Army veteran, 27, says living in a VAN is the only way she can afford to live in Cornwall

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An army veteran says the only way she can stay in Cornwall is to live in a van because second home owners have created such a property crisis.

Lauren Bray grew up near Helston where detached properties sold for an average of £348,868 over the last year, according to RightMove.

This is ‘far beyond’ the 27-year-old’s budget and so she bought and converted a baby blue VW T4 panel van which she has named after the Genie from Aladdin to live in.

‘I absolutely could not buy a house,’ she said. ‘Even though I have savings and a Help to Buy ISA there’s no way I can buy a house as a single woman in Cornwall.

‘I’d have to be in a partnership or a relationship.

Lauren Bray, 27, pictured lives in her van in order to be able to stay in her home county

Lauren Bray, 27, pictured lives in her van in order to be able to stay in her home county

The army veteran says the average property price of £348,868 is too expensive

The army veteran says the average property price of £348,868 is too expensive 

‘I don’t see it ever changing – I think it’s just going to get worse because more and more people are coming to Cornwall.

‘People who have houses in Cornwall have multiple houses – it becomes a game of Monopoly where they buy everything up.

‘There’s a housing crisis here and it’s so bad – locals cannot afford places here.

‘Most people I know who are my sort of age don’t own properties. The only ones who have houses often admit to having had help from parents, have inherited money or are in a shared ownership scheme and or a relationship.

‘So many others are living in caravans or vans or in an annex or something their parents have built for them.’

Lauren returned to Cornwall in 2022 after serving six years in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps as a trainee and then qualified nurse.

She was based in Birmingham and it was during this time that she bought the van with the ambition to use it to stay in while she went surfing or paddle boarding on her days off.

She paid £3,700 for it and has since shelled out a further £2,000 building a bed frame, insulating and cladding it and putting a window and two sunroofs in.

Bray converted a blue VW T4 panel van into her home and named it Genie from Aladdin

Bray converted a blue VW T4 panel van into her home and named it Genie from Aladdin

Living in a van means there are far less bills in comparison to living in a house.

Lauren spends around £60-a-week on shopping, £32-a-month on insurance and £110 whenever she needs to fill her tank with diesel.

There are additional costs like maintenance to the van – something which may cost her a few thousands pounds if she needs to replace the engine which has currently done 202,000 miles.

Outside of this there is little else, and it gives her the freedom to travel wherever she pleases.

‘I love the freedom, the simplicity and being outdoors,’ she explained. 

‘It’s got everything in it that I could possibly need. My surfboard, my paddleboard, my binoculars and maps. So I can take it wherever I want in any condition and I can do whatever I want.

‘You can hear the birds and the sea. I love laying in the back and hearing the waves crashing. When it’s raining you can hear it on top of the roof. I just love it.’