom flat in Walthamstow (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Is the renting situation in London really as dismal as the occasional tweeted-out studio flat listing suggests?

Yes and no.

It is hideously expensive and a lot of places up for rent inspire only despair.

But despite that, many Londoners are making renting work for them and calling their overpriced one-bedroom flat a home.


What I Rent is our weekly series that looks at the reality of renting in the UK (and sometimes further afield). Each week we nose around someone’s rented property to see what they get for their money.

This week we’re with Samantha, 22, who works in finance recruitment, and her partner James, 24, who works in business development.



Samantha is originally from South Africa but moved to Canada and New Zealand before eventually settling in the UK, staying in Milton Keynes, Cambridge, then London. James was born in Chennai, India then moved to the UK when he was two, where he lived in Milton Keynes until he moved to London for university.

The couple moved to Walthamstow – along with their one-year-old cats, Mouse and Sprout – around a year and a half ago.

They pay £1,600 a month in rent, plus £50 for pet rent (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Hi Samantha! How much do you and James pay to live here?

Rent is around £1,600 between us (so £800 each), plus £50 a month in ‘pet rent’ for the cats.

It’s about £150 for council tax per month and £100 each for water and electricity per quarter. Wifi, hot water and heating are included in our rent. We also have other bits and pieces like TV streaming subscriptions, Spotify and about £30 a month in pet insurance.

And what do you get for what you pay?

We live in a one-bed flat with one bathroom. The kitchen and living room are open plan and lead onto a pretty spacious balcony.

How did you find the flat?

Last year we were looking for somewhere to live and came across a listing by Fizzy on Zoopla. It caught our eye because it was advertised as pet-friendly!

We moved here a few months ago, at the beginning of August.

There are some interesting books stacked on the shelves (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Are you happy where you live?

Our flat is less than five minutes’ walk from Blackhorse Road station. We’re definitely very happy – there are a lot of perks to living where we do. The commute is really convenient for both of us – about 30 minutes to work on the Tube – and there’s always someone at reception to take deliveries while we’re not in.

The flats themselves are really modern and we’re able to do more decorating than we could in other rentals.

Sometimes Fizzy hosts social events for people living in the building, and it’s nice to actually know our neighbours. The biggest upside for us is that it’s pet friendly. We wouldn’t be able to have the cats in most other rental flats, which was a big motivator for us moving here in the first place.



Do you feel like you have enough space?

We definitely have more than enough space for just the two of us, along with Mouse and Sprout. The rooms themselves are quite spacious and it’s nice to have a bit of outdoor space for when the weather’s nice.

Although the flat isn’t huge we never feel cramped and everything is well laid out.

This is Mouse. The other equally cute cat is called Sprout (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

What’s living together like?

It’s been great – we lived in different cities for a couple of years at the beginning of our relationship and this is a definite improvement.

How have you made the flat feel like home?

We’ve been able to decorate a lot more here than we would be able to with other rentals. We spent last weekend painting a feature wall in the living room and otherwise are currently in the process of buying all of the furniture and other items that we need.

It’s nice that we can think of this as a long-term home, rather than worrying about moving somewhere else in a year’s time.

Are there any problems with the flat you’re putting up with?

None at all. Any minor issues have been dealt with very promptly.

There are plenty of changes the couple have been able to make to turn the flat into their home (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Do you have plans to move again?

We have no plans to move in the near future – for the moment we want to focus on putting down roots in one place. The flat we have now works very well for us and hopefully should continue to do so, bar any big life changes.


Have you considered buying a place?

Buying a house or flat is definitely something we want to do in the medium to long-term, but it will take us at least a few years until we’re in the right place financially to do that.

Same. Let’s take a look around.

There’s a balcony where Mouse and Sprout can play (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Welcome, welcome (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s the open plan living room and kitchen (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

We like the cushions (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

And the bookshelves (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

We told you there were some interesting books here (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s the very snazzy kitchen (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Look at that utensil container (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

Sticking photos on the walls always makes a flat feel more homely (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

As does a stocked wine rack (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

The bedroom, complete with a climbing frame for the cats (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

That’s one proud-looking cat (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

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

Another nice container (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)

But I’m afraid we must deduct points for the state of the toothpaste (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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