A MAN pays as little as £200 a month to live in some of the UK’s most unusual homes – including old banks and office buildings.
Charley Hullah, 30, became a property guardian 10 years ago as a way to live in London without the hefty rent.
At the time, the perks of calling the capital home, for hardly any cost, outweighed what seemed like only a handful of cons.
But now, Charley has been hit with the harsh reality of the downside that comes with being a guardian.
The artist, who currently resides in a North London former council house, said he has “no rights” and could have the price upped without warning – unlike normal tenants.
Charley explained that guardians have to sign a licence to occupy a room or a space within a property – but don’t always get access to the whole building.
He said the agreement also doesn’t have the same regulations as renters’ contracts – meaning guardianship companies can raise the rent as much as they want and as many times as they want.
Charley told MyLondon: “We don’t have a contract like a tenant. As a guardian you feel like you have no room for manoeuvre.
“It’s not secure. Everything in the world, your job, work, money, crazy city, whatever – you want your housing to feel secure but you can’t even be secure on that, so it worsens everything else.”
He once lived in an office building for one year where the rent was raised from £200 a whopping three times, he claims.
Charley now pays £500 for a property that is “falling apart” – but he feels he as no choice but to stay until he’s told he needs to move along.
Property guardianship could see occupiers kicked out with only 28 days notice.
He added: “As a guardian you feel like you have no room for manoeuvre.
“You’re constantly reminded that it could all fall away at any moment.”
Charley is now educating people of the scheme via TikTok as it becomes a more popular way to live in the city.
All about the property guardian scheme
PROPERTY guardians are people hired to live in, and maintain, any buildings which have been left empty for significant periods of time.
To become a guardian you need to be:
- At least 18 years old
- Have nobody under 18 or pets joining you in the property
- Have a reliable income to regularly pay their licence fee
- Have no plans to use the property for anything other than residential purposes
To become a guardian, you need to fill in an application form.
You will need to provide:
- A copy of your passport
- Two tenancy references
- Two employment references
- Three months of bank statements
- Your daily timetable
You can find out more here.
