‘FFS it’s so hard to be students and rent in London!’

Let’s face it, University is difficult, living in London is difficult, and renting as a student in London is especially difficult and doing all three is just painful.

As if a crippling workload and significant debt isn’t enough to contend with in your early twenties, throw in £200 a week rent and that’s sure to push any fun-loving, carefree and fresh faced university student on to an episode of Grumpy Old Women.

The ridiculous disparities in the price of rent for students in and out of London are quite shocking. A lot of the students in London are not paying less than £150 a week for a flat, compared to students in Birmingham who are paying £60 a week for a three-bedroom house. Yet whilst students studying in London do get more student loan is just does not cover the cost of basic accommodation, no matter what they tell you.

To further understand the truly wonderful housing available to students in London, it’s interesting to look at what you can get for a similar price in the British countryside. A two bedroom, grade-II listed house in the Kent countryside with large dining room, living room and kitchen as well as a sizeable garden will set you back a very reasonable £800 a month.

However, for a two bedroom flat in London without a garden, a high chance of thudding upstairs neighbours with toddlers learning to ‘walk’ and a 30 minute hike to the Northern Line will cost you a good grand or two a month and that’s just for the rent.

It has become so utterly ridiculous that £1,400 seems a reasonable price for, let’s face it, a cramped, damp flat without a living room. Or the alternative is the universally adored student halls. For just £100 less a month than our lovely chocolate box Kent countryside cottage, you can live in a room (probably no bigger than a cell at Wormwood Scrubs) with a single bed, desk and adjoining toilet and shower. It’s only saving grace is an ensuite! With mould.

Whilst being able to attend one of London’s fantastic universities is a privilege and at times life changing, the constant grind of money, money, money is enough to drive anyone to start asking the bank of mum and dad for anti-aging cream and hair dye for the emerging gray hair. Nights out over the past five years in London are that of a mother with small children and most nights are spent at home watching shows on a shared Netflix account.

Whilst students can afford to go out in London, many of us (especially students on creative courses) have to choose between going out or using the money to pay for expensive equipment and resources. Ultimately the problem with London is endless, but top of the bill is housing: the luxury, once in a blue moon extravagance that is having somewhere to eat and sleep after a long day that doesn’t leave you with £20 to last a month. FFS

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