COSMOPOLITAN · 119post-university marketing job to
pursue her dream of being an
artist. “The minute I decided to be
a creative full-time, I was priced
out of the city,” Kayleigh explains.
“I was paying £800, plus bills, for
a six-person house share. In my
previous place, my landlord
screwed us over – he wasn’t
paying the bills – and, in the end,
the house was deemed unsafe. I
had to move, but I didn’t get my
deposit back. I just felt continually ripped off.”
Moving home was the only option, but it
was always only temporary. Her job meant
being a part of the London art scene was
crucial to success. “Unfortunately it’s where all
the work is,” Kayleigh says. “But here, time is
money. I couldn’t build my brand, hustle for
the right work, and make time to create the
contacts I needed with the continual pressure
and anxiety of paying ever-mounting bills. But
the minute I left, I started saving to come back.”
It’s a similar story for everyone in this house.
Those in the creative industries – Sophie (who
has been trying to break into the cut-throat
world of music management for a year, and
on the day of our photoshoot accepted her
first permanent role at Warner Music), Steph
and her videography business, artist Kayleigh,
alongside print-maker Victoria and Simone,
who are both trying to cut it as models –
are stuck in the catch-22 of needing the
opportunities the capital affords, but not being
able to afford the capital. Even those climbing
the corporate ladder – like 26-year-old project
manager Mitali Gohel – are struggling.
“I’ve been living at home in the East
Midlands with my mum for the past year, and
commuting to London three days a week. It
was exhausting and expensive. But if I wanted
to have money to actually live my life, rather
than just exist and pay rent, it was the only
way,” she says. “This is the hub of the decision-
making. I want to progress in my career, and
to do that quickly, I have to be here full-time.”
But it’s not just the financial and professional
cost. Every one of the Cosmopolitan property
guardians mentions the emotional and social
toll the housing crisis is taking on them, and
their generation. From the anxiety over
mounting living costs, to the strain that
living with parents or grandparents (and iLondon is now a whopping
£1,452 a month*. No wonder
we’re struggling.
Which is why, nine months ago,
we launched Cosmopolitan Home,
Made: a campaign aimed at
helping you – our readers –
navigate the problems caused by
the housing crisis. Teaming up
with property guardianship
company Dot Dot Dot, it took
a long time to find the right
buildings, but today, at their new home in
south London, we’re shooting the 10 women
who made it through to become Cosmopolitan
property guardians. Sophie,
Steph and Charlotte are just
three of the women who saw
Home, Made and wanted in.
If you’ve never heard of
property guardianship, don’t
worry. Before Channel 4
made sitcom Crashing out of
it, neither had most people.
It basically means utilising
disused and vacant buildings,
and filling them with people
who pay a cheaper monthly
fee, in return for keeping
that building safe and secure.
As an added bonus, guardians
with Dot Dot Dot also do
16 hours of volunteering a
month in the local area. The
Cosmopolitan housemates
will do this, too, but
specifically for female-
focused causes, ploughing
their skills and a hell of a lot
of girl power back into the
community they now live in.
For Kayleigh Marshall, 24,
that’s going to be art classes
for local mums.
Originally from
Staffordshire,
she’s been
living back
at home with
Mum and
Dad for four
months, after
she quit her“As a full-time
creative, I was
priced out of
the city”“The minute
I moved in here,
everything
seemed to click
into place”READSOPHIE LANE WEARS: JUMPER, JIGSAW. KAYLEIGH WEARS: JUMPSUIT, WAVEN. VEST; ESPADRILLES, BOTH H&M. MITALI WEARS: DRESS; TRAINERS,BOTH MARKS & SPENCER. STEPHANIE WEARS: PLAYSUIT,REISS. TRAINERS, JIGSAW. CHARLOTTE WEARS: TOP, WAVEN. TRAINERS, KURT GEIGER. SIMONE WEARS: TOP, THEORY. NICOLA WEARS: TOP; JEANS, BOTH MARKS & SPENCER. TRAINERS, H&M. JOSEPHINEWEARS: SHIRT, H&M. JEANS, MARKS & SPENCER. SHOES, JIGSAW. VICTORIA WEARS: COAT, MTWTFSS WEEKDAY. TROUSERS, JIGSAW. TRAINERS, GAP. ALL OTHER CLOTHING, THEIR OWNClothes rack, £34;
table top, £17.99; table
legs, £45 each; clock,
£34.20, all EbayRocking chair,
£43; sheepskin
throw, £30;
letter ‘M’,
£14.75, all Ebay
Sophie