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A home of one’s own: Olauria’s London Living Rent Journey in North London
February 2024
Name: Olauria
Job: Insurance Analyst
Type of home: one-bedroom apartment
Deposit: £1,329
Monthly rent: £1,056 – saving of roughly £200-300 per month.
A Londoner born and bred, Olauria’s experience of the capital’s property market had consisted of years of private rentals in the East of the city. It wasn’t until she was served a “no fault” eviction notice and had to move back to her parents in Romford that she began to consider longer-term options.
She explains, “Everything has become more expensive in recent years, especially London rents. I’ve lived alone for a few years, leasing via private landlords. However, after my stint back home, it was becoming increasingly apparent that I would struggle to find anywhere affordable to rent on my single income – let alone to buy.
“I was searching online for different properties when I came across L&Q, a Housing Association offering homes through an initiative called London Living Rent. I wasn’t aware of it, so did some research and learnt that it is an affordable rental scheme designed for those living and working in London – it seemed to offer the best of both worlds! I could put aside my savings whilst working towards a deposit to buy a home of my own in the future.”
Originally eager to stay in East London, Olauria started her search by viewing LLR homes in Rainham. However, upon discovering a new development from L&Q in Hendon, that would offer her excellent transport links, Olauria decided it might be time for a change.
“Location was the number one priority for me,” Olauria explains. “I needed to find a home that had good connections into my work near St Paul’s and to reach friends and family. I hadn’t considered leaving East London, but when I saw Rookery Grove on the L&Q website, the apartments looked so beautiful, I knew I needed to see it.”
Impressed by the interior spec of the homes and the location, Olauria began the process to secure her new one-bedroom LLR home at Rookery Grove. Ideally positioned in one of North London’s best-connected areas, Rookery Grove offers a brand-new collection of London Living Rent homes. The development comprises studios as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments and is situated within the Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme, one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe, which will see 150 retail stores, 50 restaurants, cinema and hotel delivered nearby alongside new residential quarters.
Olauria says, “I like the idea of moving into a newbuild – they are more energy efficient than older properties and L&Q’s homes all came with integrated appliances so I wouldn’t have to worry about them breaking or buying new ones. I also needed space to work from home, and the open-plan layout of the apartments at Rookery Grove really worked for that.”
Reflecting on her experience of becoming an LLR tenant, she recalls, “The L&Q team was really communicative throughout – I could email over any questions I had, and it was a really smooth process. They also gave me good advice about what type of home was most suitable on my income and I was able to view all the different layout options which was useful – I really appreciated that.”
Since relocating to Northwest London, Olauria describes what she likes most about her new neighbourhood. “Hendon is really green,” she comments. “It’s rare in London to feel so close to green outdoor spaces. Plus, we’ve also got the convenience of nearby shops – there’s a Sainsbury’s and a café on the corner of the road. My main consideration was my commute; the development is really well connected via Hendon Central and Colindale Underground Stations on the Northern Line and there’s also Thameslink services into Central London.”
Thinking about her future, Olauria says, “I’m open-minded about what the future looks like – it depends what the housing market is like in five years, but at the moment I’d really like to buy this apartment with the savings I set aside through the scheme.”
“Having lived alone for a few years, I ultimately didn’t want to go back to sharing and the private market no longer felt like an option for me. London Living Rent has allowed me to start planning for the future and longer-term investments, with my savings going towards a deposit for a property.”
