Julian Assange saved £150k in rent while at the Ecuadorian embassy

April 15, 2019

Rental costs in the capital continue to account for one of the largest living expenses Londoners face and previous research from ideal flatmate found that the cost of basic living requirements exceeds the salary on offer in 38% of London boroughs.

Nowhere across London is more unaffordable than Kensington and Chelsea and Knightsbridge in particular and rental costs in the borough are some of, if not the highest in the capital having increased over 23% since 2012.

But since June 2012, Julian Assange has managed to not only live rent free in prime central London, Harrods adjacent and just minutes walk from Hyde Park, but dodge any increase in living costs associated with renting.

The current average rent for a room in Kensington and Chelsea is £1,928 a month and while he may have been forced to pay for the upkeep of his cat, by claiming refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy over the last seven odd years, Assange has saved a huge total of £148,381 – an average of £1,810.

Tom Gatzen, co-founder of leading flatshare platform ideal flatmate, commented:

“We’ve seen the capital’s tenants resort to some drastic measures to deal with the cost of renting in London but I think Julian Assange takes the gold for his commitment to a cost effective lifestyle in the London rental market.

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that he entered the Ecuadorian embassy but to think in the time since, the average tenant in Kensington would have paid £150,000 in rent for just a single room, which is actually quite mind boggling.

Of course, Kensington sits at the top of the table where rental costs are concerned but it does go to show how the cost of renting in London continues to spiral out of affordability for many.

While Julian’s saving has been notable the harsh restrictions around leaving the property and the immediate eviction process that he underwent probably weren’t worth it. We would have recommended using ideal flatmate so he could have not only split the cost of living in London, but our personality test could have matched him with like-minded roommates.

If the Ecuadorian embassy is at a loose end with the now empty room, we can certainly help them fill it with a suitable tenant that will bring less media attention and contribute to the monthly living costs.”

Single Room Rent in Kensington
Month
Average monthly Rent
Jun 2012
£1,565
Jul 2012
£1,565
Aug 2012
£1,565
Sep 2012
£1,565
Oct 2012
£1,565
Nov 2012
£1,565
Dec 2012
£1,565
Jan 2013
£1,644
Feb 2013
£1,644
Mar 2013
£1,644
Apr 2013
£1,644
May 2013
£1,644
Jun 2013
£1,644
Jul 2013
£1,644
Aug 2013
£1,644
Sep 2013
£1,644
Oct 2013
£1,644
Nov 2013
£1,644
Dec 2013
£1,644
Jan 2014
£1,753
Feb 2014
£1,753
Mar 2014
£1,753
Apr 2014
£1,753
May 2014
£1,753
Jun 2014
£1,753
Jul 2014
£1,753
Aug 2014
£1,753
Sep 2014
£1,753
Oct 2014
£1,753
Nov 2014
£1,753
Dec 2014
£1,753
Jan 2015
£1,831
Feb 2015
£1,831
Mar 2015
£1,831
Apr 2015
£1,831
May 2015
£1,831
Jun 2015
£1,831
Jul 2015
£1,831
Aug 2015
£1,831
Sep 2015
£1,831
Oct 2015
£1,831
Nov 2015
£1,831
Dec 2015
£1,831
Jan 2016
£1,913
Feb 2016
£1,913
Mar 2016
£1,913
Apr 2016
£1,913
May 2016
£1,913
Jun 2016
£1,913
Jul 2016
£1,913
Aug 2016
£1,913
Sep 2016
£1,913
Oct 2016
£1,913
Nov 2016
£1,913
Dec 2016
£1,913
Jan 2017
£1,900
Feb 2017
£1,900
Mar 2017
£1,900
Apr 2017
£1,900
May 2017
£1,900
Jun 2017
£1,900
Jul 2017
£1,900
Aug 2017
£1,900
Sep 2017
£1,900
Oct 2017
£1,900
Nov 2017
£1,900
Dec 2017
£1,914
Jan 2018
£1,928
Feb 2018
£1,928
Mar 2018
£1,928
Apr 2018
£1,928
May 2018
£1,928
Jun 2018
£1,928
Jul 2018
£1,928
Aug 2018
£1,928
Sep 2018
£1,928
Oct 2018
£1,928
Nov 2018
£1,928
Dec 2018
£1,928
Jan 2019
£1,928
Feb 2019
£1,928
Mar 2019
£1,928
Average
£1,810
Total
£148,381
Change
23.20%

 

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