A COUPLE who sacked off 'normal' life to move into a tiny floating home now enjoy an endless rent free holiday.
Marina Popova and Myles Jackson wanted to live together in a London flat but could not afford the rent.
At the time Marina was already based in London but Myles was living in Leeds.
The couple were strolling down a canal bank in East London pondering their predicament when they experienced a moment of clarity.
Myles realised that the couple had to buy a boat if they wanted to live together in London.
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Myles said: "We met with a friend we went for a walk down a canal and we just had this Eureka moment where I was able to get my boat and you were able to get your tiny house all in one and not have to pay rent."
Myles had been obsessed with boats since he was a boy and Marina had a keen interest in tiny houses.
Fortunately the boat project allowed them both to live out their dreams.
The couple scrimped and saved to buy 29-year-old, 62ft narrow boat named Alba.
Myles then had to pick up the boat from a marina in Staffordshire and sail her to London.
The office worker had to navigate a tricky network of locks to reach the capital.
They then spent thousands on a major upgrade project so they could live and work in the boat.
Although the couple grappled with gritty day to day issues such as engine trouble, they find their new life on the canal network liberating.
Myles explained how the couple were keen to jump out of the so called rat race.
He said: "For example we would go in holiday or go to a festival and would come back and we would just have this feeling we just wanted something different.
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"Something more creative but we didn't know what that even means You spend the whole year working and looking forward to going on holiday."
The couple are also fairly self-sufficient, growing their own produce in planter boxes stored on the boat's roof.
Although they have to buy the compost to go in the planter, the produce they grow means they are not reliant on the supermarket for vegetables.
The boat also has solar, a 3000 watt invertor, multi-fuel burner and central heating.
And a Wi-Fi connection allows the couple, who are in marketing and social media, to work from the boat.
Marina said she now enjoys a much better work and life balance. Her new life on the boat allows her to do yoga, get out for a run and enjoy blissful sunset walks in rural England.
The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has recorded a massive jump in the number of boat dwellers based in London in the past decade.
In 2010 there were 2,101 boats in the capital, of which 1,607 had a home mooring and 413 were continuous cruisers, which can moor for up to two weeks in one place but must then move on.
By 2019 there had been a complete reversal. There were 4,271 boats in London, of which 1,914 had a permanent mooring and 2,220 were
continuous cruisers.
Many families are enticed by the possibility of escaping from the rat race and huge bills associated with running a home.
Pros and cons of buying a houseboat
Houseboats can be cheaper than buying a home on dry land but doesn't come without risks - like the pair found out.
You may be able to get a special type of mortgage for a boat, but it can be more difficult than getting a traditional home loan and have higher rates of interest.
You won't pay stamp duty when buying a boat to live on, and you can move to a different location whenever you want without having to sell up.
You might even be able to live in a location where you wouldn't be able to afford a bricks and mortar house.
But space can be more limited, and the value of houseboats can generally go down over time, like a car or motorbike.
A licence which you need from the canal and river trust can cost anywhere between £510 and £1,100 a year depending on the size of the boat.
There are likely to be ongoing costs for maintenance and mooring as well as fuel, a boat safety certificate and, of course, insurance.
Keith Gray and Niall Senior used their life savings to buy the refurbished boat, which had a beautiful oak kitchen, green marble bathroom and even a sauna.
But in January 2024 their dream ended in tears when the vessel and all their worldly possessions ended up at the bottom of a Manchester canal.
Appearing on the BBC’s Rip Off Britain, Keith said: “It just feels like a complete nightmare, but the nightmare is real. Actually the time we did spend on the boat, that's almost a dream that’s long gone.”
After struggling with Manchester’s high rental costs, the couple had looked to alternative accommodation and found a listing for a houseboat on Facebook Marketplace.
The boat had been recently refurbished and was advertised for £52,000.
On December 26, while celebrating Christmas with family, Keith and Niall received a worrying phone call from neighbours who were concerned about their new home.
By the time they returned to the canal their boat was submerged in the water at a 45 degree angle.
Within 10 minutes it had completely sunk, with all their belongings onboard.
Keith said: “I think I cried for two hours solid, I literally couldn’t stop crying.”
