TV shows we love: Crashing
Crashing made me think of Chlorakas. And of the recent fire in Limassol’s historic Pavlidis mansion. Why? Well, this Netflix original series hinges on something we don’t (but really should) do in Cyprus: property guardianship.
It’s sexier than it sounds, and huge across Britain – an excellent solution to soaring rents, the housing crisis, and squatters.
Property guardians pay a minimal fee (far less than rent or mortgage) and then live in empty buildings, such as abandoned housing complexes, condemned factories and old malls. In exchange for this reduced charge, guardians ensure the property is legally occupied, protecting it from vagrants while the building awaits refurbishment or demolition.
It’s a fairly nomadic life – at any time, your ‘home’ could be taken away. But it allows owners to protect their vacant buildings, and offers an affordable housing solution in trying times – a scheme that might have worked in Chlorakas had it been occupied by locals who couldn’t afford the island’s rocketing rents.
Granted, you need to ensure water and electricity still works. In this series, the star of the show is a London hospital that’s condemned but still hooked up to the grid, and is peopled by an eclectic bunch of property guardians: everyone from artistic itinerants to middle-aged divorcees who’ve been kicked out by their spouses. The main characters are a young couple saving for their first home; newly engaged and very much in love. Until, that is, the appearance of Lulu…
In such a communal living situation, relationships overlap and sexual tension is palpable. And the arrival of free-spirited Lulu (played by series creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge) does nothing to reduce the pressure. On the contrary, she’s the touch paper that sparks incessant fireworks.
As we navigate through messy separations, budding affairs and clandestine liaisons, the emphasis is firmly on the ever-changing relationships. But it feels very real, very true-to-life in a way that big-budget American efforts simply don’t.
You’ll recognise aspects of your 20s (and possibly 30s and 40s) in this sitcom. It will resonate with your own life. And, given that the whole premise turns on the idea of property guardianship, it’s definitely food for thought.
Would property guardianship work in Nicosia’s empty Madisons, perhaps? In the abandoned refugee estates of Lakatamia? Or the listed homes of Limassol?