Explained: The Great British Culture War kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rJidjdmaytGZfYE.html

He's done a good job with it but it shows what a shameful country we live in

You know times are tough when even living in a skip requires rent.

How so called "royalty" and "elite" can live in such excessive luxury while so many are struggling for survival is evil.

When I was a kid there was this bloke called Top Cat, he lived in a dustbin.

This is a massive statement on society. The man is living in a skip! A SKIP! and he is already better off then 90% of people who rent. The fact he also needs to pay 600 a year to live in a skip says a lot also. Society is failing hard. You know the world has lost its way when you look at a dude living in a bin and think "Yep he has the right idea"

Man’s living in a trash container and they still found a way to charge him,crazy 😂

Even here in Tucson, AZ, USA, the housing is getting ridiculous. Companies are buying homes and apartment buildings and making the rent more than a single person can afford, especially if they work in food service, stores, or any other lower-paying jobs.

I have the utmost respect for this young man. I wish you the best. 😊

Im exactly 2 weeks from being homeless and ill tell ya I would live in that skip in a second just to have a place that is warm and safe to sleep . Never been so scared in my life . The problem of people not having a reasonable place to live is going on almost everywhere . The big minds should find a way to invent a small living space for people who need it . I know some have wish they would put some money into making it widespread .

If this caught on and more people started doing it the council would launch a brutal crackdown.

I was homeless but found roomate with an apartment he was about to lose because he couldn't afford the rent by himself. That was three years ago. Now this landlord is raising the rent $400 a,month. We can't afford it so everything is going in my storage locker. He has had a courtesy bus which he uses for work as a locksmith. I told him to keep the bus so we would have that to live in if there was no other place to go. He doesn't think we can. I know. we can. I used to sleep at a bus stop 4 years ago

The problem is you aren’t going to find someone to allow you to place this on their property for 50 a month

The UK after 12 years of Tory rule.

If more people done this the government would make it illegal, hand out fines or introduce a huge skip tax.

I love this ! We need this in the USA! I’m a world where no one should be homeless! No one should go without food! No one should go without medical care! So many are without or struggling. It’s not okay!!

Skips are expensive AF in London, so much so I actually looked these guys up in hope of finding a deal. You can clearly see on the side the company is RMS skip hire, the smallest skip they have with walls is a 10 yarder: that's £315 for a week plus £63 in vat in zone 4 - about 40% more expensive than rent for that volume in that location - so unless he bought that skip off that company, or "liberated" it, I'm calling BS. Side note - if anyone has a skip in BR3 that's more affordable in BR3, hit me up ✌😅

He made the best situation he could, considering today's crazy prices. Just a normal dude trying to survive. Much respect my friend

Jeremy Hunt will probably introduce a ‘Skip Tax’ in his next budget.

I saw this video in the recommendations and couldn't just skip by.

I mean that's cheaper than a campsite in most places. Campsites by me are like $20/night just for a tent space without electricity and that's only in the colder months.

Such an entrepreneurial chap! I'm sure a landlord will buy it off him, convert it into a house in multiple occupation, and rent it out for a lot more than £50.

I really appreciate how the builder/owner was clear that this is not scalable and clear that it was more of a demonstration about the ridiculous prices. So many of these tiny homes or ideas are promoted as being completely reasonable, scalable, and 'why isn't everyone doing it!'. Enjoyable video.

I watched this after this week's episode of Panorama which focused on the state of British housing and particularly social housing. It showed a small former council house that had been sold off and turned into six mini apartments by a private landlord. The former bathroom was a unit for one tenant, the former kitchen was a unit for another. I think all the tenants were on housing benefit and the council was paying over £900 for each room! That's over £60,000 per year in rent for one small house. Council houses sold off in the 80s and 90s were never replaced and housing associations that were supposed to be small and locally run for the benefit of the community have instead become large commercial enterprises. I'm glad I emigrated. I bought a villa three months ago that is five minutes by car from a city centre but has views of rice fields and a volcano (dormant hopefully) for under £70,000.

In South Carolina rent used to be low. But since we’ve had the whole country try to move here now it’s ridiculous. For example it went from $450-$650 to $1,500-$3,500. I’m not kidding. That’s RENT! mortgage payments are way lower. Why are we not able to get people in a house they own if they can afford rent like that!? There needs to be a law about price gouging renters.

We've lost our moral compass. What a shameful and disturbing world we live in. This brave young man is sadly one of thousands of young people stuck in this situation, and it's only getting worse. Even a blind man can see it's all heading for a crash... Decision makers... Sleep well in your beds tonight..

His house is a skip. Nice My house looks like a skip. Not nice

I live in a small RV trailer outside of the moderately expensive town in the USA my job is located at. I save ~$600 a month compared to small apartment rent in the area and don't have to pay any utilities. Living cheaply has been a hobby of mine for over 20 years. This video is a fun project and although it does have social commentary as its main "raison d'etre" it isn't too far off from what I believe is the correct response to housing issues these days. Live mobile, live small and live free...it isn't easy but it is worth it if we have the lifestyle to match the challenges.

Look into shipping containers, find a bad one for sale, repair the holes with sheet metal, find cheapish land to settle in and you have a decent sized studio flat.

Terry Pratchett wrote in one of his books about how "some people are so rich that they can afford to be poor", they approach poverty "from the other side". This is exactly it. This kind of thing is totally out of the realm of possibility for people who are genuinely struggling with the cost of living crisis and housing.

I lived in what is essentially a hut, not much larger than your home here. For 4 years. I am originally from the south of England but had a tough time at school due to family issues. Left without GCSES and I couldn't afford to rent on entry level jobs. So originally went into a hostel. Then moved to the far North East of England where prices are cheaper anyway. Ended up finding this shalet hut thing that was purchased as a holiday property but ended up renting it out to me all year round for dirt cheap. Anyway 4 years of that to save up for a deposit, still up north. 4 years of living in a hut, just to scrape enough for the lowest deposit I'd be accepted for on a mortgage, in the cheapest part of the country. So you're spot on about cost of living. Hard times. This government need getting rid of. Both sides. Let us down drastically.

Having lived in London for most of my life, it is truly absurd to witness the skyrocketing housing prices and the extreme difficulty in renting a property. Despite the aftermath of Brexit prompting many people to return to their home countries, the struggle we face is still unimaginable.

What's great about this is that it can help stir up a bit of creative thinking, particularly for younger people branching away from home and having to face extreme difficulty finding affordable accommodation. Novel thinking gives birth to further novel thinking. Well done!

I lived in a 25 foot travel trailer for 2 years. It was fine. I was happy living small. I got married and moved into his home, which is small too, but feels large after living that small. We don’t need as much space or stuff as we think we do.

That's the tidiest looking skip I've ever seen 🙂 Must be cold without heating. I've noticed more and more people living in vans these days, too. Housing is so expensive in UK.

Student Accommodation for 1 year: £4000 building cost, £600 Rent. Or 12 easy payments of £390. Water supply not included, electricity supply not included, shower not available, car parking not available. (Must supply own plot of land. Must make own arrangement with portable toilet supplier). You are 1 of 315 applicants, good luck. 📃🧐

Love comes from the heart, not a person’s wallet. ❤

I live in America and the sad thing is.. people build little houses like this for homeless people then police come and destroy it

The problem with a home like this is that it is not sustainable in the long run unless you stay single and don't have kids ever. Also, these tiny homes always require you having a friend/family member who owns a plot of land. If you don't have that, you have to buy the land yourself which can easily cost $50,000 more in addition to the home.

The problem is the same here in the states. The government has zoning boards and they don't allow small houses. Apartments are restricted as to how many in a given area and so we have high costs and no availability.

It’s not £50 per month total, this is just the skip monthly charge. The charity that owns the land is not charging ground rent, bills are not accounted for also, he mentioned that he will have electricity soon. And the charity is also not charging council charges to him. If you include council tax, bills (just electricity), ground rent and skip rent, insurance fees, it will be more like £300-400 per month, plus maintenance cost.

I predicted 20yrs ago that people would end up living in shipping containers the way house prices were going, a skip is pretty close .

See mom, my idea of living in my treehouse wasn’t such a bad idea now was it?!

Even though there’s no bathroom, I just love it. Some simple improvements can be made to make it even more comfortable depending of people priorities. I really love it.

Love his globe lights! They are made for decoration so aren't very bright, but that makes them perfect for low power lighting. I have one just like his for power outages, on 3 AA's they last longer than a candle and illuminate much more.

This is better than house sharing with people with no privacy and sharing a kitchen, bathroom etc.

Sadly this is the state of affairs in London. I lived in Chiswick and then Perivale for 2 years and spent £2K a month on rent and council tax. I left London in debt for the first time in my life (lucky or careful?) - this piece of art is a brilliant social comment and quite honestly should be up for the Turner Prize.

Thirty years ago, I was aware of the kilometres long cramped housing outside of Hong Kong, where people lived in tiny overcrowded cells. But I never thought I would see such homelessness in countries like the UK and the US. It's possible that in the future, that homeowners who have marginal incomes will struggle to keep ownership of their properties, given large price hikes in their council rates based on rapidly increasing land value costs, and the pressures of rising utility and food costs. I hope I never see it in my lifetime.

I rent out a couple of wheelie bins to Asian students out the front of my place. They love it, but sadly I once lost one of the tenants when the rubbish was collected, my bad...I just tell them not to have them too close to the curb, so the council truck doesn't empty them on collection days.

It’s interesting how the answer to a messed up economic model is people relinquishing a normal, minimal amount of space and resources. I feel like unchecked capitalism is forcing me to live in something akin to a coffin. Here in the US a lot of people have been reduced to living out of their cars. It’s crazy. This is not living.

He’s gone above the fill level on that skip 😂 sad state of affairs that it’s come to this, but fair play to the fella I wish him all the very best.

All the guy needs is a set of skip wheels and then , on purchasing that skip , being mobile , could practically live rent free , and get an income if he were to advertise on his creation .. Facilities also can easily be availed of at no cost . AND in passing he could make his real statement to a far broader audience .. I admire the guy and wish him all the best .. 👍💯

An overlooked quality of minimalists like this are there cleanliness and not having any clutter just build up in any space

This is ridiculous all the hacks are stupid we need to demand housing that does not take half our income on rent.

His humbling and honest conversation and tone of voice is just ... If 10 % of people can carry them self as he is. Salute. Great work reporting this.

Beautiful little house. Could work well with skips that have been "retired". Like cargo container homes. Imagine a little plot of land covered in skip houses and a communal garden.

If you know planning laws then you wont be fooled by this , you can't just plonk a skip hut anywhere and live in it, more likley that it's not his full time home . Like he said its an " art project".

Daily reminder that horribly small, unreliable places to live in are not a good replacement for proper accommodation and will only make both the housing and the mental health crisis worse over the long term.

I'd be curious to see updates on this, month by month. Will he be allowed to live there for the whole year, or will someone find an excuse to kick him out?

Your such a clever man and an amazing personality x

In London and the UK, the issue with this and tiny houses is not that people haven’t thought of it, is that there isn’t actually much affordable or available land with room to go and build even a tiny house like this. We are a small country with (necessarily) tightly regulated development laws. To be fair the artist explained this in the video, that his efforts are not necessarily scalable to other people- he is being generously provided the land for free by an arts charity (which he would normally have to purchase or rent) and even the portaloo is provided for free. His neighbour is letting him use water. He is showering at the gym so he has to at least be able to afford a gym membership. He had to be able to build the place - there is a lot of regulation about building structures in the UK. Because you need planning permission, people can’t just build where they feel like. You can build without planning permission- if you want to risk that your house will be condemned and forcibly torn down at any moment. If you want to build even a tiny house you would have to take all of that into account and it all costs money. Plus he’s single with no kids - not everyone can do this. What we need in the UK and especially London is for landlords to be better regulated so they can’t charge outrageous prices for a room in a shared house which could be full of mould and falling to pieces. Also regulation for developers who build lots of new flats and houses but then they also charge the earth for them. The real tragedy here is that there are actually lots of flats and houses but they just cost too much because the landlords and developers know some desperate person will end up paying the asking price so they can have a roof over their head. EDIT: Also, as someone mentioned, regulations for Airbnb and similar which is pushing up rents even more.

London’s going the way of San Francisco. I had a friend who slept in doorways and tents there for three years, and he was a smart guy, very talented. The middle class is disappearing all over the world.

The skip company should pay him, they're getting free advertising. Good luck to the guy. My niece lives in London and the prices are ridiculous. Thanks for sharing 💕

The Housing situation in London is straightforward. It's always been a supply and demand issue even before the cost of living crisis. People want or need to move here because of work and opportunity and ultimately push the prices up unintentionally. This does mean that if you're from London and working-class... You'll most likely be forced to move elsewhere and have the prices be pushed up to the point where you can't live hence why there's so much hate towards gentrification Around the time of the 2012 London Olympics, there was massive anger against the gentrification of London from the people who were actually brought up in London....In 2023 we only hear small snippets of it because it's been gentrified so badly by others who aren't from London and don't understand it. I've seen my poor working-class family turn to ruin in the past 13 years. We're never leaving London though. I don't really think there's any space for your art here.. You don't have to put a £1000+ tiny home in a skip for others to understand how the situation is causing issues.

I live in a town where there will be one rental available if you're lucky. City people started to move in to get away from covid. It's put a lot of pressure on our housing.

I recommend purchasing a foldable solar panel (and battery) if you have the funds! I think they are able to adapt to your roof type.

Here in America we have tiny houses. They’re small anywhere from 150 sqft to 400 sqft. And are becoming a huge alternative to flats and houses that are harder and harder to afford. Many are becoming communities that people can come together enjoy each other’s company and live more simply and safely. Tiny home communities may be a good endeavor for London. My husband and I live in a 280 sqft home and find it cozy and simple. Because of the small space you don’t fall into the materialistic traps of society you learn that less is more.

Holy cow, never seen this guy before, genius 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Like 10 years ago..Newspaper article.London England garage sells for $ 400.000..

This is the definition of "you will own nothing and be happy"

"Excuse the mess, this place is a skip!" 😁 I would be worried that I would come home from work and find an old mattress poking out of the kitchen window! Joking aside, interesting use of space. Total respect to this man of action. 👍⚒️🏆

People really do not need much room to live. I would be happy with a 600 square foot place to myself as long as it had storage and what I needed.

How long until the council rock up like “ARE YOU PAYING COUNCIL TAX?”

It looks really nice inside. Tight but really neat and good looking. I build an off grid tiny house on wheels about 8 years ago to overcome restrictions. Being on a camper trailer frame it was in a gray zone and I was able to stay there. It was mostly recycled or free materials. Mine was a lot bigger than yours tho. I had a shower, running rain water system inside, wood stove for heat and plenty of solar power.

We’re in the process of moving from our London flat to our little loophole too, apart from ours is a boat 🛥️ best thing is we can live wherever we like, centrally or not. Or even cruise up north if we need to. Absolutely unfathomably done with renting now 😒

Step one: Allow accessory dwelling units in gardens or back yards. No permit required. My town is already doing that. If every town allowed it the housing crisis would be solved.

It's not just in the UK...trust me. 👍

Smart guy living, good for you and so innovative, I love it. I recently converted a Mercedes sprinter into a home because I had enough of exploitation - the only way to bring rents down is to avoid paying them. Alternative housing or off-grid living makes sense and means more independence, more freedom, and a little less control from above.

I would happily live there for £50 a month. I'll just take anything that beats a tent tbh. Rent is draining me dry each month.

I know this probably makes the problem worse but skip homes would make amazing air bnb’s!

He's making a good point, my parents are both from London and after they got married all they could manage financially was a studio flat, they loved their landlady but to start a family and need larger home wasn't possible so they moved out of London at the end of the sixties. And other family members my aunt's and uncles did the same. None of them have moved back, as they don't recognise the London they grew up in anymore. Sad truth.

Made me smile, Harry Potter finally got an upgrade after living in the cupboard under the stairs XD

London is "a great location". I beg to differ.

Beautifully done. But no one should have to live like this permanently.

Well done - enter it into the RIBA House of the Year competition.

In 20 yard skip he could possible build full fledged house! And there are bigger ones ... This is brilliant idea, easy to move, easy to flip for bigger/smaller skip. Durable enough to survive multiple location changes. This can probably survive mild land slide or flood without damage! Let's assume you meet someone, you have 12 yard skip, he/she have 8 yard skip, you flip the both for a 20 yard skip and move it to your old location!

I remember when I was a kid watching Futurama, Bender and Fry were talking about finding a place to live and Fry asked if fridges still come in cardboard boxes, but Bender replied that rent prices are outrageous. Yeah. Welcome to the world of tomorrow. I certainly hope you enjoy "the end of history". Soon enough this trash container would be considered luxury apartment

I never understand why tiny homes aren't purpose built in the UK specifically for people who WANT to buy and own their own property but can't afford HUGE house prices, or like me, don't need a large home, and would prefer to live in a tiny space which is more affordable to run and heat

Not just in the UK, we have the same problem here in Australia with rent and housing affordability. It's absolutely horenduos especially with ghost properties sitting vacant for years that could be used for a family or someone who urgently needs somewhere to live. And homelessness is on the rise, and to think that we're living in the 21st century you'd think governments and estate agents would be more understanding. 🤔

This brings many questions to mind, building codes, permitting, permissions, Whats going to happen when someone pulls up in a truck while you're at work and just hooks up to your skip. You'll come home to be homeless. You want to improve housing in a manner which allows for more people per sq foot. Take a walk around various places in China, Hong Kong, etc. . Multi story buildings with 1 room apartments 4ft wide by 8 ft deep. Rent is relative to population and location. Big Capital City you'll be expected to pay high prices, venture out from the city and you'll find cheaper rates. If you choose to stay in the city, you get what you get.

"They told me I could live anywhere, so I chose a giant ice cream cone"

as much as i take my hat off to him for this, because it is awesome. i feel it wont be too long before the idiotic youths of today start tryin to mess with it

I live in the Atlanta area in the US and its the same here. The town we moved to 30 years ago has definitely priced a lot of people out of being able to live here, near their family and friends. Rents are crazy high and houses very expensive now a days. Good luck to you, love what you are doing.

He details his experience of looking for a room. Imagine being a four to six person family living in London in 2024. Even people who are working and earning some pretty good money cannot secure a private rental. You can be earning good money, for some money is not the object, however they still can't find a rental that is suitable, and located close to your workplace, school etc. Doesn't matter if you're well off if there are no homes to rent does it. I've read stories from people who are earning six figures and faced being unable to find a suitable rental or faced no fault evictions. So anyone who thinks this just affects the poor, think again. This guy is making a statement on behalf of all private renters, regardless of circumstances. He's also showing you exactly what humans need to live. Food, water, shelter, a warm, dry place to sleep and cook, that's what's important. Maybe it's time for us to change the way we view the word 'home' and start to innovate outside the box, pardon the pun.

If this takes off then skip companies will start charging £500 a week for a skip and once they see an opportunity to make money.

Every single human being deserves a clean, safe home to live in. We have a lot of homeless people here all over the United States because of both a housing shortage plus the very high cost of rent. Also, where we live, the landlord can raise our rent up almost 15% this year. These are very scary times for many.

I’ve lived in my little Mazda Bongo for 2 years now which I park near my place of employment. It’s a minibus one with the seats folded down and a memory foam mattress topper on top. Now That I don’t feel like I’m missing out on living in bricks, I’m genuinely happy that I am as free as a bird knowing I can take my little home everywhere I go :)

UK prisons are full for a reason.

That bed actually looks really cozy!

Honestly been looking into living in my car, it's got ridiculous. I can't afford to rent a place on my own.