We save £2.2k a month on rent in one of the most expensive cities thanks to a hack & put it towards a house deposit

The Irish Sun

6 days ago

A COUPLE have revealed how they don't pay a penny of rent living in London thanks to a clever hack.
The savvy pair behind the
Advertisement
3
A couple have revealed how much they save from house sitting each month
Credit: tiktok/@couch2castle
3
They don't pay a penny of rent or bills
Credit: tiktok/@couch2castle
The couple are able to save money on rent by house sitting and looking after people's pets while owners are away.
This means they can live rent-free and bills-free in London, which is notoriously expensive.
In a video which has racked up over 1,000 likes, they wrote: 'If we rented a 1 bed flat in London we'd easily spend £1,800 rent, £400 bills (council tax, energy, WiFi, water).
'What we actually paid to live in London this month: £0.
Advertisement
More on money-saving
'So where did that £££ go instead?'
House sitting enables them to save the £2,200 from their jobs, and put £1,400 towards their house saving fund.
They then save £400 for travel, £200 for driving lessons, £100 for Christmas and gifts, and £100 in their Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP).
And instead of just seeing it as a money-saving chore, they love the process and get to look after a number of cute pets, including dogs and cats.
Advertisement
Most read in Fabulous
Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive
They also get to stay in a range of
homes
, from flats to houses.
The couple added: 'This is how we are building our
future
, one Housesit at a time.
I'm a mum-of-2 and was a broke teaching assistant on £840 a month - now I've made 46k doing a side hustle anyone can do
'House sitting means we can save thousands while living in lovely places and looking after cute pets.'
They shared how they typically make bookings though Trusted Housesitters - a company that has listings all over the world - and they didn't need any experience to start.
Advertisement
Now that they have built up some good reviews, they have booked out their stays for the rest of the year.
They shared: 'We plan pretty far in advance - we've had our schedule locked until the end of 2025 since like March.
3
They get to look after some cute pets in the process
Credit: Getty
What the couple manage to save each month
£1,400 House savings fund
£400 travel fund
£200 driving lessons fund
£100 Xmas & gifts fund
£100 freelance SIPP
'We plan ahead for gaps to go on a trip or stay with friends and in a pinch we book a hotel!
Advertisement
'We go back to lots of the same sits regularly and it's as lovely for us as it is the pets.
'You can housesit for people who don't have pets - but for us pets are our fave part.'
They said they keep the majority of their belongings in a small storage unit, but don't have many material items and have downsized since they started their nomadic lifestyle.
The couple added: 'It's a bit mad but it's working for us.'
Advertisement
Many people were impressed, with one saying: "Such a brilliant idea."
Another added: "How cool."
How much can you earn as a house sitter in the UK?
THE amount a house sitter can earn in the UK varies depending on a number of factors.
However, the national average salary for a house sitter in the United Kingdom is £23,952, according to Glass Door.
The rates can depend on factors such as:
Location
Length of stay - some long-term assignments of three months or more can charge a lower fee than shorter assignments.
Pets - if the owner has animals that you need to look after the fee may be higher, particularly for dogs which require more work than cats
Property size - the bigger the property the more care and upkeep may be required, depending on the terms.