Londoners Turn to Vacant Buildings for Rent Relief as Guardianship Offers Below-Market Housing
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 24
Londoners Turn to Vacant Buildings for Rent Relief as Guardianship Offers Below-Market Housing
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 24
Defunct police stations, shuttered pubs, empty offices and closed schools are increasingly housing Londoners through property guardianship, a licensing model that offers far cheaper accommodation than standard rentals.
Soaring rents are driving the shift: guardians pay below-market fees to occupy vacant buildings, while owners gain income and on-site deterrence against vandalism, break-ins and squatters.
The trade-off is insecurity—residents can face monthly room inspections, limited amenities and removal at short notice, making the arrangement workable mainly for people ready to move quickly.
Supporters say the model could ease pressure in London and other housing-starved cities by putting millions of square feet of empty commercial property into safe, habitable use.
Is converting empty offices into temporary housing a real solution, or a plaster on London's deep housing wound?
When cheap rent means no rights, are London's guardians pioneers or a new class of precarious tenants?