Buying a flat for a few quid sounds like the dream - especially when it comes mortgage-free.
The odds are stacked against you - but it's not impossible, as lucky NHS worker Cynthia Kanyua discovered.
She now owns a three-bedroom apartment valued at £425,000.
This enabled Cynthia and her son Finley to leave the social housing where they lived after she fled an abusive relationship.
Her ticket cost just £2. "I'm so excited. I've been working so hard to do what I can for my son. But owning property was a pipe dream.," the occupational therapist said.
The home in Whyteleafe, Surrey, was given away by Daniel Twenefour and his brothers Jason and Will, who hold online contests where entrants can bag a house for just £2.
They run Tramway Path that organises the competitions, and in return, winners receive an incredible home they would never be able to afford otherwise.
Last night, they starred in a Channel 4 documentary, My £2 Dream Home, which explored the unique venture.
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Cynthia is not the only lucky winner. Rachel Brown won a £415,000 three-bedroom home in Mitcham, South London, back in 2020. The property, which was Daniel’s former home, sparked the idea for the project manager that this could be bigger.
The first giveaway went viral on social media, made national press and received over 200,000 entries.
Speaking to the Mirror, Daniel said: "I had a property that had been on the market for more than 12 months.
"And then the pandemic hit and the housing market was closed, and you couldn't buy or sell any properties.
"So I was thinking this could take another year, meaning I would have had the property on the market for two years.
"I just couldn't afford it. It was choking me. I had moved house and I was paying two mortgages, I was still paying council tax, and it was becoming unbearable.
"Then I looked into other ways of selling and decided to try something out. So I did it, and we pulled it off, but it was one of the most painful experiences.
"I was doing it all my own, selling hundreds of tickets, promoting it on social media and handling customer service."
He was flooded with DMs and emails afterwards, from people who had lost out, desperate for him to hold another competition.
"I realised that maybe this is bigger than me, maybe I can help other people. So I got my two brothers and we did it again," added Daniel.
"People are desperate for another way to get onto the property market."
In one competition the trio gave away three flats in Bristol city centre worth a combined £550,000, which was won by NHS worker Sade Oluwaleimu.
The idea was "we didn't want to just give someone a home, but to give them the financial freedom to live out their dreams," says Daniel.
He added: "It's not just about you having a roof over your head, but also having the income to be able to live so that you can do what you want to do in life.
"A lot of us have big dreams and ambitions. We can't act on those because we have this survival mentality.
"The minute you come out of that survival mentality, you get to step into your dreams.
"Most of us are trying to just get by, just want to make sure that our bills, our overheads are paid. We want clothes on our back and food on our tables. Maybe go on holiday once a year.
"The winner of that competition plans to do charity work in the future, with the income generated from those flats, she can carry out missionary aid in Africa."
In response to complaints about Ms Oluwaleimu becoming a landlord, he added: "We had to try and go out there and explain what the competition is about.
"We're not just trying to make someone a landlord, it's bigger than that, we're trying to give someone financial freedom which is what we all strive for in life."
There has been an explosion in online property contests, with many owners fed up with the delays in the traditional property market, while many buyers are frozen out due to the sky-high prices.
While similar raffles run by competitors have been discredited in the past, the brothers have always given away the property being offered.
Since running the first competition, the brothers have built a loyal online following for their activities, particularly among young, ethnic minority and working-class hopefuls who dream of getting on the property ladder
On average, entrants spend £14 on tickets, with single tickets costing £2.
So far, the brothers have run five competitions, with the average price of the home won being £400,000.
The third contest was a two-bedroom apartment in Grays, Essex, worth £290,000 and won by Prescilla Massia.
The latest contest offered a two-bedroom apartment in Whyteleafe worth £320,000, won by Iriesha Dee.
“It is a blessing to change so many lives,” Daniel added.
The brothers are particularly eager to help those from a disadvantaged background, who may otherwise struggle to own a property.
They estimate they have helped the winners save a total of £2 million thanks to their efforts.
They are currently running the competition every three months – though they have plans to increase their output.
Daniel added: “We are now looking at how we can scale this to help as many individuals as possible – both sellers and prospective home owners.”
