'I pay £580 a month to live in a disused care home': Property guardians show us around
As cost of living pressures rise, more people are becoming property guardians, living in vacant buildings like former care homes for significantly reduced rent. While this offers an affordable housing alternative, participants face fewer legal protections and the risk of eviction with only 28 days' notice.
Why it matters
This trend highlights the growing housing affordability crisis and the emergence of precarious living arrangements as a survival strategy for young professionals.
Image source, Moses Kamanga Image caption, Katrina Woolley has been living in a former care home for 10 months
Would you live in a disused care home, pub or bank in exchange for a heavily discounted rent?
As cost of living pressures persist, a growing number of people are applying to become so-called property guardians - living in vacant residential or commercial buildings to protect them from squatters, vandalism and disrepair.
They typically pay 30-50% less rent than private tenants, sometimes with bills thrown in, In exchange for looking after the buildings.
However property guardians also have significantly fewer rights than private renters and can be evicted with just 28 days' notice.
Katrina, 29, has spent the last 10 months living with around 50 other people in an Edwardian mansion in Hampstead, London, which was used as a care home until 2015.
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