It's tough to find a nice flat in London. The lettings market moves quickly, there are loads of websites to check, and let's face it: not every estate agent you meet has your best interest at heart.
We know how hard it is to find a new home, especially after moving thousands of miles across the ocean to a smaller, less familiar, much more tea-obsessed country. We’ve heard all the horror stories about London rent prices and experienced quite a few of them ourselves.
The best way to avoid your own capital city catastrophe is to arm yourself with knowledge which is why we’ve put together the only guide you’ll need.
1. Make a List of the Areas You Are Interested In
Finding a flat in London is NOT easy. London is a big city with many areas for different kinds of people. Does this mean that you first need to find areas that may be ideal for you are you a young professional who wants to move to London? Or maybe you want to move there with your family? In any case, you have to know what are the best areas to live in London.
This is why I suggest that you make a list of the areas that you like and that are ideal for your situation, let me give you an example. Let’s assume that you want to live in London with your family and that you want to find a place with:
- Good schools
- Quiet neighborhoods
- Green spaces
In that case, you may want to consider something like West London. For example, you can choose an area like:
- Fulham
- Richmond
- Chelsea
In any case, making a list of the areas that fit your needs and wants is the first step toward finding a flat in London.
2. Make a list of the Best London Property Sites
Here are some of the best websites to find a flat in London:
- SpareRoom—A website that helps you find a room and a flatmate across the UK
- Rightmove—According to their website, Rightmove is “UK’s number one property website for properties for sale and rent”
- Portico—A modern website to find a flat to rent in London
- Zoopla—A website to search and find a flat in London
There are many other options you can use to find a flat in London, but these are the best ones.
3. Learn London’s Property Terms
This is another tip I have for you, especially if you are renting in London for the very first time.
It is essential that you know London’s property terms. So what are London’s property terms?
These are some of the most common terminologies you may come across while looking for a place to stay in London.
Some of these terms are:
- Contract: A legally binding agreement between you and the landlord
- Deposit: A percentage of the renting fee, paid by you and held by the landlord until the end of the contract
- Purpose-built Flat: A set of flats that have been constructed from the beginning as flats, rather than flats that have been converted
- Converted Flat: A house (i.e., a Victorian house) that has been converted into a flat
- Studio: A flat in which the living room, kitchen, bedroom are all in the same space, whereas the bathroom is in a different area
- Terraced: A house built as part of a continuous row in a uniform style*
- Semi-detached: A semi-detached house is a single-family dwelling house built as one of a pair that share one common wall*
- End of Terrace House: Similar to terraced houses, except that they are usually divided into smaller groupings of homes
- Maisonette: A house on two or more stories of a larger building with its own internal staircase
- Flatshare: A living situation where you’ll get to rent a room inside a house to share the renting cost
The terms that you need to know before starting looking for a house to rent in London are not many.
4. Make a Schedule for Your London Flat Hunting
Especially if you are moving to London from abroad, you need to have a schedule for your London flat hunting.
Most landlords list their websites or call agents to do so early in the week. This means that many properties are not publicly visible until mid-week.
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What does that mean for you?
The best time to look for a flat is mid-week since many of the properties that the real estate agent will show you won’t be publicly visible. Also, if your time in the city is limited—and that happens quite often—you may want to have a tight schedule so that you catch up with everything. The more organized you are, the better.
Bonus Tip: If you are looking for flats in different London areas, you can use an app.
5. Make a List of Must-Haves
This is probably the most important tip on this list. Because it will help you shortlist results based on things that are a must-have for you.
Let me share a couple of examples with you:
1) Type of house
The type of house can be one of your must-haves.
For example, you may have decided that you want to live in a purpose-built flat, rather than a converted one. Making that choice automatically excludes many options from your research. And this is something you want.
2) Renting fee
If you are like most people, then you have a budget for your new house. Setting a budget is very important and can help you with your research. Regardless if you are using a property website to find a new flat or a real estate agent, having a budget will make your research much more straightforward.
3) Commute time
The average commuting time in London is 74 minutes. If that sounds like a lot of time to spend every day to get to your work, you may have to consider renting closer to your work. Commute time is definitely something you need to pay attention to when looking for a new flat in London.
4) Number of bedrooms
When you are young, the number of bedrooms inside a house is not as significant. After all, all you need is a place near to a vibrant area. But, as you grow older and especially when you have a family, the number of bedrooms inside your flat is very important.
5) Parking
Do you have a car or are thinking of buying one? Then you definitely need to find an area that has free parking spots or car parks nearby.
7) Pet-friendliness
If you have a pet and are looking for a house, you need to be sure that your landlord and roommates are ok with your pet. Luckily for you, there are many pet-friendly apartments in London. In this guide, you can find tips, websites, and apps to find a flat in London when you are moving in with a dog. Make sure to take a look. Of course, there are many other must-haves, but these are some of the most common ones.
Now you know exactly what to do when you’re looking for home ahead of your move to the UK’s biggest, most populated, most exciting city.
If you are looking for a property visit Fortess Homes for our available properties. Contact our local agents now! 02074821150
