In our weekly series What I Rent, we go inside people’s rented properties to take an honest look at the varied world of renting, from the super-pricey London studio flats and cramped househsares to the dreamy spaces up North.
Today we’re in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, to nose around the two-bedroom home of Rebekah, 43.
Mum-of-three Rebekah is a part-time carer and personal assistant – and a tarot card reader.
She lived in Nottingham, Oxfordshire, and Coventry before moving to North Leicestershire two and half years ago.
Hey, Rebekah! How much do you pay to live here?
Rent is £428 pcm, council tax is band B £178 a month and roughly £80 a month gas & electric. Water is £37 a month.
And what do you get for what you pay?
Two bedrooms and one bathroom plus a downstairs loo.
How did you find this house?
The house is housing association, I wanted to move my children from Coventry as it’s not safe there now and the air pollution is so bad.
When my middle child finished school I moved to an estate about 10 mins drive from my current house. Then we exchanged mutually to this house five months ago as it’s a much quieter, friendlier area with shops nearby and public transport closer.
And who lives here?
My middle child aged 19 is at uni but comes home in holidays. My son aged 22 stays two nights a week when he’s not working, otherwise I’m alone.
How did you make this house feel like home?
The house needed a lot of love when I came here! Everything was broken or missing, but was so easy to put my own stamp on.
I was ill with inflamed lungs on moving day but my wonderful partner decorated and tiled, and slabbed the garden in no time as well as installing a new shower and put new wooden flooring in the hall, kitchen and downstairs loo!
Do you feel like you have enough space?
If both my son and daughter are here (I have another daughter aged 14 who lives with my ex) there aren’t enough bedrooms but we pull out the airbed, or my daughter shares with me.
Are there any problems with the house?
There are no issues and compared to my last house it’s heaven, everyone has their own parking spot and it’s quiet safe street with considerate residents.
Also a five-minute walk to the shops instead of 20 minutes.
Do you have plans to move again?
I can’t imagine moving but I’d love to live in west London. I’d only achieve that by swapping with someone in the future.
And what about buying a place?
I don’t earn enough to get a decent mortgage to buy, sadly.
Shall we have a look around?
What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am.
Check back next week to have another nose around a 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 from your housemates! You’ll also need to be okay with sharing how much you’re paying for rent, as that’s pretty important.
MORE: What I Rent: Anita, £900 a month for a studio flat in Bethnal Green
MORE: What I Rent: Deepika, £1,262 a month to share a two-bedroom flat in Wembley Park
MORE: What I Rent: Kelsey and Justin, £1,600 a month for a two-bedroom flat in Wimbledon
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/07/rent-rebekah-428-month-two-bedroom-house-ashby-leicester-12519676/?ITO=squid
0 Comments