‘Prison, eh? It’s just like a holiday camp these days!’ This phrase is wheeled out by every right leaning publication, punchy (or punchable) pundit or ruddy faced uncle about to make a defence for capital punishment following a big lunch. Anyone making the case for bloody retribution over rehabilitation might say that if you really want a criminal to suffer, you should make them spend a four day weekend in an overbooked, fart filled Camber Sands chalet during an ATP* Neu!* tribute band special. But we think that the realities of going to prison are a bit closer to home. Your home.
Comparing a series of pictures of prison cells and rented accommodation available in the UK, we struggled to work out which was which. In fact, the only major difference was the cost. If you get sent down, you’re staying on Her Maj’s buck. By contrast, the average monthly rental cost of a UK property is £825. Or, if you're in London, £1,516. That's an awful lot to pay to lay your head somewhere comparable with the world's leading criminals.
In fact, given that the average UK salary is £26,500, after tax your rent swallows up just under half your salary. It's no wonder housing charity Shelter's Chief Executive Campbell Robb says this ‘trap’ is stopping us from saving ‘anything towards a home of [your] own’.
You’d think that given your home costs such a sizeable percentage of your salary, you should at least be able to secure something nice for your money. But the pictures we found suggest otherwise. Last month,a shoebox of a studio in Islington was advertised for £737 a month - bargain! - and it was snapped up by broke city dwellers before the borough council stepped in and decreed that it was too small to be lived in. In the UK, there are systems in place to ensure that prisoners’ basic living requirements are met. But there’s no-one who will come over and force your landlord to make your flat fit for a law abiding human being.
The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that demand is now outstripping supply, meaning it's a landlord's market out there. All that means that Shelter has found that if you complain about the fact that you’re paying to live in something resembling a prison cell, you might get kicked out. ‘In the past year alone, more than 200,000 people have faced eviction because they asked their landlord to fix a problem in their home, and many were too scared of eviction to complain at all – 8% said they’d avoided asking their landlord to repair a problem or improve conditions in the last year in case they were evicted,’ explained a spokesperson for the charity.
Ultimately, we’re all entitled to live in places that are safe, warm, dry and comfortable. But many of us don’t. Shelter and Citizens Advice Bureau have some great tips and information which help renters to know their rights and ensure we get what we’re entitled to. Rental Raters is also worth visiting, and aims to empower renters by allowing them to review properties they have lived in, recommending great landlords and exposing bad ones. But renters need much more legal protection. After all, if landlords knew they would have to deal with the consequences of breaking the law, they might be a bit more interested in ensuring they didn’t end up doing time – and living in the sort of accommodation that some of them are currently providing.
And in case you're still wondering, here are the answers:
Picture 1: No, this scuzzy kitchen isn't standard student fare. It shows a cell at the Ajaccio's jail in Corsica.
Picture 2: On the lefthand side you've got a one-bed to rent. On the right, a prison in Landsberg, Germany. We know which we'd prefer.
Picture 3: Depressingly, this is a room to rent. Still no word on the rope though
Picture 4: Ok, the grills maybe gave it away – yeo, it's a prison.
Picture 5: A room in LA. Which, yes, you'd have to share. So many reasons it's shit.
Follow Daisy on Twitter @NotRollerGirl
Pictures: Getty
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.