I lived in a Masonic lodge for six months. I was able to use the entire property apart from one, mysterious locked room. This was what was inside… and it’s not the only bizarre place I’ve stayed in

Luke Williams lived at a Masonic lodge on Hampstead Heath, a former 17th-century workhouse in Cambridge, and at a schoolhouse in Kilburn. He currently lives in a disused office block in the heart of Whitechapel, east London.

If those don’t sound like attractive locations, perhaps this will seal the deal for you: Luke pays 30 per cent less than London’s average monthly rent of £2,268 for his huge two-bedroom open-plan flat, coming in at £1,600 a month including all bills.

What’s his secret at a time when private rental prices have risen by 29 percent in the last five years, according to rental website SpareRoom?

Luke is a property protector; someone who lives in a vacant property to keep it in good repair and safe from squatters or vandals. It’s a clever lease that has saved the 46-year-old more than £23,400 over the last three years.

This money-saving trick is becoming increasingly popular, with chefs, prime-time TV actors and even former professional footballers moving into these quaint homes.

Luke, originally from Bristol, says: ‘It all started when we were looking for a place to rent in Cambridge in 2018. I was looking at small rooms costing £800 a month and wanted more space.

‘Then I saw an advert for an executor’s estate. It was very spacious, with oak-paneled walls, stone staircases and stained glass windows, and cost £500 a month.’

Luke previously lived at this Masonic lodge on Hampstead Heath, north London.

Luke is a Live-in Guardian, a solution for owners of large, unused buildings and tenants struggling with rising costs.

Consignment is a solution for owners of large, unused buildings and tenants struggling with rising costs.

For the landlord, having a tenant onsite reduces the risk of trespassing, prevents squatters from laying claim to an abandoned space, and means having someone to report problems such as leaks that could lead to costly damage if left on site.

Said Hamed of Live-in Guardians, a property management company specializing in guardianships, says: ‘Vagrant properties often lead to anti-social behaviour, complaints from neighbours, and are not helpful to the local community. Additionally, owners may be spending thousands of dollars a month on traditional security.

‘By renting it out, landlords get free security and provide affordable housing; It’s a win-win situation for everyone.’

Landlords must provide a habitable building that meets the same standards of living as other private rentals. But they will always be a little weird.

Live-in Guardians manages more than 60 properties across the UK worth a combined £500 million, including a police station in Catford, south-east London, a pub in Bedford and an NHS care unit in east London. Luke’s current home was once used by the hospital on the other side of the road.

There are whiteboards on the walls filled with medical terms and statistics. He could tear them down, but he says they add to the look of the place.

A room in the Masonic lodge where he lived for six months while the owners found a buyer was off-limits because it was used to store thrones and artifacts. The workhouse in Cambridge where he stayed for 14 months was later converted into a luxury hotel.

Some sites have single residents, others are divided into self-contained units, while others have communal areas or shared facilities such as showers and toilets. Applicants must be over 21, working full-time and provide a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate. Children and pets are not allowed.

The rental system is becoming increasingly popular. Estimates suggest the number of property guardians in the UK has increased from 5,000 in 2017 to 15,000. While most tenants are in their 20s and 30s, the oldest person who currently owns a Live-In Parent is 71 years old. Many are key workers such as nurses and police officers, but the rising cost of living has made this an increasingly attractive option for young professionals.

Mr Hamed says: ‘We’ve had chefs, someone who works for the UN, someone who won a BAFTA, actors on TV shows and even former professional footballers.’

The idea of ​​taking charge of a disused building whose existence is intended to keep slum dwellers away means there may be extra responsibilities. Mr Hamed insists this is not the case. He says: ‘We don’t expect people to chase thieves; This is security provided through occupation. Look after the property and inform us of any health and safety issues or damage.’

Units are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, but priority is given to existing custodians moving because they have been notified in another area.

This brings us to the negative point. The tenancy is on a 28-day contract, meaning guardians can be given a month’s notice to leave. This lack of security is enough to put off many renters.

But Luke, a program manager at a technology company, has been working at his current location for almost three years. He says: ‘The notice period is not as scary as it seems; just make sure you have money in reserve in case you need to move. For me it provides very good value for money. ‘Anywhere else in London I’d be sitting in a room with my laptop on my knees, but here I have a private office.’

Despite the interesting properties, central locations and potentially famous neighbors, the real draw is the price. The average rent for a probate property is £675 a month, including bills, which is less than half the national average of £1,368.

Live-in Guardians uses a formula based on cost per square foot in the area, which it says is on average 50 to 60 percent cheaper than a rental property.

The average rent for a two-bedroom flat in Tower Hamlets, where Luke lives, is £2,353; This means she saves more than £650 a month, not counting what she’ll spend on bills.

He says: ‘I have friends who love the places I live, and there are some who don’t like the idea of ​​a 28-day notice period and can’t do it.

‘For me there’s a huge financial aspect to it, but there’s also the quirkiness of it; I love unusual places. ‘It allowed me to live in places I would never have been able to afford otherwise.’