I couldn't get on property ladder so turned nan's garden "granny annexe" into home to save £10k for deposit

Estate agent Elise Holt has saved thousands after moving making the move and hopes to move into her own home later this year.

The 22-year-old, is living in a one-bed 300sqft property that was originally built by nan Beverley, 71 - for Elise's great-grandmother - Winnie. You can take a look inside her home in the video above.

Beverley paid contractors £17,000 to have the property built and, after Winnie passed away, Beverley converted it into a games room - complete with a pool table and fruit machine. Elise temporarily moved into her nan’s house while decorating her room at her parent’s house and "never went back home".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After living in the annexe for four years, Elise has saved £10,000 for a deposit on a home of her own and hopes to find a property and move later this year.

She estimates she's also saved £19,000 in rent - as the average one-bed flat in Oldham, Greater Manchester, where Elise lives, costs £605 per month, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Elise Holt's annex living room.Elise Holt's annex living room.
Elise Holt's annex living room. | Elise Holt / SWNS

Elise said: "With my job [as an estate agent] I take all the photos for the properties we sell. When I tell people I show houses to I live in my nan's back garden, everyone is shocked and thinks it's so cool. It's been really good for me and given me some peace from my three younger siblings.

"I don't pay much, my nan doesn't ask much from me she's just happy to have me. I pay a bit of gas and electric and council tax but that's it. I haven't got the privilege of being given a house deposit, it's their way of indirectly helping me to save."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Struggling to get on housing ladder amid cost of living crisis

When Elise was 18, she saw moving into the annexe as a "good opportunity to gain some independence". She lives there with her boyfriend, Lucus, 24, an engineer, and their two cats, Kalvin and Simba.

Elise said if she had to rent privately, she would “absolutely not” have been able to save the deposit to buy somewhere without staying in the annexe. She is hoping to move out into a home of her own later this year but says the annexe will "stay in the family" - with her younger brother eyeing it up next.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice