How to slash your rent by up to 80%

HeyLyla

I moved into one camelot property after I had to leave me flat and it was pretty good. It used to a children's home so there was a lot of space, the place was in good condition and I lucked out with the housemates I had as we all got along well.

We had one attempted break in while i was there and that was just an oppurtunist, we called the police and camelot who came and fitted a metal panel over the broken glass.

However, about 4 months in, the building was put up for auction by the council and we were given a month's notice to leave, then told that the buyer wanted to continue with the agreement, then told a week later that the buyer had changed their mind and we had to leave in our aghreed time.

We were re-housed, which costs you £50 a time, but into a place that they knew was going to be demolished at some point. We (1 of my former roommates and I) were given 2 weeks notice, told we would be re-housed and we have to be out by the 29th but still have not been where we will be re-housed.

It is sometimes very difficult to get hold of the agent for your property, messages go unanswered, e-mails not replied to and they have had quite a high staff turnover since I became a 'guardian' - I have had 3 or 4. Most of the viewings/singing back of houses are done at weekdays during working hours also so that can be inconvenient.

Would I do it again? certainly, it gave the ability to pay off several debts I had hanging over me, and hopefully enable me to save up a decent deposit, I just wish the customer service overall was better.

moneylover

People may find these articles useful which give you the breakdown about Camelot.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2007/07/26/lp-house-sitting126.xml Telegraph article

http://www.carlwilkinson.co.uk/2007/04/01/the-artful-lodgers Observer article

I'm currently a guardian with camelot and have been for about 5 months. I live in an old childrens home in London. The building itself is in fact a 10 bed Victorian house worth surely a couple of million. I live with 4 other nice people and have acres of space and it costs me £200 a month including all bills. The house itself has been run down a bit but you can paint your room if you like and do what you want to make it a plaasent living environment (which you can). You essentially get what comes with the house which in our case was a couple of ovens, a safe and a variety of garden tools... It has a perfectly good kitchen and bathroom facilities (lots of bathrooms) and a lovely garden.

Am I living the dream? Well no, but I'm very happy as I'd be paying three times that as a minimum to be living in the same location in a grotty shared house with much less space. The last poster is correct about Camelot. The organisation is run on a shoestring and its hard to get hold of them. However, the two times we've really needed them (heating broke down) they've sorted it out pretty quick, and quicker in my experience then a private landlord!

In my view these places offer a short term solution if you're trying to clear some debt/ save some cash and your happy to live somewhere a bit random. I guess in that respect it may be viewed as a young persons game although I am 28 and that may be seen as ageist!. Other guardians I know have lucked out in London (people have been given private flats with their partners in glamous london locations) and others have horror stories to tell (warehouses on industrial estates and derelict pubs) so you take your chances, but you can of course see these places before you sign up.

Finally, you have no control who you live with. My overall experience is that the kind of people these things attract our generally good people, but I've always said to myself that if someone awkward walks through the door then thats the day I'll go back to conventional living. Fortunately that hasn't happened yet.

Hope that helps.

happy_chick_3

Has anyone done this recently? I want to do it and would like some feedback on what it's really like if anyone can help?

clutton_2

am i missing something really obvious here - but if i am "living" so insecurely, in a property which may be unsafe - and the owner is saving him/herself money by not paying for property security measures to protect his/her asset

why is the owner not paying the guardian a wage rather than the guardian paying the owner rent money ??????

Snakeeyes21

so let me get this right, you pay them for looking after a property? shouldnt it be the other way round?

happy_chick_3

Thats the idea. I live in London where rent is in the region of £600 plus bills and council tax so living for £50 a week is a huge attraction.

So has anyone got any experience of living as a property guardian?

Doozergirl

Send a pm to lynzpower

happy_chick_3

thanks doozergirl - will do