Finding a place to live in London on a tight budget

The first challenge we face is trying to find somewhere we can afford. Not easy. One of my friends pays £450pcm and that’s at the really cheap end of the rental market. Most pay £650 and some up to £800pcm. Crikey! Seeing as I make a measly £15,000 a year (I know, poor me, but remember, I work half days… don’t feel too sorry for me) I would be left with hardly anything to live off. I’m starting to panic sweat…

So, what are our living options?

1. House share

2. Living further out

3. Part-ownership (share to buy)

4. Live in guardians

Firstly, a house share would be our last resort as we’d much rather it was just the two of us, that way we can scream at each other and not worry about upsetting our housemates. It’ll be bliss.

Ideally we don’t want to live further out, mainly because we’re lazy but also because London’s big enough when you live relatively close to your friends. We really don’t want to stop seeing people frequently because it takes us two hours to get home.

Part ownership of a property is a fantastic scheme for first time buyers who have a few thou saved in the piggy bank. There are some fantastic new builds South of the river and so we’ve applied to both Wandsworth and Lambeth councils (you have to live in the council you are applying for) to see if we qualify. Unfortunately our combined yearly earnings may be too far below requirement. Brixton had some really well priced flats (unfortunately they’re all occupied now), so hopefully more will come up as I know there’s a development on Acre Lane. If you’re interested in Share to Buy this website is great http://www.sharetobuy.com/

Finally, live in guardians. We’ve applied to these lovely people: http://www.liveinguardians.com/ as a friend of my boyfriend already lives in one of their properties. We’re waiting to see what comes up as they don’t always have spaces available in the area you want. The rent is outstandingly cheap but you may have to share a bathroom with strangers and huddle around an electric heater in the winter. Think university halls.

At the moment it’s a waiting game, if we manage to get a shared ownership property that would be so amazing as it will meet my obsessive hygiene standards. Our next best option is the live in guardian spaces. Fingers crossed if anything does come up we have our own private bathroom, it’s all a girl really wants in life.