London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Mar 15, 2026

Londoner loses out on flat after she's outbid by renter who pays £48k upfront

Londoner loses out on flat after she's outbid by renter who pays £48k upfront

A London renter has shared an infuriating story of how she lost out on her dream flat after a fellow bidder put down two years’ worth of rent.

We all know renting in the city is hard, and anyone looking to find a new rental property in London is met with similar problems.

These includes rising rents, a decline in quality and extreme competition, which one househunter on TikTok knows all too well. 

Dazhané Leah has been looking for a while, and documenting the process in a series on the social media app. 

In her third instalment, she admitted to make a ‘big mistake’ when she found two different properties she liked within hours of each other.

She began: ‘This one’s a bit of a long one, because I really messed up and I needed to explain how.


She looked around two different flats

‘This apartment I viewed in Muswell Hill, north London, it was going for £2,100 and it was a two-bed, one-bath. 

‘It was the best flat I’d seen at the time I was viewing.’

She showed off the flat which was decorated with modern interiors and a clean finish, explaining she quickly put down an offer.

This was then accepted the next day, but she still ended up losing out after making a ‘big mistake’.

Dazhané said: ‘I went to view another flat the next morning before my offer was accepted and this flat, for me, was 10 times better.

‘It was 1,000 square foot, it was cheaper and was going for £2,000 per month and I obviously declined the other offer to offer on this.

But she got outbid, because another prospective renter decided to pay two full years rent up front. 

She saw flat number two, and then retracted her offer for the first


She continued: ‘Two whole years upfront is what I’m competing with? 

‘How are people putting down two years up front, that’s a whole mortgage!’

Those in the replies were confused along with Dazhané, wondering why the person was not buying a property instead. 

One asked: ‘If you have enough money to pay a rent 2 years upfront, just buy a property.’

Another agreed: Almost 50k? That’s double the money you need for a deposit!’

Someone else added: ‘If someone pays 2 years rent why not buying one then?’

‘You should have made an offer for both since you found them on the same day,’ a viewer weighed in.

In response, Dazhané told her followers: ‘The first place was pressuring me to put down a holding deposit and I’m ngl I was naive to the rental crisis so I really believed it would be easy to.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Planned Australia Visit Draws Mixed Reaction From Local Communities
Trump Calls on France and UK to Help Safeguard Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route
Boris Johnson Labels Bitcoin a ‘Ponzi Scheme’, Sparking Debate in Crypto World
UK Considers Targeted Aid for Vulnerable Households as Energy Costs Rise
Stellantis Urges Immediate Review of UK Electric Vehicle Sales Targets
Home Office Reverses Course to Allow Some Dual Nationals to Enter UK Using EU Passports
Reform UK Proposes Replacing Top Civil Servants With Officials Aligned to Government Agenda
Netflix Adds Critically Acclaimed ‘Best Film of 2025’ With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score
‘The Sums Don’t Add Up’: UK Farmers Hit by Soaring Costs as Iran War Disrupts Global Supplies
Confidential UK Biobank Health Records Found Online After Researchers Accidentally Expose Data
Trump Urges Britain and Allies to Deploy Warships to Safeguard Strait of Hormuz
Trump Urges Britain and Allies to Deploy Warships to Safeguard Strait of Hormuz
Middle East War Highlights Strategic Importance of Strong UK–Ireland Cooperation
Weak Growth Signals UK Economy Was Faltering Even Before Middle East Energy Shock
Marks & Spencer Tops UK Fashion Retail Rankings as Most Considered Brand
United States Launches Trade Investigation Into Allies Over Forced Labour Practices
United States Launches Trade Investigation Into Allies Over Forced Labour Practices
Russia Accuses Britain Over Storm Shadow Strike as London Reaffirms Ukraine’s Right to Self-Defence
Russia Accuses Britain Over Storm Shadow Strike as London Reaffirms Ukraine’s Right to Self-Defence
Royal Navy to Acquire Twenty Uncrewed Surface Vessels for Autonomous Warfare Testing
Russia Summons British and French Envoys After Ukrainian Storm Shadow Strike on Strategic Facility
Starmer Confirms Britain Will Maintain Sanctions on Russia Despite U.S. Policy Shift
UK Moves to Refine AI Definition in Investment Security Reform
UK Economy Stalls in January as Growth Unexpectedly Falls to Zero
Asian Energy Security Tested as Strait of Hormuz Disruption Threatens Oil Supplies
Iran Sets Three Conditions for Ending Regional War as Diplomatic Efforts Intensify
Tesla Secures Approval to Supply Electricity Directly to Homes Across Britain
Prince William Delivers Tribute to Australia’s Naval Alliance Amid Renewed Royal Spotlight on the Country
UK Foreign Secretary Travels to Saudi Arabia to Reinforce Support for Regional Allies
Putin’s ‘Hidden Hand’ May Be Assisting Iran in Conflict With Trump, UK Defence Secretary Warns
UK Sets April Deadline for Tech Platforms to Strengthen Online Protections for Children
Elon Musk Moves Into Britain’s Energy Market as Tesla Wins Licence to Supply Power
UK Watchdog Warns Fuel Retailers Against Profiteering Amid Iran War Price Surge
Report Claims Iran Used UK Charity Network to Expand Influence
United States and United Kingdom Establish Joint Standards for Counter-Drone Technology
Iran May Be Laying Naval Mines in Strait of Hormuz, UK Warns Amid Escalating Gulf Tensions
US Deploys Bunker-Buster Bombs to UK Airbase as Iran Conflict Intensifies
British Troops in Iraq Intercept Iranian Drones Targeting Coalition Base
Release of Mandelson Files Raises Tensions as UK Seeks Stable Relations With Donald Trump
UK Documents Reveal Starmer Was Warned About Mandelson’s Epstein Links Before Ambassador Appointment
Nearly Five Hundred UK Mortgage Deals Withdrawn in Two Days as Market Volatility Forces Lenders to Reprice
Three Cargo Ships Hit Near Iran as Attacks Spread to Strategic Strait of Hormuz
Why British Police Repeatedly Declined to Investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Links
UK Parliament Ends Hereditary Seats in House of Lords, Closing Chapter on Centuries of Aristocratic Lawmaking
EU and UK Urge Israel to Act Against Rising West Bank Settler Violence Amid Regional Tensions
US Senator John Kennedy Says Keir Starmer Should Not Be Trusted for Military Advice Amid Iran War Debate
UK High Court Rejects Attempt to Revive Terrorism Charge Against Kneecap Rapper
Revolut Secures Full UK Banking Licence After Multi-Year Regulatory Wait
Kentucky’s Bench Boost Powers Wildcats Past LSU in SEC Tournament Opener
British Couple Die After Being Pulled From Water at Australian Beach During Family Visit
×