Home · Health · Sep 7 archive
Bohemian Housing Solution Becomes Nightmare Amid London’s Crisis
Confirmed
In Short: As London grapples with its housing crisis, a once-cheap living solution for bohemians has turned into a costly and unsatisfactory arrangement, raising questions about how to address the issue.
While the facilities were wanting, to say the least – the hanging wires, the windowless rooms, and the shower unit in a different building – it cost £250 a month and served as a cheap, bohemian living situation. However, as more people turn to such guardianship schemes, the companies behind them are profiting handsomely, charging rent and fees while incurring minimal overheads.
The ongoing housing crisis in London has led to steeper rents and poor living conditions for property guardians, highlighting the need for a solution to the broader issue. The i Paper's opinion series explores the dysfunctional housing system and seeks ways to fix it.
The i Paper reports on a three-storey red-brick office block in London, now housing artists, hospitality workers, and others on unreliable incomes, illustrating the current state of guardianship schemes.
Bittu, a property guardian whose efforts to clean a polluted river went viral, has now connected with an organisation working on ocean and river pollution solutions, showing the potential for positive change in the face of housing challenges.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Bittu, whose real name is Surendra Singh Choudhary, became popular online after videos of him cleaning the heavily polluted Ajnar River went viral.
- His efforts have now reached Slat, whose organisation works on solutions to tackle plastic pollution in oceans and rivers.