I LIVE LIKE THIS… When renting feels right

After separating from her husband, Kerry Fowler has been trying the rental market to find out where she wants to live. From city to seaside, she has set up home temporarily in the hope of finding a place to stay

My first rental property was in Hampton Court. Not the palace, obviously, but a terrace down the road. I’d just separated from my husband and it was an emotional time – I wanted somewhere worry-free. The house was lovely and all I needed was my bedding, clothes, books and a computer.

People ask why I didn’t buy. There are deeper reasons but, on a practical level, I thought renting would help me find a place to put down roots. I was freelance at the time, I don’t have children and my family live all over; the world was my lobster, I used to joke. But where do you start?

The big plus of renting was not having to worry about anything apart from reconfiguring my life. If anything went wrong, the agents would take care of it – I’d stepped into a new ready-made world.

It was like being a girl about town – I could come and go as I pleased. I had to pay bills and stay on top of the rent, which was at least double my mortgage, but I was happy. I liked the freedom and its temporary nature.

There were nights when I was lonely. As much as I felt at home, it wasn’t my home – I was on my own for the first time in years. When you rent, you’re transient, you nod at neighbours, but they don’t become friends. After a year the owners decided to move back in, so I had to find somewhere else. The crippling thing with renting is having to pay six weeks in advance, admin fees, the cost of cleaning the house, a removal van and the emotional energy of packing up. So, when someone I knew said they had plenty of space, I thought why not?

It lasted a couple of months. There was a strict bathroom routine and she simply wasn’t up for sharing. When we went for a drink together, she slipped into the conversation: ‘I just wanted to say, you’ve worn the toilet-roll holder out, could you be more careful?’ What, what and what? I moved out as soon as I could.

I drifted for a while, from the top floor of an actress’s house to the old homestead, and then the seaside. I found a six-month out-of-season holiday let (paid in advance, no agents’ fees or contract) in Whitstable, near where a friend lived. Being by the sea was wonderful and there was a good social scene, but it was just too far from friends and family.

My final rental was near London in a Victorian conversion close to where I grew up. The rent was ridiculous and it did cause money worries, but I felt at home – I even got involved in the local community. Increasingly though, the cost became a struggle. I also started to crave having my own place – being able to decorate, make friends and connections.

So now, the house I shared with my husband is on the market and I’m moving to my own flat on the south coast, close to my sister and niece. It feels right. I’m thinking about furnishings, the view from my window and the new adventures to come.