I didn’t want to spend £2.5k on rent for a mouldy flat

A WOMAN has revealed that she didn’t want to spend over £2,500 a month on rent and bills for a mouldy flat, so decided to live in a van instead. Leanne, who lives on the road with her partner Billy and their dog, explained that whilst they could splash cash on renting a property, they instead love their much more affordable way of life. But eager to clap back at trolls who aren’t as on board, Leanne took to social media and responded to a comment from a hater that read ‘just buy a house or rent’.

Image Credit: The Sun [Person sitting in a van, talking about living in a van instead of renting.]

To this, Leanne clapped back: “You're right, why don't we just rent or buy a house? Well let's start with averages of how much it's gonna cost us.”. Leanne then shared a breakdown of estimated monthly costs for living in a house or flat, as she claimed that according to Google, rent will cost £1,200 on average for a small flat or a small one bedroom house. Not only this, but whilst Leanne claimed that the average cost of gas will cost a household £160 a month and electricity will set people back £60, she also recognised that the standard price of broadband is £40 a month.

Image Credit: The Sun [Woman standing in front of a van with a small dog.]

She then added: “You've got to pay council tax - according to Google, that's £100 a month.”. Leanne then recognised that home insurance can typically cost £40 a month, whilst car insurance for two vehicles would cost her around £200 a month, as well as car tax, which is around £60 a month. As well as this, she claimed that on top of all of those costs, she would need to pay around £40 a month for water, as well as food costs, bringing her estimated grand total to £2,515.

But instead, Leanne lives in a van and doesn’t pay council tax, rent or electricity. Whilst Leanne and Billy have to wait 45 minutes for their shower to heat up, the content creators don't see any other downsides to their life on wheels. Leanne shared: “We could indeed move into a small flat in the UK like many of our friends and people we know are doing, for mould filled places that are not fit for living in and the extortionate prices for gas, electric, water and much more.

“While it sounds absolutely amazing, I think we can put up with filling up our shower with a bucket and waiting 45 minutes for it to heat up. “Our electricity is free, it comes from the sun, and our water is included in the price of campsites or land rent - so yeah, that's why we don't rent or buy a house in the UK.”. You are living an amazing life. The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @billyandleanne, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 169,900 views.

Social media users were impressed with Leanne’s way of living and many eagerly flocked to the comments to express this. IF you are looking to live in a van to save money or travel, you'll be pleased to know that there are no UK laws stopping you. However, you must ensure your vehicle has passed its MOT and is fully road legal. There could also be restrictions on where you can park up to sleep in your van.

For example, local authorities place restrictions on certain streets or lay-bys, and you could be fined if you spend the night there. It could also be unsafe to stop in certain locations, particularly at night-time. Check the The Highway Code guide for guidance. One person said: “You are living an amazing life.”. Another added: “Good way of living.”. A third commented: “Well said, my husband and I also live in our van.”.