Laura Harrison was happily living in a rented flat in Battersea and might have stayed indefinitely had fate not taken a hand and sent her back to the stomping grounds of her childhood. On the eve of the pandemic, Laura faces a surprise eviction . “The owner of the flat was in Madrid, and she called and said she really needed the flat back.
They were about to go into lockdown and she wanted to come back to London,” said Laura. “What choice did I have? I jumped in my car and went to my mum and dad.” Like many other Londoners who took an exit strategy during lockdown Laura found herself thoroughly enjoying the quiet life in Frensham, Surrey, working from home and spending her free time gardening.
She took long walks in the South Downs countryside, went wild swimming, and attempted to retrain her parents’ dog. The move also saved her around £2,500 a month in rent. When the world began to open up Laura joined a local running club, and picked up some local friends along the way.
She also reconnected with old school friends. By the end of that year Laura, 38, who works in marina management, felt ready to put down roots and began house hunting. The post-pandemic race for space was in full flight and her first attempts to buy her first home crashed and burned.
One vendor decided, at the eleventh hour, they didn’t want to sell after all. Then she was gazumped by a buyer offering more money than she could match on another potential property. “In hindsight it meant that I .