London room for rent where you can’t come home before 8:30pm – for £1,350 a month

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A London landlord has come under fire for advertising a room for rent at £1,350-a-month with a number of strict living conditions for their potential tenant.

The homeowner placed an advert on Spare Room looking for a lodger for their flat near Hampstead Heath, north London.

She wrote that she was looking for a “quiet, clean and friendly” lodger, to fill the two-metre by four-metre room that had “high ceilings”, but no central heating. Instead, the room would be heated by an electric heater which could be set on a timer via phone.

Rules for living in the flat stipulated that while the lodger would have access to their bedroom, a bathroom and kitchen, they would not have access to the living room because the homeowner worked long hours from the space.

The landlord said they worked as a violin teacher in the evenings between 4pm and 8.30pm from Monday till Thursday.

She wrote: “whilst this takes place on a different floor to the bedroom I am offering, it would be audible, so this room would suit someone who is not home until 8.30pm.”

The advert clarified that “the space would ideally suit someone working longish hours in the city during the week and leaving the city for the weekend”, before making it clear that house rules included “no guests, no pets, no use of the living space, no noise after 11pm.”

The advert went viral on X after one person’s post about it received 6.9 million views. The poster called it an “overpriced prison box room.”

Following criticism, the listing was removed from Spare Room by the homeowner.

Spare Room’s director Matthew Hutchison told The Independent: “Ads like this are, thankfully, uncommon. While it doesn’t break any rules, it’s easy to see why it’s getting attention.”

“With room rents so high, any restrictions on property usage will understandably annoy those at the sharp end of increases. Live-in landlords understandably want to find people who slot well into their existing lifestyles and schedules, but there should be some compromise.

“While this person may be lucky enough to find a lodger who isn’t home until after 8.30pm on weekdays – or else willing to tune out the amateur violinists – who is happy to absent themselves at weekends, and largely keep to their bedroom when in the house, it’s quite unlikely, even in a desirable part of London.”