House prices are going up, decent rental properties are hard to come by, and even living in a van can cost you thousands - but how creative would you get to save some cash? The story of Michael Townsend, who created a secret flat in a shopping centre - completely with sofas and a PlayStation - has proved a huge hit with readers.
He managed to stay in the flat for four whole years before he was eventually caught by security and banned from reentering the shopping centre, and later said that he wished he could go back. But he's not the first to live where he shouldn't be, so here's a list of some of the more remarkable stories about alternative accommodation.
Could you live in a shopping centre? Let us know in the comments...
The shopping centre flat
Michael Townsend moved in to Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island, USA, after being told he was being evicted from his old property as the owner had decided to develop it, and he was left with nowhere to go.
As he was deciding what to do he heard an advert for the centre and remembered he had once seen an empty room in the building, so he decided to set up camp in there.
Michael, an artist, had first spotted the unused space on his daily run in 1999.
Suspecting there could be hidden space inside, he looked a little closer and spotted a room that looked like it was only there because of the formation of the purposely designed areas around it.
Townsend revisited the room and discovered that it remained unused so he decided to see if he and his friends could in fact live at the shopping centre.
According to NBC News, Townsend and his pals also built a breeze block wall and utility door to keep it hidden.
They lived in relative peace for four years before the plan began to unravel. Before being caught, Townsend had plans to install wood flooring, a second bedroom and a kitchen.
Eventually, security guards found the secret property. Read more about this incredible tale here.
The Garden Cave
When Andres Canto was 14-years-old, he got into a minor argument with his parents when they told him he couldn't go into the local village wearing a tracksuit.
In retaliation, he stayed at home and grabbed his grandfather's pickaxe, using it to take out his frustration by angrily attacking the ground in the garden.
But Andres' act of petulance bizarrely became an obsession, and six years after the lad first broke ground, he has created his very own underground cave, with steps leading deep down to a structure comprising of a living and bedroom.
Andres, who is now an actor, says he has no idea what initially sparked the idea of using his frustration to dig a hole at his family home in the town of La Romana, Spain, but he began using it as a way to wind down in the evenings after school, working on his excavation by hand several days a week.
The project stepped up a few gears when his friend Andreu brought round a pneumatic drill, and the pair spent up to 14 hours a week digging almost 10-foot into the earth in his parents' garden.
The layout of his retreat was often determined by the obstacles that got in the way of the project. He said: "Sometimes I came across a big stone and it could be frustrating after hours of digging that I had done almost nothing."
The soil was originally removed by hand using buckets, but as Andres went deeper and deeper, he began to study excavation techniques and later developed a pulley system to take rubble to the surface.
As he began to create rooms, he reinforced the ceilings using arched entrances and vaulted ceilings with reinforced columns to prevent a potential collapse.
He estimates the project has cost him a grand total of £43 (€50).
Andres has plans to expand yet further, with the cave currently boasting two rooms, a heating system, Wi-Fi provided by his phone transmitting from the cave entrance, and a music system.
The underground escape even provides a cool place to relax in the summer, with Andres explaining it stays at a constant 20 or 21 degrees in the hottest months of the year.
However, he adds that it does occasionally flood during heavy rain and often attracts insects, spiders and snails.
He says his parents were fine with the build - but that authorities did visit to ensure it was legal, finding no issues as it couldn't be defined as a basement, extension or storage structure.
Tempted to try it for yourself? Read more here first
Secret train station 'man cave'
A secret 'man cave' underneath a train station where workers would "hang out and get drunk and party" was uncovered not so long ago by transport bosses.
The hideaway beneath New York's Grand Central Terminal had a television, a refrigerator to store beers, a microwave and a even a futon couch so workers could kick back or have a cheeky snooze.
A wireman, a carpenter foreman and an electrical foreman suspected of converting the storage room into the illicit 'social club' were suspended without pay.
An Amazon streaming device attached to the TV had the carpenter foreman's mobile hotspot on its list of available Wi-Fi networks, and was registered to the electrical foreman.
The electrical foreman's name was also on a pull-up bar box and two 2018 datebooks found in the room, investigators claim.
They also claim a receipt with the wireman's name printed on it was found inside an air mattress box in the room.
Flabbergasted managers at Metro-North Railroad said they were unaware of the hideaway beneath Track 114.
Carolyn Pokorny, MTA Inspector General, said in a news release: "Many a New Yorker has fantasised about kicking back with a cold beer in a prime piece of Manhattan real estate — especially one this close to good transportation.
"But few would have the chutzpah to commandeer a secret room beneath Grand Central Terminal."
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