What I Rent: Bailey and Maddie, £2,075 for a two-bedroom flat in Wembley
What I Rent is our weekly series exploring the reality of renting, from the mould-ridden houseshares to the swanky flats in posh apartment blocks.
This week’s home definitely fits into the latter description, located in a massive apartment block with its own gym, basketball court, yoga studio, and even a ‘meditation suite’.
Bailey Roberts, who works in a cocktail bar, rents a two-bedroom flat in the building with his girlfriend, Maddie, who’s a manager at Harrods.
We chat to him about his renting experience below.
Hey, Bailey. How much do you pay to live here?
The monthly rent for this apartment is currently at £2,075 per month, which does not include bills. Bills inclusive of council tax, internet and water etc, equal to about £350 per month on top of the rent price.
What do you get for what you pay?
It is a two-bed, two-bath apartment which is ideal for having friends and family come to stay (except when there is a global pandemic…)
All in all we have seven rooms and a balcony. The lounge and the kitchen are like a large open-plan style layout with separate bedrooms and bathrooms. We also have a large utility room for washing, etc.
Do you feel like you have a good deal?
It is very expensive, but what modern two-bed, two-bath apartment in London isn’t?
If we had the same spec of apartment in zone one or two, it could easily be £3,000+, plus bills, per month.
How did you find this place?
I’ve lived in London with my girlfriend Maddie for about two years now. We originally moved into a studio flat with the brand UNCLE within Stockwell, south London.
After about 18 months there, we had heard about UNCLE’s brand new building in Wembley, which was very appealing to us as we were looking to move to a bigger and slightly more modern space.
What do you think of the area?
We’re new to the Wembley area. It has ups and downs.
Maddie and I are both originally from the countryside so moving to London was quite a change.
Living in Stockwell was amazing as it was a beautiful area, lovely and quiet and we never had any problems.
Wembley is a much busier and lively area. Lots to do and see. It’s good and bad I guess, the options of activities in the area are great, however we miss the level of quietness in Stockwell.
Do you feel like you have enough space in the flat?
Compared to our beautiful but quite small studio in Stockwell, this is a big and welcomed step up in size.
We enjoyed shopping for new additions to fill the space and make it look how it does now.
How have you made the flat feel like home?
We have added all sorts of pieces to the apartment to put our own stamp on it and make it feel like home. The layout of the apartment, along with Phillips Hue mood lighting and some plants makes for a really cosy and comfortable environment.
The company have been very accommodating with decorations, etc. As long as there are no permanent changed made, they are happy for us to make our apartment exactly how we like it.
Are there any problems with the flat?
In terms of problems, I can’t really say we have any.
We have plenty of shops on our doorstep, transport links to central London and a beautiful apartment.
The only things that we would change is how busy the area is, but that is just personal preference and not a problem as such.
Do you have plans to move again soon? What about buying a place?
Maddie and I do indeed plan to move again.
Not because there is anything wrong with this apartment, but because we like to experience new places and we would eventually like to end up on there property ladder and buy a home of our own.
Let’s have a look around…
What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am.
Check back next week to have another nose around a rented property.
How to get involved in What I Rent
What I Rent is Metro.co.uk’s weekly series that takes you inside the places people are renting, to give us all a better sense of what’s normal and how much we should be paying.
If you fancy taking part, please email [email protected]. You’ll need to take pictures of your kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, plus a few photos of you in your bedroom or living area.
Make sure you get permission from your housemates! You’ll also need to be okay with sharing how much you’re paying for rent, as that’s pretty important.
We’re not just after the prettiest places out there, by the way. We want the reality of renting, so if you’re currently renting a place you hate, we’d love to see that too (and sympathise greatly!).
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