A room in a house in London is being advertised to let for just £1 a month – but the low rent comes with a catch. Only IT experts need apply for the room, which comes in at £691 below the average cost of a flatshare in the capital.
The advert for the double room in a five-bedroom property in Stratford, east London, says it is available at the bargain price to an IT or business graduate “in exchange for skills”. It adds: “You must have web/mobile development skills and hold a UK driving license [sic].”
The landlord, Adam Mughal, said more than 1,200 people had registered an interest since he posted the advert on Easyroommate two weeks ago.
He said: “I have a computer science degree but I work full-time in the City so I don’t have time to work on the project myself. I wanted to get someone in to help, the room became free and I thought giving someone somewhere to live for £1 would be a way to do that.”
Mughal, who lives in the property and previously let the room for £540 a month, said he would expect one or two days’ work on the project each week.
He said hoped the arrangement would be long-term, and that if the project was successful the person taking the room would ultimately stay on as a salaried employee or partner.
“Everything would be written down and there would be a break clause, they could have a trial period and if they were not happy they could move out,” he said.
“I have shown some people round and had some meetings with one or two who I think meet my requirements and I could get along with as well.”
Albin Serviant, Easyroommate’s CEO, said there was a new trend towards landlords listing rooms in exchange for services or skills.
“Although France leads the way with 3% of our content being impacted, this trend is starting to pick up in the UK,” he said.
“Living in London is only getting more and more expensive, so I wouldn’t be surprised that see a rising trend of those type of ads published on our website over the next few years. I think it is a win-win situation.’’
