London leaver: 'a room dedicated to my musical passion is an impossible luxury in London'

After ten years renting in London Rich Watson had had enough.

Rather than pay more than £2,000pcm to rent a two-bedroom Victorian flat in Teddington, west London, the 41-year-old decided he would be better off moving out to Kent where he could afford to buy a home of his own.

And while his monthly costs have worked out to be higher as a homeowner, Watson is thrilled to have a stable home and be investing in his future.

“After renting for the past decade in London, I have felt the effects of the city’s rental market first hand which has been even harder living on my own,” says Watson, who works for an advertising agency.

“Although renting does serve a purpose, you don’t always feel fully secure and that you can make someone else’s house a home.

“London offers a fantastic lifestyle and freedom with access to transport links at your fingertips, however, I was finding the city wasn’t serving my lifestyle anymore.

“I grew up in Kent so I know the area extremely well, and ironically you can make it into London sometimes as quick as sitting on the District Line.”

Watson decided to move to Canterbury, so that he could be close to his son, Zac, 16, who lives in nearby Birchington.

In October 2024 Watson spent £330,000 on a three-bedroom house at the Saxon Fields development (dwh.co.uk) in Thanington, two miles from the centre of Canterbury.

Savings covered his £25,000 deposit, and his monthly mortgage repayments plus bills come in at £3,000pcm.

“If I had committed to staying in London, I would have remained in the cycle of the rental game with no end date of payments and not knowing where I would live from one year to the next,” he says.

Despite only having moved five months ago Watson has made friends with locals who share his love of music. “Plus I make the most of the access to the Kent coast and the surrounding countryside,” he says.

Watson still gets his city fix too since commutes back to London three days per week – the train journey takes him 45 minutes. The other days he works from his home office.

“A big reason for the move was to ensure I had plenty of space, as I wanted to ensure I had room for guests and my hobbies,” says Watson.

“I am a keen guitarist, so having a room dedicated to my musical passion is a luxury I would never have been able to have in London.”