This man avoids rent by living in a sandcastle

With a crown on his head, Marcio Mizael Matolias sits on a throne in front of his sand castle, despite the 40-degree heat that punishes bathers on a sunny summer afternoon on the beach of Barra da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 18, 2018. For the last 22 years, Matolias has lived inside his sand castle surrounded by books, golf clubs and fishing poles. Neighbors and friends call him 'The King'. 

We’ve all likely wished that we could get out of paying rent.

As house prices continue to rise in the UK and in countless other countries worldwide, more and more of us are asking how we could save money.

Well, Rio de Janeiro resident Marcio Mizael Matolias has found his own solution: he actually lives in a sandcastle. Sure, it’s not exactly a viable solution for those of us consistently tasked with dodging random summer thunderstorms in decidedly chillier weather, but his innovative approach to housing shows that where there’s a will, there’s a way. 

With a crown on his head, Marcio Mizael Matolias, 44, works on his sand castle despite the 40-degree heat that punishes bathers on a sunny summer afternoon on the beach of Barra da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 18, 2018. For the last 22 years, Matolias has lived inside his sand castle surrounded by books, golf clubs and fishing poles.

Unsurprisingly, he’s become a tourist attraction in his own right, earning a nickname: ‘The King’.

Speaking to The Mirror, he explained: I grew up in the Bay of Guanabara, I always lived on the beach. People pay exorbitant rents to live in front of the sea – I do not have bills, and here I have a good life."

His words are in reference to the notorious gentrification of Rio de Janeiro, a city whose luxury apartments are quickly being snapped up by the mega-rich. Meanwhile, residents in neighbouring favelas are repeatedly fighting against the threat of eviction, removal and dispossession.

Advertisement

Luckily, eviction isn’t a threat to Matolias, If his castle collapses, he simply moves to another stretch of sand.

(The Indy100)