‘With four jobs in London I couldn’t afford rent so I’m going to Manchester’
BBC
“I’m a born-and-bred Londoner but I’m leaving because I can’t afford it. I’m being driven out of my own home.”
Lauren Elcock, 31, who is struggling to pay £850 a month for her room in a shared rental in north-east London, is leaving the capital for a new job some 200 miles away.
“It’s at the cheaper end of London and even that is kind of ridiculous for a room,” she says.
In the past five years, she says her rent has increased by £250 a month.
In May 2025 she was made redundant, and since then she has juggled four jobs including dog walking and working in the local gym, just “making ends meet”.
Viewing this situation as no longer feasible, she’s set her sights on Manchester, where she’s secured a flat for £500 a month.
Lauren isn’t the only one struggling to pay rent.
On Saturday, a national housing demonstration, which brought together tenant groups, housing campaigners and trade unions, demanded more measures to make rent affordable.
