We all know that the housing market is… not ideal, especially in London.

So when there’s a property up for sale for £215,000, and it’s actually nice, we tend to pay attention.

This two-bedroom home for sale is part of The Water Lodges – a set of properties located on the water at Poplar Marina, which is within walking distance of the hustle and bustle of Canary Wharf.

The inside of the building is a little on the small side, but modern and finished to what looks like a really high standard.

There are also peaceful views over the water, which don’t do any harm, as well as front and back terraces positively begging for a nice table and chairs.

There is, however, a catch.

Because these water lodges are essentially houseboats, you can’t take out traditional mortgages to pay for them, so the estate agents are advertising to cash-only buyers.

That means you have to have the £215,000 at your disposal ready to go.

And while The Water Lodges include a 50-year mooring rights option, there are annual mooring fees of up to £15,000 per year.

The listing reads: ‘Located at Poplar Marina and within very close walking distance to Canary Wharf these rather special ‘water lodges’ are certain to impress.

‘Finished to a particularly high specification and offering a functional yet flexible accommodation these two-bedroom homes also come with the most fabulous water views from all rooms.’

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An adorable North American lighthouse has hit the market – but you’ll need deep pockets if you want to live here.

The one-bed, one-bath lighthouse, located on the shores of Fall River, Massachusetts, is one of the world’s only offshore spark plug-style lighthouses.

It gets electricity from a solar panel system equipped with battery backup and a whole-house generator, which means you’d never have to pay a leccy bill.

But on the flipside, the property will set you back £998,000.

The lighthouse, which was built in 1881, was purchased privately from the US Government in 2010.

This buyer spent seven years restoring the whole property, which is referred to as a ‘Lighthome’.

They opened it up to the members of the public interested in unique overnight accommodation – which is a great idea for any buyers interested in possibly supplementing their income.

The property is full of antique pieces, including a working 1910 Victrola record player, and period furniture.

The listing reads: ‘Surrounding the Lantern Room is an outdoor deck that offers astonishing panoramic views, perched 50 feet above the bay.

‘This distinctive Lighthome exudes a charming cosiness and is one of the most exceptional and historically significant properties available in the real estate market today.

‘The Lighthome offers five levels of fully furnished living space with awe-inspiring 360-degree water vistas.’

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Welcome back to another installment of Metro’s tenant diary series, What I Rent.

We’re in West Sussex this week, chatting to Lambertus and Jennilee Blom who rent a two-bed home with their three kids – Aleejah, Zuah and Feyja – as well as their cat and dog.

The couple struggled to find a pet-friendly rental property with a garden on the market, but then came across a Build to Rent development that ticked all their boxes.

Here’s what the couple have to say about their renting experience..

Tell us about yourselves.

We’re Lambertus and Jennilee and we live at Fontwell Meadows, in Chichester, West Sussex, with our cat, dog, two children and newborn baby.

We moved from a rented two-bedroom barn conversion in Yapton, West Sussex to here in February. Our decision to move stemmed from needing more space for our children and pets to roam.

We really wanted to find a rental property that had a private garden, included modern conveniences, long-term security and allowed pets – we had struggled to find a pet friendly property on the market.

We love to go for family walks with the dog and explore the beach.

How much do you pay to live here?

We pay monthly rent payments of £1,275 with a tenancy agreement of 24 months. Although Leaf Living [the provider] offers a no-deposit option through Flatfair, we put down a five-week deposit of £1,595.

And what do you get for what you pay?

We get a modern and energy efficient new-build property with long-term security and smart home features. Energy-efficiency was high on our checklist to help us save money on our bills. Our home is EPC-rated B which is a lot more sustainable than the national average.

We really wanted long-term stability. Our BTR (build to rent) provider is our landlord – this is great because it eliminates any surprises or short-term notice to move that you could easily get with a private landlord, and it means our home is maintained to a high quality.

Do you feel like you have a good deal?

Absolutely! To find a rented home which is not only pet-friendly but ticks all of our boxes is an incredibly rare find – and we are close to our jobs, I [Lambertus] work at Rolls Royce.

As our home is energy efficient, we save money on our energy bills, which is a bonus. We had really struggled to find a pet-friendly home to let within a 15-mile radius of our previous property, this narrowed our options down considerably, so to find a new-build rental property – we felt like we hit the jackpot.

Where is your home based? What do you think of the area?

Our home is based in Fontwell, Chichester – there is easy access to the A27 which provides connections to the South Coast and destinations including Southampton and Brighton. It’s such a nice little community. It’s great to have a garden and to live so close to green spaces, it’s the perfect place to take the dog for a walk. The scenery is stunning here, it is also a perfect location for schools for our little ones.

How did you find this property?

After a long search on websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla, we came across Fontwell Meadows and fell in love straight away. This home really met all of our needs. We went to view the property shortly after and the rest just fell into place.

The move-in process was seamless. It was all digital and very easy to navigate, it was very professional. The team were so helpful. They made our moving-in experience so easy. We have really integrated well here – the neighbours are so friendly; you can really feel the sense of community.

How have you made this place feel like home? Have you found it difficult to decorate when renting? Is your landlord happy with you doing bits?

We have taken up gardening. Our old property didn’t have any outside space so we were excited to add some plants. Seeing our children and pets play in the garden is lovely.

We have also decorated a little – our BTR provider was happy for us to decorate our home which was fantastic news – not something you hear every day when renting privately.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Definitely. Having a garden for the kids and pets to run around has made things so much more spacious with little ones running around. Where we live also has so many green spaces for us to go for walks.

Are there any problems with the home you have to deal with?

Not at all, the team have been brilliant, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

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

We don’t have any plans to move any time soon.

We love it here – although we may need a bigger property in two years’ time once our children are a bit older. But for now, our home is perfect, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Shall we take a look around?

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A studio flat? In London? For just £1,200 per month? It sounds standard on paper.

It may even seem like a – winces – good price, given the average cost of renting in the capital.

Alas, if you want to rent this one, some compromising may be needed… as the property is on the petite side, and it doesn’t appear to offer a private toilet.

The studio is situated on Crayford Road in Tufnell Park, North London – and is billed as being a 10-minute walk from the Underground Station and close by to bustling Holloway Road.

It offers a 3.70 x 3.33 space, and is pictured tightly-packed with a small table, a bed, a wardrobe, chest of drawers, and built-in kitchen cabinets complete with a sink and hob.

Looking at the floorplan, you can see a private shower tucked in the corner.

However, there doesn’t appear to be a toilet within the studio itself on the plan – as it shows you’ll have to hop upstairs, elsewhere in the building, to use the loo.

But the £1,200 per month price tag does cover hot water and heating bills, the ad notes – and its future resident will also be able to use the communal laundry facilities.

If you’re undeterred, you can check out the listing here.

Bizarrely, this isn’t the only London rental we’ve seen lacking a loo…

An 108 sq ft abode in Kensington, costing £940 per month, was advertised last year without a toilet.

And there are plenty of London rentals making, shall we say, interesting use of their limited space.

One studio flat in Arsenal, priced at £1,250 per month, had a separate toilet in a private room… but its bold shower placement next to the kitchen left the internet perplexed.

Even small, non-residential spaces can command hefty sums in London, as two recent sales show.

Someone recently spent £25,000 on this disused staircase – while a Kensington balcony was put up for £50,000.

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When Shannon Lane’s rent increased from £950 to £1,020 per month, and the landlord allegedly suggested adding another tenant to the one-bed home, she knew it was time to check out other options.

But a stroll along the London canals made her consider an alternative way of living.

The 28-year-old freelance producer came across a ‘For Sale’ sign on a narrowboat and fell in love with the idea.

Shannon, who is from Buckinghamshire, UK, said: ‘I was living in a flat in Clapton, and my rent was around £950 a month for one room. The landlord wanted it to raise that price by around £70 and put somebody else into the flat.

‘They wanted to build a fake wall and get someone else in the dining room and make it a windowless bedroom, which I’m pretty sure is illegal.

‘I was actually walking down the canal and saw the boat I currently live on. It had a “For Sale” sign on it, so I looked around and fell in love.’

Despite not knowing anything about the boating community, she took the plunge and purchased the boat for £24,000 earlier this year, by taking out a loan.

She added: ‘I was just basically done with renting. So I took out a loan and bought the boat on the spur of the moment.

‘I didn’t know anyone who lived on boats. I just thought it was something that people in the countryside or older generations did. I didn’t know people in my generation could do it.

‘But I’ve had my eyes opened. There’s lots of people my age living on London’s canals and they’ve helped me settle into boating life.

‘I’ve always struggled to make friends. I’ve never had so many friends until now. Everyone’s a free spirit and slightly quirky. It’s great.’

Now Shannon pays around £350 a month for her narrowboat home including utilities – compared to the £1,100 (including bills) she was spending before.

Currently, she lives off-grid on London’s canals between Notting Hill and Mile End with her two-year-old pug mix, called Gilbert – and loves her new narrowboat community. 

When Shannon first purchased the boat it required a little TLC and she had to fork out for a few other costs – including the annual price of blackening the bottom of the boat £100 (to make it waterproof) and a license fee of £800 a year.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old loves the freedom her new lifestyle gives her. Although, it does have one down-side.

She revealed: ‘The best thing about it is the travelling. I’m a free spirit – I just love being able to go wherever I want.

‘The worst thing is definitely the toilet. I have to empty my toilet. It’s basically a giant well. You have to take it to this disgusting point and empty it out, and sometimes it’s full or clogged up. I’ve had to do that on a hangover.’

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When Conrad Brown started searching for a London flat to buy his wish list was short and to the point.

It needed to be a short train ride from Canary Wharf, where he works, and affordable.

But when a new development of shared ownership flats came up for sale it is fair to say that Conrad’s reaction was muted. It ticked his two boxes but, Thamesmead?

This sprawling south east London former council estate, built on desolate marshland east of Woolwich, has become a byword for how not to build social housing.

Its overhead walkways were dark and dangerous, gang culture thrived, and residents complained of being marooned on the estate without public transport and marooned with the river on one side, and railway lines and busy roads on the other.

Compounding the problems, there was an almost complete absence of basic local facilities like shops and banks,

‘Thamesmead didn’t have the most favourable history or reputation,’ admitted Conrad, a 59-year-old personal trainer.

Nonetheless the development he discovered was close to Abbey Wood’s fast Elizabeth Lines services to Canary Wharf, and it was affordable.

And so, instead of ruling out a move to the infamous estate where A Clockwork Orange and the Channel 4 series Misfits was shot, he decided to look into it.

What Conrad discovered is that Thamesmead is at the early stages of what promises to be one of biggest and most ambitious regeneration project in living memory.

Some 20,000 new homes will be built on an almost 2,000 acre site – more than five times the size of Hyde Park.

‘It seemed like a no brainer,’ said Conrad.

History certainly suggests that buying into areas in the early stages of regeneration, or those in line for transport upgrades, can pay dividends. Research by CBRE suggests that homes around major regeneration zones increases in value by more than 2% more, per year, than homes a little further away.

And since 2012, when work began on the Elizabeth Line, and last year, average local prices had doubled around some stations by the time the line opened.

Thamesmead has been held back by its lack of transport links ever since its inception. But earlier this year Transport for London gave its backing to plans to get this backwater onto the tube map for the first time in its 70 year history.

The Government is currently considering its plan to extend the Docklands Light Railway southwards. A decision is expected in 2025, and the station could be open by the early 2030s.

A new DLR station would, in turn, trigger a rebirth of the Thamesmead Estate, all 1,878 acres of it, spearheaded by housing association Peabody, which took over the running of the estate, in 2014.

‘What we inherited had probably not seen much improvement or investment for several decades,’ said Matthew Foulis, Peabody’s project director at Thamesmead.

Many of its circa 5,200 homes were damp, and mouldy, windows needed replacing, and there were many social problems to tackle.

Peabody decided that the best option was to pull the estate down and start again. It began work in 2018 at the Southmere development, 534 new homes ranged around Thamesmead’s iconic lake.

The site is the best connected part of Thamesmead, 10 minutes from Abbey Wood. On site there is a new library and community centre, a public square surrounded by shops, and work spaces for creatives, run by Bow Arts, and a nursery.

Work completed at Southmere last year, and its sales success suggests that in a city stricken by a deep housing crisis Conrad is far from the only person willing to invest in Thamesmead. All but one private flat has been sold.

Prices for the remaining 20-or-so shared ownership properties start at £78,750 for a 25% share of a one bedroom flat with a full market value of £315,000. Two bedroom homes start at £112,000 for a 25% share of a property with a full market value of £450,000.

Conrad was paying £650pcm to rent a room in a shared house in Rochester in Kent when he discovered Southmere. In November (2022) he moved into his one bedroom flat, having put down a £15,000 deposit for a 30% share of the £350,000 property.

His mortgage, rent on the portion of the property he doesn’t own, and service charge cost him around £1,200pcm.

His journey to work now takes nine minutes by train from Abbey Wood. When he lived in Rochester it took around 50 minutes and cost up to £40-a-day at peak times.

What Conrad likes about his new neighbourhood is its plentiful green space. Festivals and events are held around the lake, and he and his neighbours have a WhatsApp group where they swap news about new cafes opening and things happening. Although Thamesmead is no Battersea Power Station or King’s Cross in the regeneration zone stakes there are shops within walking distance, including supermarkets, and a Conrad has no regrets about his move.

‘It is in its early stages – it can only get better as time progresses,’ he said.

Work has already started on a second phase of 329 homes in South Thamesmead, expected to go on sale 2024 or 2025, in advance of completion in 2026, and by the early 2030s there will be some 3,000 new homes plus shops, cafes, and amenities.

‘One of the things we are keen to do is make sure that the residents have everything that they need on the site,’ said Foulis. ‘… [in the past] Thamesmead was a bit of a dormitory.’

Meanwhile, close to Thamesmead’s border with Plumstead, Peabody is working with Berkeley Homes on a second scheme, Lombard Square. Mid-rise redbrick blocks, ranged around a central square, are sprouting out of the ground and the first homes have gone on sale priced from £370,000 for a one bedroom flat.

Southmere and Lombard Square are substantial projects, but they only represent the tip of the Thamesmead iceberg.

The biggest player by far is Thamesmead Riverside, around 15,000 new riverfront homes, plus a park, a town centre, on an almost 500 acre site.

A masterplan for how Thamesmead Riverside will look is being worked up by Peabody and LendLease, the firm overseeing the redevelopment of Elephant and Castle.

But Foulis admits it will only work with a DLR extension. ‘The vital catalyst for change is the DLR,’ he said. ‘Without the DLR … [the site] … is a bit isolated.’

He is confident it will happen, citing cross party support plus the backing of TfL and Homes England. But experience suggests that decisions tend be made in slow motion, particularly with an election on the horizon.

For Foulis a DLR station will make Thamesmead Riverside just as attractive to buyers as Southmere has been.

‘If you look at South Thamesmead, the improved connectivity of the Elizabeth Line … [at Abbey Wood] … has been a massive catalyst for change,’ he said. ‘It has put Thamesmead on the map.’