Woman, 27, escapes UK rental market to live in a van for £650 a month (2025)

Nicole Keefe, 27, from Newcastle, spent years moving around as a child "due to situations out of (her) control" and later because of "things not going right" with partners

A photographer who's been a serial mover, bouncing between 18 different pads, has ditched the UK's bonkers rental scene to live the dream in a van for just £650 a month with her pooch.

Nicole Keefe, a 27 year old Geordie, had a childhood spent hopping homes "due to situations out of (her) control" and later due to love life hiccups. Come 2023, she was feeling "trapped" and "miserable", thinking a home of her own was a pipe dream while snapping away in her 9-5 as a fashion photographer.

But fate stepped in when her motor got totalled in September, leading her to splash out £8,500 on a kitted-out Ford Transit van and set up shop inside with her doggo, McCartney, a beagle-petit griffon Vendeen mix named after snapper and campaigner Linda McCartney.

She found a cosy spot near work and hit the road on weekends until she bagged a gig scrubbing at a Dorset campsite, which sparked her full-blown van life adventure.

Now, Nicole's her own boss, juggling gigs as a freelance photographer, content whiz for companies, and social media maestro, all while roaming from Scotland to North Wales with McCartney in tow.

Nicole spilled the beans: "I spend about £650 a month – that's less than I ever spent on rent and now I have more choice on what I spend my money on. I couldn't have a social life and I couldn't just buy myself anything."

But it's not just Nicole who's chuffed with the van life; McCartney's over the moon too. She gushed, "McCartney is so happy living in the van with me, he loves it, and I've become the best version of myself."

Nicole, who once called 18 different places home, has found her perfect match with van life. She gushed: "I'm more confident and feel so free but settled... I can't see myself ever really going back to a 9-5 job."

Growing up, Nicole was always on the move, and later, as a grown-up, she had her fair share of dodgy partners. But after "following a typical path" – bagging a degree from Coventry University between 2016 and 2020, and working as a full-time photographer in a Washington-based fashion studio – Nicole began to feel stuck in a rut.

Three years into the role, she felt "unfulfilled and just miserable". Despite climbing the career ladder, Nicole's bank account was still in the red, with rent gobbling up most of her wages.

Buying a house felt "almost never" achievable.According to Right Move, even a humble terraced home in Washington would set you back about £126,930 on average – no small change.

But then, fate stepped in, writing off Nicole's car. That led her to snap up a Ford Transit on Facebook Marketplace for £8,500.

She shared: "It was all very minimalist .... I kept the base the same. There's a kitchen area, sink, bed, solar panels and I added in a fridge, gas camping hob and air fryer and got a new mattress.

"I made it a bit more me adding in some leopard print and just decorating it over time."

While hunting for a remote job, she maintained her 9-5 routine, living in the van and parking it in a nearby car park, using weekends to traverse the country.

Nicole's van adventures have taken her from the peaks of Snowdonia to the surf of Cornwall, through Warwickshire, Scotland, and the North East's hidden gems.

On the road, she finds a kip in round-the-clock car parks or roadside spots, keeping it low-key in her Transit, always mindful to "respect the space, not leaving a trace".

The van life sets Nicole back about £650 monthly for fuel, gas, wi-fi, gym membership, and those van instalments. Since diving into the nomadic lifestyle, Nicole's confidence has soared, declaring this is her "favourite version" of herself.

She's set on van dwelling for another four years, and even if a house comes into the picture, the van's staying for those cheeky weekend getaways. When her trusty wheels finally conk out, she's dreaming of transforming it into a nifty home office.

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