Leo Bevan and Kit Renshaw, students at the University of Oxford, estimate they will save between £2,500 and £3,500 each in a single year by living in the Ayats Bravo
Two desperate university students are living in a broken-down bus to cope with crippling accommodation costs.
Leo Bevan and Kit Renshaw, both aged 20, say they have been “priced out” of the rental market to such an extent they had no choice but to move into the disused Ayats Bravo. They towed the vehicle – previously used by band Sugababes – to a park and ride, where they pay just £73 a week.
It will save them between £2,500 and £3,500 each in their upcoming final year at the University of Oxford, because their rent was forecasted to increase to £9,000 and £10,000 respectively.
“I was paying £541 a month and struggling to afford it… He (Kit) was paying £375 a month, and we were effectively priced out of our student accommodation; we couldn’t afford it. We knew there must be a better way to live in Oxford for less,” Leo, an English literature and language student, said.
His experience mirrors that of Lewis, a corporate worker in London, who has ditched conventional housing for life in a campervan. He says he can no longer afford his rent, even in a house share.
READ MORE: Children who ‘froze to death’ outside Detroit hotel had lived in van for monthsREAD MORE: Man swaps UK flat for all-inclusive hotel for a month – because it’s cheaper
The mates said they will save the huge sums, even with accounting for buying and renovating the bus. They’ll have the 44ft Ayats Bravo to sell or keep at the end of their studies as well, having found it originally on Facebook Marketplace.
Leo and Kit had it towed to the park and ride in Oxford, where they live and walk to the university. Leo, originally from Penzance, Cornwall, continued: “It (his previous accommodation) was so expensive… My room was alright, it wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst. I found it to overcrowded for someone who likes to keep themselves to themselves.
“I was knocking on doors around Oxford for a month asking people to park a bus in their garden, but no dice, somewhat unsurprisingly. We decided just to park it in a car park and pay by the day.
“It was a close shave trying to get it in, especially with the tow truck. It must have been around 70ft, getting around a tight corner, and the legend who towed it for us got it in for us.”
Kit, who studies history and English literature, describes the bus as “a better and more affordable option”. He paid £4,500 in their first year for student accommodation and another £4,500 in their second year. He was going to be forced to fork out £9,000 for his rent in his final year.
Leo, who met their pal at a house party, paid £7,500 a year for halls – with no kitchen – in his first year, and then £6,500 for his shared student house in his second year. He was facing rent for his final year totalling £10,000.
Yet, despite making the choice to move into the vehicle, Leo and Kit wash at a friend’s house because there is no shower on the bus, which Leo admits is “a total mess” despite being used by the Sugababes in around 2004.
Now, though, the bus is currently undriveable and so the students paid £1,300 to tow it to Oxford from Liverpool. They forked out around £3,000 to make it habitable but, even factoring in these costs, they say the option will still save them far more money than renting in the city.
Kit, originally from Canterbury, Kent, said: “The bus has been an interesting challenge… It’s taken a while and we’ve only just really made a start to it but we’ve made quite a lot of progress.”