tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post94988670198017612..comments2024-03-23T22:21:32.073-07:00Comments on Renter Girl: Extremely Bad In LondonRenterGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12556830109922784321noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-90752465631505735322013-10-18T07:40:22.186-07:002013-10-18T07:40:22.186-07:00"Try living in an HMO (house in multiple occu..."Try living in an HMO (house in multiple occupation) full of couples, all too poor for one-bed flats, using one tiny kitchen with a punitive roster for cooking time and the bathroom, where the lounge is used as another bedroom."<br /><br />I've done this. It was disgusting -we couldn't afford to heat the place properly, all our clothes went mouldy, used to wake up with damp sheets, shift workers keeping you up drinking all night, no living room as it was bedroom - only refuge was your room which you were usually drying your clothes in as there was no garden and if you dried them in the kitchen they'd end up stinking of food and fags. Differing levels of hygiene eg. piss on toilet floor, never any toilet paper. Fucks sake it was pretty much the young ones. £500 a month not including bills too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-21999091771453949962013-09-12T09:53:51.763-07:002013-09-12T09:53:51.763-07:00"Try living in an HMO (house in multiple occu..."Try living in an HMO (house in multiple occupation) full of couples, all too poor for one-bed flats, using one tiny kitchen with a punitive roster for cooking time and the bathroom, where the lounge is used as another bedroom."<br /><br /><br />- I am one of those couples. I live in a lovely London area, with my husband-to-be...and four male flatmates that wouldn't know how to flush a toilet to save their lives, let alone complicated matters like taking the bins out.<br /><br />We're fed up, we're stressed, we're angry, but we're freelancers and can't even afford a studio flat. Yesterday I got offered a studio for £1,100 pcm. Enough said.<br /><br />But we're not as bad off as some of the people in your post, so I guess I'm done complaining for now. Great post though. Very thought-provoking.Saschahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05799739245791912727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-35626086093864522632013-07-11T21:13:28.888-07:002013-07-11T21:13:28.888-07:00I don't know where you guys are househunting i...I don't know where you guys are househunting in London but it must be some pretty bad searching. Because I disagree totally. Is london much more expensive than anywhere else in the UK? Absolutely. But it's not stupidly expensive.<br /><br />I'll aim this at Mia, because she actually posted details of her situation. I've found decent sized double bedrooms for £600pcm in zone 1 kings cross! If you move out to zone 2, which is where a lot of commuters live and easily get to work in <40 minutes, you can definitely find some decent places for £600pcm.<br /><br />Are you going to find a 1bed flat for yourself? No. But welcome to London. Living with strangers is definitely necessary to live alone on a budget, but what's wrong with that? I've lived with a new set of strangers every year for the last 4 years. Some of them have turned into close lifelong friends. The worst was a year when they all just treated the place as a place to sleep which means that I never made any friends.<br /><br />Trouble finding a place where your boyfriend can stay? I've never rented a room where I can't have a friend stay over the odd weekend.<br /><br />Try www.spareroom.co.uk - this is where I always find a place to rent if I'm looking alone, they have some decent rooms on a budget if you pick carefully (a zone 2 room near a tube station that's on the same line as the station nearest to your workplace). Good luckAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-40234149420857936582013-05-29T12:08:42.776-07:002013-05-29T12:08:42.776-07:00Someone tweeted this post, and many have taken it ...Someone tweeted this post, and many have taken it as an insult. Not sure why, but I hope you are surviving and enjoying London, unlike the people who contacted me with these stories.RenterGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12556830109922784321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-43280659563415469802013-05-24T14:19:02.210-07:002013-05-24T14:19:02.210-07:00http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/24/home...http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/24/homeless-london-birmingham<br /><br />Spare a thought for this lady, evicted from East Ham and moved to a temporary hotel in Birmingham. Her 6 yr old daughter had to leave the school she was settled at (and her friends too).<br /><br />Councils now have the autonomy to build their own housing. Shame these new homes aren't going up quick enough to quench demand. Plenty of brownfield sites that could be built on - and disused offices that could be converted.MattWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806992795422882898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-17463587285499359512013-05-23T02:49:15.104-07:002013-05-23T02:49:15.104-07:00People stay far too long in this temporary solutio...People stay far too long in this temporary solutions.RenterGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12556830109922784321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-24558311235581856552013-05-23T01:36:40.517-07:002013-05-23T01:36:40.517-07:00Oh I've done this. It was horrendous. If you...Oh I've done this. It was horrendous. If you want to live in London, you either need to have your own home which you purchased prior to 1990, or else be filthy rich.<br /><br />The worst was living in hostels though. Not "homeless" ones but semi unofficial ones that were supposed to be tourist hostels but not really. There was about 12 of us in 2 or 3 rooms. Mixed. Horrible. The worst thing was the drug abuse and the unpredictable temper of the bullyboy owner.<br /><br />A lot of the guys were living there longer term, it was nearly all people on lower paid jobs, some of them government. Its a phase of my life I'd willingly be lobotomised to forget.Shoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090768549182973598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-71999833918515752292013-05-23T00:22:44.766-07:002013-05-23T00:22:44.766-07:00I know Mia - London is unliveable for all but the ...I know Mia - London is unliveable for all but the wealthy.RenterGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12556830109922784321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-54701839102036411592013-05-22T07:10:19.152-07:002013-05-22T07:10:19.152-07:00Having lived up North for the past 5 years, I'...Having lived up North for the past 5 years, I've been shocked at the prices in London. I've just been offered a new job that dictates I have to live within certain areas and I can't afford any more than £600pcm. I wanted to rent a 1 bed flat but can't afford it. I've been looking at shared houses but this would have to be with strangers. Having significant issues finding a place where my boyfriend (who lives in Cardiff) would be able to stay for the odd weekend. Recently viewed a room advertised as looking for a professional tenant aged 25+ where I could stand in the centre of the room and touch both walls (I'm 5 foot 4).<br /><br />Despite the job being a great opportunity for me to get into a field I want to have a career in, I think I might have to turn it down.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13521422120913058990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-58191331165791361162013-05-20T13:50:04.169-07:002013-05-20T13:50:04.169-07:00Seen that blog and apparently it's real. I exp...Seen that blog and apparently it's real. I expect there's a UK version somewhere. London is impossible.Penny Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17847985957965471844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-70674591362927394072013-05-20T11:05:04.426-07:002013-05-20T11:05:04.426-07:00Fact is, landlords in NYC (or God knows where they...Fact is, landlords in NYC (or God knows where they actually live) think it acceptable for people to live like that, in those conditions, and charge money for it. Just as is happening in London. Tenants sublet because they're desperate; being charged extortionate rents for shit holes like this, so they are desperate to recoup money on when it's empty. And tenants accept sublets because they're desperate, finding homes between homes, to fill in the gaps. And so the spiral of despair goes on. While the LL sits back, quietly not giving a fuck. <br /><br />Let's learn from other countries, certainly, and see what can be done better. If the chorus of LLs listening to their own voices and crying petulantly "But that won't work here" can shut up first. <br /> space cadetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-19496343857888742462013-05-20T06:57:06.218-07:002013-05-20T06:57:06.218-07:00That's a fabulous Tumblr, apart from the fact ...That's a fabulous Tumblr, apart from the fact that he doesn't link to any sources. I want to know:<br /><br />a - Are these lettings or unapproved sublettings - ie is it LLs or Ts profiteering.<br />b - Which are these apartments are rent-controlled.<br />c - What this says about heavy rent-regulation as a way of improving rental quality or encouraging building of homes. <br /><br />New York is about 65% rent-controlled, and has been for 50 years+. It clearly doesn't work.<br /><br />A similar project for London would be a good idea.<br />Matt W(ardman)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2426994241466690932.post-16077061399777157262013-05-20T03:57:26.463-07:002013-05-20T03:57:26.463-07:00... and making it easier to buy land, so that peop...... and making it easier to buy land, so that people can build their own homes, off grid if they bloody want to. <br /><br />I left London, when I realised that my cost of living just kept going up, whilst my quality of life was just going down! <br /><br />Check out this blog from NYC. I've been very tempted to start something similar. http://theworstroom.tumblr.com/<br /><br />In the meantime, I have started collecting pictures of all those photoshopped bathrooms and kitchens. space cadetnoreply@blogger.com