House sitting pretty

THE LONDONER WHO SAVED UP FOR A DEPOSIT BY MOVING 30 TIMES. BY RUTH BLOOMFIELD

- RUTH BLOOMFIELD

Over the past two years Sabina Trojanova has lived in more than 30 different homes, from city apartments to country manors. She has battled with unfamiliar heating systems, foraged for food in strangers’ fridges and pandered to their pampered pets. Because she is constantly on the move she has pared her possessions down to the bare essentials.

And now Trojanova is reaping the rewards of the itinerant lifestyle of a full-time house sitter. Not having to pay rent has allowed the 31-year-old and her partner Sam, 32, to build up a five-figure deposit fund. After being technically homeless since the start of 2023 they are now buying their first home in London."We didn’t get into house sitting for this reason, but if we had continued to rent we would definitely not be in this position today," says Trojanova.

An influencer and writer (@girlvsglobe), Trojanova moved to the UK from her native Czech Republic in 2011. By the time the pandemic started she was living in a shared house in Leyton with Sam and two friends. Her rent was £800 a month. "It was damp, it was not maintained properly," says Trojanova. “Our rental agreement was coming to an end and we were not really enjoying living there."