One Brit issued a desperate SpareRoom warning as she was plagued by creepy men ‘taking advantage’ of the country’s housing crisis.
The young woman was looking for a room to rent in the capital but instead was inundated with dodgy approaches from middle-aged men.
She said the men were “taking advantage of the awful housing situation” and pleaded with others to “be careful” of their predatory behaviour as they tried to exploit her, MyLondon reported.
Of the many offers, one man even said she could stay in his bed, and when she rightly said it was gross and out of the question he said she “wouldn’t have a choice” because “London is full”.
The horror story from the capital comes as demand for houses continues to rise across the country but resistance to building them remains strong.
The unnamed woman explained how she had put up an ad on SpareRoom to find someone to live with.
She said: "Even though I stated I would like to live with young people around my age, the only people who have responded to me are middle-aged men who have an extra room and they only want to rent it to a female.
"And their reasoning for this is very unconvincing (eg 'my dog only likes females', 'females are quieter', 'my wife is away so I want female company').
“A guy even said he has space in his actual bedroom for me to stay in, and when I said that's out of the question and quite gross to suggest, he said that London is full and that I wouldn't have a choice."
The woman warned other women looking for somewhere to rent in the city to "be careful out there".
She said: "It's even tougher for females to find something that is legit and safe. It's frustrating that there are men out there who are taking advantage of this awful housing situation and people's desperation."
A spokesperson for Spare Room said: "We are very sorry to hear this, the safety and comfort of our users is SpareRoom’s top priority. We encourage anyone who comes across inappropriate behaviour to report this to our dedicated team of moderators so they can look into it in more detail and take appropriate action, such as permanently banning users from the site."
Many people looking to rent in the country's capital are met with similar problems: rising rents, a decline in quality and extreme competition, driving countless from the city.
It is proving extremely difficult to find anything in budget, with some tiny studio flats meant for one person going for close to £1,000 a month.
It comes as new data suggests London rents are rising faster than anywhere else in the country, with the average monthly rent passing the £2,200 mark.
The data, compiled by Hamptons Estate Agents, also showed that rental prices between June 2021 and June 2022 rose by more than 12 per cent - three per cent higher than the national average.
