The Guardian’s Anywhere But Westminster video series has never made a film about real life in London. But with the mayoral election fast approaching, we now want to get to the heart of the massive issue of affordable housing in the capital, and the increasing impossibility of living in inner (and outer) London.
Home ownership is out of reach for most young people in the country, something that has been known and reported for a long time. Last month, a Guardian investigation revealed that young couples who want to start a family are facing an almost impossible situation: renting an affordable one or two bedroom property is now impossible in two-thirds of the UK.
In London, rental costs are spiralling out of control. The average price of a flat or a house is almost £1,500 a month, a survey by HomeLet has shown. According to the survey, rents have also risen by 12.5% across the country with private tenants asked to fork out £751 a month on average outside the capital. It was also found that rental costs over the previous three months before the survey was conducted rose five times faster than tenant income.
30-year-old Catherine who lives in London, is facing an all too familiar situation. She is up against rising rental costs, insecure tenancies, permanent flatsharing and a low salary which prevents her from making changes to her life.
“I worry that I will never be able to afford stable, secure housing as a single person on a low income who works in London. This week I learned that my landlord is putting the rent up by 20% in the house-share I share with three other people. I already pay half my monthly income just to live in this houseshare. There is nowhere in London I could afford to rent a place on my own on my income, not even in zone 6 (and even if I found a studio flat I could just about afford on the outskirts of London, commuting costs would then tip it back into unaffordability).
Will my only choice be to endure the stress of a constantly rotating stream of housemates, moving house every time a landlord decides to spike the rent or sell? Since moving to London five years ago to find work, I have already lived in five different flats and had 16 different housemates. I don’t care about owning property, I just want some stability.”
Does this sound familiar? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
We’d like to meet people who are experiencing these issues first-hand, and talk to them about what that entails, and how they feel about the politics of London housing.
Share your thoughts in the form below and we’ll use a selection in our reporting.
