Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Flat Charges Writers No Rent. Other Hosts Cap It at £500 a Month

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has bought a flat in London and is donating its use to Writers’ Block, a pilot scheme announced on Nov. 4, 2026. The scheme helps early-career playwrights from underprivileged backgrounds find affordable places to stay. The scheme says writers in her flat pay no rent, only bills.¹²

Her flat is one of several places to stay through the scheme, not the whole thing.¹ She has also made what the scheme called a “generous financial contribution,” though no figure was given.³

The scheme aims to ease London housing costs for new writers. Research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and the Sutton Trust found that just 16% of people working in the creative industries come from working-class backgrounds.¹ “For many writers the need for a roof makes writing impossible which is why this pilot is so important,” writer Jack Thorne said in the scheme’s announcement.¹

How the scheme works

Writers’ Block pairs playwrights with “Omnihosts,” people who have a spare room or property. The name sounds like a superhero team whose only power is a guest bedroom. Hosts charge no more than £30 (about $40) a night or £500 (about $650) a month, and many charge less.¹

In the pilot year, 15 homes signed up and 12 writers had already found somewhere to stay through the network.¹

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The scheme runs in partnership with Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, in south London. It was created by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read, who also created the Offies.¹

Writers’ Block grew out of the Adopt a Playwright Award, which launched in 2008 and has supported 55 writers as winners or runners-up. The award comes with a £10,000 (about $13,000) annual prize, and much of it often goes toward a winner’s London rent. Among Adopt a Playwright group members, 41% live outside London.¹

A long list of famous backers

Waller-Bridge has plenty of company. Other financial backers include Jack Thorne, James Graham, Sally Wainwright, Peter Morgan, Lee Hall, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Stephen Beresford, Caryl Churchill, Martin McDonagh, David Lan and the Estate of Harold Pinter.¹

The financial backing was used to source accommodation, administer the scheme, and buy, build and equip a Writers’ Cabin. The cabin gives playwrights a free, quiet place to work.¹

“The industry’s urgent pursuit of representation is still letting down the biggest area of under-representation of all, which is class.” (James Graham, playwright, in the scheme’s announcement)¹

Graham added: “We don’t need grand gestures, just someone to open a door and help us keep going.”¹

What it has meant for one writer

Playwright Emma-Louise Howell estimates the scheme saves her about £850 (about $1,100) a month. She says it lets her meet industry figures face to face about twice a month, and two of those relationships have led to offers to house her work next year.¹ “The Writers’ Block scheme has been a genuine lifeline,” she said in the announcement.¹

The founders hope other theatres and organizations will copy the model, and they have offered to share what they have learned from the pilot.¹