I live in a London office for £1,600pcm — there’s a whiteboard and a hand dryer in the loo

Welcome back to What I Rent– live.yourmetropolitan.com’stenant diary series exploring what renting is like in the UK and further afield.

Unlike most tenants who have a landlord that owns their home, Luke Williams is renting a little differently.

The 40-something tech worker is a property guardian, meaning he lives in vacant building – such as an empty school or pub – at a low cost, in order to protect it from vandalism or squatters.

Currently, Luke lives inside an ex-office building in Whitechapel, East London, and pays £1,600, all in.

Unsurprisingly, his home is a little unconventional, and there are still reminders of the building’s corporate past – including stark lighting and a hand dryer in the loo.

Here’s what Luke had to say about his living situation…

Tell us about yourself!

I’m originally from the West of England. I’m in my mid-40s, and work as a programme manager for a tech company. I enjoy writing novels, running, and hiking.

I’m currently living in a former office building. It has this cool open-plan feel to it.

I’ve been here for three years and I pay £1,600 a month, bills included.

Why did you become a property guardian and how did you make it happen?

I’ve been a guardian now on and off for about seven or eight years. The value for money is phenomenal, considering where I’m located.

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If I were to rent a similar property, I’d be paying three times as much.

Previously, I was in a former Masonic lodge in Hampstead Heath. It had oak panel walls and thrones. I also lived in a 16th-century house in Cambridge, with stained glass windows and marble staircases.

How does property guardianship work?

A property guardian lives in an unoccupied building to make it more secure, and in exchange for keeping it safe, they pay reduced rent.

However, it’s important to note that there are a few differences between being a property guardian and being a tenant.

The money guardians pay each month is known as a licence fee rather than rent, and they live under a weekly rolling contract with a 28-day notice period.

And, while landlords legally need to give tenants 24 hours’ notice before entering the property (with the exception of emergency works), guardian inspectors and contractors alike are allowed to enter at any time – and without notice.

There are lots of different guardianship companies, and those who are interested in living in one can usually get in contact via their website.

Companies like Global Guardians have a search function online, which brings up the available properties in any given area, as well as information on how much cheaper it is than taking out a tenancy (in some cases, as high as 56%).

What do you get for what you pay? How have you made your flat feel like home?

I’ve turned one large area into a living room on one side, and my work from home area on the other. The building I’m in was converted to become residential.

I’ve got another couple of large meeting rooms, so I use one as a bedroom, and the other as a home gym.

I’ve bought really nice, cheap sofas at the British Heart Foundation, and some extra lamps.

All the overhead lighting is fluorescent, which is great for efficiency, but when you turn it on at night, it looks really stark.

What do you think of the area?

Whitechapel is a really interesting multicultural place. You can walk 10 minutes in one direction and then you’re in Spitalfields, and then in another direction and you’re at Tower Bridge.

My running route takes me along Regent’s Canal into Victoria Park, or down to the Thames.

How is living as a property guardian different to being a renter?

You get a 28-day rolling contract. You might end up having to move sooner, and you’re not in complete control of how long you can stay. But most of my guardianships have lasted a long time, usually over a year.

The shortest one was a few months, but that’s because the owner changed their mind. You just have to go in with your eyes open.

Is the uncertainty stressful?

Never, because like most property guardians, I have a contingency plan. I know approximately how much it will cost to move, so I keep that aside in funds.

The company you’re renting with (I use Live-In Guardians) usually, unofficially, gives you more notice than 28 days.

If you are asked to move on, they’ll give you a list of all the available properties, and you’ll have first refusal.

Are there any quirks that come with living in an old office?

I still have a lot of the hand sanitiser dispensers scattered around, wall sockets all over the place, exit signs, and a hand dryer (which still works).

My friends also live in a former pub, and they’ve got a bar.

Are you allowed to decorate?

If the building is going to be repurposed and returned to the owner, you might have quite significant rules.

But if the plan is to demolish it, you tend to get a lot more leeway. In this building, there are guardians who’ve done really nice things to the floor, and they’ve painted some walls.

One trap many guardians fall into is that you’ll blink and you’ve been there a year, just sleeping on a mattress on the floor and using a packing crate for a table. You could’ve gone out and got some nice furniture in, but not broken the bank.

I’ve tried to use lighting to create this much more cosy, chilled-out vibe.

Is there anything you’d like to have but don’t?

I miss having a garden. I would also like to get a dishwasher, but that’s more down to my own laziness.

Are there any problems you’ve had to deal with?

There’s the standard wear and tear, like issues with the hot water.

If you have a problem, you can log it in the app. Live-In Guardians have an entire maintenance team, and they’re very quick to respond.

Do you have any plans to move? What about buying a place?

No immediate plans. I hope I can stay here for the foreseeable future. I might like to buy, but I don’t think that’ll be in my budget for a long time.