Kendal Leflore, 26, was struggling to find an affordable flat to rent in London, until she came across a scheme that saves her 40 per cent on her monthly bill.
Originally from Texas, Kendal is a data analyst for the government and wanted to live in the capital by herself.
“I had been facing the prospect of renting a mouldy studio I could barely stand up in, and paying up to £1,500 a month for the privilege,” says Kendal.
“I viewed countless properties across London, from zones 3 to 5. In one of the options, I couldn’t turn a full circle in the bathroom, and in another, the washing machine was in the basement five floors down.”
But then she heard about the London Living Rent scheme (LLR), which discounts rent for middle-income Londoners.
Kendal pays £1,053 per month for her one-bedroom new build flat in SO Resi Peckham, which is on the fifth floor and has its own balcony with views of the Shard and London Eye.
Thanks to LLR, this equates to a reduction of £702 per month, and she would be paying around £1,570 without it, with the flat being valued at £420,000. “I’m paying less than my two former flatmates who share together,” she adds.
How does the LLR scheme work
In Kendal’s building, 70 per cent of the inhabitants own with shared ownership and 30 per cent rent via LLR, a Government backed scheme.
With the latter, renters are encouraged to put away savings each month, and, after a minimum of three years or a maximum of ten, they can use these to buy a new build property via shared ownership or outright.
To be eligible for the scheme, Kendal had to earn between £44,000 to £75,000 and work or live in the borough of Southwark.
“When the estate agent showed me round, he said that they’d had a hard time getting applicants. I walked around the property, and it was gorgeous after the horrid places I’d been looking at.”
To apply for the scheme, Kendal had to provide three months of bank statements, savings information and a credit check, all of which took a few months. She moved in in March 2026.
“The rent is discounted for a minimum of three years and there’s flexibility after that if you aren’t ready to buy,” says Kendal.
“I’m meant to save £200 a month but I’ve not had any discussion about when they check this and if they include the savings I already came with.”
Kendal Leflore said that there has still been several problems with the London property she rents at a discounted rate (Photo: Matt Reading)Issues with the building
While there are obvious financial benefits, there are negatives too.
Kendal said: “I’m the first person who has lived in my flat but there is a crack in the plaster that has formed near the window. Also, the keys to the window don’t work so I can open the windows, but they won’t lock.”
Kendal is also worried about the fire safety of the building. “One of the doors in my flat sticks. I told the fire marshal this and he said it’s a big problem in the rest of the building.
“One day, they were doing something in the boiler room, and it set off the fire alarm for the entire building. It went off for 10 hours and the fire marshals weren’t connected to this particular alarm, so didn’t know about it and no one could notify them.”
The fire alarm automatically unlocked all the doors in the building. “It was scary as it was at night; people were putting chairs against doors to stop anyone coming in.”
Another issue is with the washing machines. Kendal’s came with half the labels missing so, initially, she didn’t know which setting was which. Also, if people ran their washing machines on the highest settings, it would trip the electrics and cause a power outage, so people working from home lost their Wi-Fi.
This issue has since been fixed but, for some people, it took a year.
While Kendal hasn’t had any issues with her balcony, she said those of other inhabitants had flooded.
Another weather-related issue was with the stove splashback. “[It] was glued onto paint rather than adhered to the wall and, during the heat wave, people woke up to crashing noises as the heat melted the glue. Fortunately, that didn’t happen to me,” Kendal added.
The mail room of the building is on a main road and has a glass front, so when deliveries arrive, anyone from outside could see them.
“There were loads of thefts. Some people had four different deliveries stolen,” says Kendal. “The door was broken as people had tried so many times to break it down. They have now frosted the windows.”
Under LLR, Kendal doesn’t have to pay a service charge, but her neighbours do, and she would if she bought her flat.
Kendal also found no council tax mechanism had been set up. “This only came to light as I rang Southwark council. They didn’t even know that the building existed. I have managed to finally get a bill, but some people are worried as they could be 18 months in arrears and they haven’t banded us yet.”
The inhabitants of the building are going to the ombudsman over the heating charges. “In the contract, we were given a rate that we were expected to pay and it’s enormously higher than that,” says Kendal.
Having seen both the good and the bad of the scheme, Kendal still says she would recommend LLR.
“Overall, the experience has been really great so the downfalls definitely aren’t impactful. But if I had someone living with me who I really cared about, for example, a child, I might be a bit more nervous.”
While the idea of LLR is that those on the scheme buy, there is no obligation should they decide not to.
“I don’t think, after three years, I want to get a mortgage of nearly £500,000 for this flat,” says Kendal.
A spokesperson for SO Resi by Metropolitan Thames Valley said: “We are continuing to work closely with Kendal to address the issues she has raised as promptly as possible, and in several instances appropriate action has already been taken.
“We are sorry that Kendal has experienced these difficulties and remain fully committed to supporting her in resolving outstanding matters. We are glad to hear that, overall, Kendal feels positive about her new home.”
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