A WOMAN in the heart of London pays no rent thanks to living on a boat – here’s how she does it.
Shannon Lane discovered the idea when she struggled to find a landlord who would accept her pooch Gilbert.
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The surrealist artist made the jump and bought a narrowboat after taking out a loan, which she pays back in £200 instalments.
Narrowboats are typically the most popular type of houseboat found on Canal & River Trust waters but they have limited amounts of space.
In a video posted on Instagram by @jub.london, Shannon offered a tour of her cosy little home.
“I don’t pay anything because I bought a narrowboat.
“I’m Shannon, I’m an artist and I live on a boat with my little dog Gilbert.
“You go straight into the bedroom, there’s a tiny bathroom and I have a tiny little shower and cassette toilet.
“I’ve got a projector to watch films up on the wall, a fire, USB ports and solar panels.
“There’s so little space that you have to utilise everything.
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“I had a landlady who wouldn’t allow dogs, no where allows animals so I bought a boat, had no idea about boats and no idea what I was doing.”
Gilbert is even lucky enough to have his own coat rack on board.
The best part of boat living, according to the artist are the amazing views.
She admitted she does pay around £200 for the loan she took out from the bank.
People were impressed by the unusual property choice, one wrote: “This is a really cute place.”
“My dream house”, penned another.
“She paid £200 in the boat and that’s it? Geez, greatest deal ever,” commented a third.
Second-hand narrowboats usually start from around £30,000 but some have been sold for as little as £12,000.
Although at this price they would need thousands more poured into them to make them habitable.
What to know about living on a house boat
Boat living can be a great alternative and cut major living costs, but it does come with challenges.
To live on a boat full-time, you need to be either “continuously cruising” or have a “residential mooring”.
Continuous cruising is defined by moving your boat every two weeks which makes it impossible to find a permanent living spot.
Licencing your boat can cost between £500 and £1,000 per year and you have to move the vessel at least 20 miles per year.
But if you need to stay in one place you need a residential or home mooring which can be very expensive and hard to get.
You will also have to pay Band A council tax (the lowest band) if you obtain residential mooring.
This comes as other people have joined Shannon in boat living, especially amid the cost of living crisis.
May Mansfield, 30, chose to start a new life on board in February 2023.
The yoga teacher said: “While friends and family were struggling financially due to the cost of living crisis, my bills and monthly outgoings were a manageable £560 in total a month, consisting of £360 for a loan repayment, £50 on coal, £90 for a boat licence, £20 on diesel, £7.50 for gas and £33 for Wi-Fi.”
Meanwhile, another man said he saves up to £3,000 per month by living on the water.
James Posner, 44, a commercial property sector surveyor, has hailed his new lifestyle as “London’s best kept secret” amid the cost of living crisis.
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