George Laing, 33, was left in £10,000 of debt after spending half his income on rent and the rest on bills and taxes in London – but he’s now doubled his income
A man who claims living in London landed him £10,000 in the red has wiped the slate clean by relocating to Sicily and snapping up an 85p house – while doubling his earnings. George Laing, 33, accumulated the debt thanks to London’s sky-high cost of living and his youthful spending habits.
With half his income swallowed by rent and the remainder gobbled up by bills and taxes, he was clocking up £300 monthly in debt for additional expenses like his commute. After being made redundant from his night shift role and finding himself £10,000 in the hole, he desperately sought an escape route and stumbled upon Italy’s one euro scheme.
He purchased a dilapidated three-bedroom property in Sicily in December 2022, splashing out roughly £2,000 on renovations. George managed to clear his debt within two years by earning more through content creation whilst spending less on living costs.
He now owns two properties in Italy and assists others in accessing the scheme. Through hosting online seminars sharing his advice and showcasing homes online, he claims he’s earning double his London salary.
George, originally from Camden, said: “I had loads of debts from bad decisions when I was younger – credit cards, phone bills, borrowing from family. London is also so expensive to live in, so I was living paycheck to paycheck and pretty stuck in my situation.
“I just wanted a roof over my head I knew I would always have. I saw these cheap homes and started to message about 40 towns.
“It was between Mussomeli and Bulgaria, which also has cheap houses, but the Sicilian one got back to me, so I hopped on the cheapest Ryanair flight I could find. There were Americans touring with us and he had already snapped up five of the six houses, so I had to beg for him to let me have the last one – and I got it.
“I was staying in the home using baby wipes to clean as I had no water or electricity and I had to sneak into restaurants to use the toilet. I would obviously use a hotel if things got serious, but I always tried to avoid that as it was money I could use to spend on the house.
“I was determined to fix up the house, as I was so sick of working all the time. In London, you get a decent salary, but you are never able to spend it – the expenses are so much.
“In London, I stopped socialising because beer is expensive, you end up spending 50 quid just to sit in a cold room with your mates for an hour or so. London is a lot of fun if you are rich; it has become a millionaire’s playground. I was so sick of paying rent, I just wanted to buy, but getting a mortgage would have been impossible.”
Following his purchase of the property in Mussomeli, Sicily, back in December 2022, he took up residence despite having neither running water nor electricity, dedicating 18 months to transforming the place. He secured his home through Immobiliare Siciliana, emphasising the vital need to avoid falling victim to scams.
He documented his journey through TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, filming his renovation progress, neighbouring properties and the surrounding area. The social media income enabled him to rent accommodation during the refurbishment and clear his outstanding debts.
George subsequently purchased a second one euro property, a three-storey building he’s transforming into studio flats whilst residing in his initial home.
He explained: “I do all the work myself. My social media, where I share all the one euro houses, completely hit off – I didn’t expect it to go so large. But I use the funds that I make from social media, to pay for my work in the homes and pay off the entirety of my debt.”
George, who owns both properties outright with 100% freehold ownership, has no intention of selling either.
He admitted: “I do all of the work myself, I have zero construction knowledge and have made a lot of mistakes along the way. In my first home, I thought cement was made only of sand and water and quickly worked out that it wasn’t.”
He added: “By doing everything myself, it is a lot cheaper. I am learning all the way, which will help me with employing people when I make a business out of this in the future.”
George now has his sights set on acquiring larger properties to establish his business venture, focusing on renovating homes for both sale and rental.
He revealed his ambitions: “My goal is to have around 50 places, so I will need to make a team of people to help me, whether that will be a UK-based business or Sicily, I don’t know. I am also looking at buying old orphanages and hospitals to do up, as well as plots of land on beaches.”
George has created a comprehensive 40-page guide about relocating to Italy, priced at £29.99, which has already sold hundreds of copies. Additionally, he’s generated €3,000 through online auctions by selling belongings from his Italian property.
George explained: “I have realised without noticing that people have moved here because of me and all the money I have put into the area, I want to repeat this in different areas. These one euro schemes really work when you have the social media in places like I have done for Mussomeli.”
George is passionate about his adopted community and the work he does there.
He said: “A lot of the people here are in their 40s or 50s, they have put their kids through private schools, still renting, have £50,000 to their name. They come here because it is one of the only places left where you can buy a nice four-bedroom house for under £30,000.
“Everyone is ridiculously nice and just wants to relax and have a good rest of their life. It is the best thing that has happened to all of us.
“My grandma was the first person in my family to buy a home; 60 years ago, in London, she bought a four-bedroom house for £8,000. You couldn’t do that nowadays, a one-bedroom flat in London costs £500k.
“I was paying £1,300 for my flat in London – now I own my own homes and have a good income. I share seminars to help people do the same as me, it should not be that expensive to live.”
Cost comparison
UK:
Rent: £1,300 a month for a one-bedroom flat
Bills: £150 to £300 a month
Food shop: £150
Italy:
Average rent: €200-400 a month (£174 – £349)
Bills: €75-150 a month (£65.50 – £131)
Food shop: €75 (£65.50)
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