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Property guardians live in vacant buildings with 28 days eviction notice

Guardians typically pay 30% to 50% less rent than private tenants, but have fewer rights than renters and can be removed with just 28 days' notice.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Residential

Rising cost pressures in the UK have driven more people to apply to become property guardians, a scheme where residents live in vacant buildings to help prevent squatters, vandalism, and deterioration, according to BBC Business.

Guardians generally pay 30% to 50% less rent than private tenants, sometimes with bills included, in exchange for looking after the property. However, the BBC reports that guardians have significantly fewer rights than private renters, including the ability to be evicted with 28 days' notice.

Katrina, a 29-year-old postgraduate student, told the outlet she has lived for the past 10 months in an Edwardian mansion in Hampstead that previously operated as a care home until 2015, paying £580 a month for a room including bills and council tax. She said the rent is about £400 below the London average and described the setting and communal living as a draw despite visible disrepair.

The BBC also reports that the managing company Lowe uses a vetting process, and two residents have been asked to leave over alleged antisocial behaviour. The outlet adds that guardianship is based on a licence to occupy rather than a tenancy, with landlords able to visit at any time without warning and evictions not necessarily requiring a reason.

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