What I Rent: Fiona and Jamie, £1,250 a month for a two-bedroom flat in Tonbridge

Welcome back to What I Rent, our weekly series that explores the ins, outs, and shakes it all abouts of renting.

Last time we were in West Didsbury with George and Matt, who pay £1,150 a month for their two-bed flat.

This Tuesday we’re hanging out with Fiona, 25, who works as a UI designer and lives in Tonbridge with her partner Jamie, an estate worker at the Mount vineyard in Sevenoaks.

Fiona is originally from London, but often used to visit Tonbridge as a kid.

Now, she rents a flat here with Jamie, who she’s been in a relationship with for eight years. Let’s get to know their place.

Hey, Fiona! How much do you pay to live here?

We pay £1,250 a month in rent and about £350 for bills, shared between us.

And what do you get for what you pay?

We have a flat with an open-plan kitchen, lounge, dining area, plus two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

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Do you think you have a good deal?

Yes, I think we have a good deal. We are the first people to live in our flat, as it is a new build. We feel lucky to be the first to bring our character to it. Plus the location is brilliant.

Whereabouts is your home based? What do you think of the area?

We’re based in Tonbridge. We love it here, it’s perfect for everything we need!

We also have the benefit of good travel links into London.

How did you find this property?

We found the property on OnTheMarket.com.

We were originally looking at a one-bedroom flat in the same building, but that had already gone. We were lucky enough to find a two-bedroom flat in the same building.

How have you made the flat feel like home?

We love colour and art so have brought this into our flat, by putting pictures on the wall and buying colourful and unique pieces we get to use every day.

We also love design and we have mixed up the style with old, new and DIY pieces of furniture.

Have you found it difficult to decorate when renting? Is your landlord happy with you doing bits?

No, we have found we have been able to add character by the furniture we have brought in.

We did ask our landlord before we moved in if we could hang pictures and mirrors on the wall and we have been able to do so as long as we’ve done it respectfully. So this has also been a great way to add character.

I’d love to paint though, so hopefully we will be allowed to do this in the future.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Yes! We lived in a small one-bed flat during the pandemic so moving here into double the space has been fantastic.

We don’t feel like we are living and working in each other’s pockets anymore.

I can also close off my work space at the end of the day and find it easier to relax in the evening.

Are there any problems with the home you have to deal with?

Not really, we have had the usual problems that you would find in a new build property, but these have been fixed quickly!

Do you have plans to move again?

No, we have no plans to move – we love it here!

Do you want to own a place some day or are you happy to rent?

We would love to own a place some day but I can’t see that happening for a long while.

Shall we take a look around?

What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am.

Check back next week to have another nose around a rented property.

How to get involved in What I Rent

What I Rent is Metro.co.uk’s weekly series that takes you inside the places people are renting, to give us all a better sense of what’s normal and how much we should be paying.

If you fancy taking part, please email [email protected]. You’ll need to take pictures of your kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, plus a few photos of you in your bedroom or living area.

Make sure you get permission from your housemates! You’ll also need to be okay with sharing how much you’re paying for rent, as that’s pretty important.

We’re not just after the prettiest places out there, by the way. We want the reality of renting, so if you’re currently renting a place you hate, we’d love to see that too (and sympathise greatly!).

This article contains placements with affiliate links.  We may earn a small commission on purchases made through one of these links on these placements.

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