The small boats anchored along the canals of London are affordable housing options for many in Europe's most expensive city.

Boats just wider than a large bed are becoming popular with people who accept to give up space and comfort. The anchor points along London's 160-kilometer canal system are rented for around £ 1,000 (nearly $ 1,300) a year.

Thousands of people have come to these boats as a new housing option in London, one of Europe's most expensive real estate markets, though they sometimes have to repair engines or seal leaky hulls. Trans-city waterways allow boaters to live in luxurious areas for a fraction of the cost paid by neighbors on the ground.

Amid Brexit escalating real estate prices, London homes cost an average of more than £ 609,000 ($ 780,000), about 20 times the price of an 18-meter old boat. The city now has more than 4,200 boats operating on canals, double the amount 10 years ago.

Liam Mertens, 28, a freelance painter, was not eligible for a mortgage and decided to choose a life with water. He and his girlfriend bought an 18-meter boat for £ 83,000 (more than $ 100,000). He spent about two-thirds of this money to get a permanent mooring, where they have access to electricity, clean water and connection to the exhaust system.

"We are renting and we don't have a stable job to take out a mortgage but we want to live in London," he said. "It's the best way to have your own living space".

Mertens and his girlfriend repaired their boats, remodeled their bedrooms and bathrooms, installed plumbing, learned about electrical and motor systems, and gained important knowledge when living on canals, where they could not expect them. Dedicated repairmen come to assist.

"There are moments when I feel like crying, for sure," he said. "Now I feel in control of myself."

Mertens is one of the lucky ones to have a stable anchor. Prices for these spaces are on the rise due to increased demand. The best venues currently cost more than £ 12,000 (more than $ 15,000) a year and increase by 15% each year.

Most other people living on boats can only anchor in one place for 2 weeks before continuing to move. Moving also requires planning and maritime skills. When traveling on the canal, they also have to go through manual blocking gates and often need at least two people to open. The constant change of address will affect the activities or schooling of children.

"Emergency workers living on boats are now younger than other places in London," said Matthew Symonds, an official with the UK canal network management agency. "More affordable, if you don't mind living in a small space."

In 2018, the agency estimated that the number of boats in London could increase by a third, or nearly 1,700, by 2022, of which 70% are people who are constantly moving. Mr. Symonds is leading a new strategy to create 1,800 meters of long-term mooring points or 100 new spaces and improve the temporary berth network.

The Thames does not belong to the canal network in London but also allows people to live with more space and comfort than the cramped canals.

A few years ago, Mike Leitch was drawn to river life after keeping a small boat in a bleak industrial park west of London to hang out on the weekend. At the time, he was the European director of a automation and robotics company in Germany.

"It's an industrial park but if you want to see the canal from the boat it's great," he said. "The sunrise and sunset are very beautiful, there are also swans there. Imagine living in paradise."

When he returned to London to settle in 2016, he bought a 36.5-meter, 100-ton boat in the Netherlands, drove it across the Manche Strait and into the River Thames. He is currently anchored in Battersea, where the cost of parking is equivalent to a small apartment, about £ 500,000 ($ 640,000). The boat has a kitchen, two bedrooms, a spacious living room and a retractable sunroof. It even has a car repair workshop where Leitch has enough space to repair several cars at once.

Life on the River Thames with busy ferries and a nearby helipad is not as peaceful as the canals, but Leitch still likes sticking to the river.

"Every time I walk along the jetty, I tell myself that I am a lucky person," he said.