I’m just back from London after a week of looking for a place to live. Fortunately, I’ve got two more weeks before the official move date. Unfortunately, I came home empty-handed. This might lead you to question WHY you would want advice from me regarding flat-hunting, but if you don’t have five days to spend pounding the pavement like I did, I do have some tips that could help.
1.) According to almost everyone I talked to, September is a crazy time to look for a place. Literally I would go to see a place, only to be told, “Sorry, but it’s gone.”
ARGGGG!
This doesn’t mean that flats are not available, but if you see one that you like, please learn from my painful lesson and make an offer. On the spot. Right then. No dilly-dallying.
2.) Make an offer? Yes, an offer. For a let (rental). Landlords are open to negotiation, and it seems that more typically than not, you can offer less than what is being asked and the landlord will accept it. However, if someone else does come along with a higher offer and you haven’t put down a deposit yet, your “accepted” offer will no longer fly.
3.) Be ready with a deposit. Deposits vary in amount, but this is the only way you can lock down the place you want. This does NOT mean that you should pay an estate agent money to show you places up front, but you should expect to put down a deposit when your offer has been accepted.
4.) Even though I’m recommending that you jump on a place that you like, it is worth seeing multiple places. Within my price range, I have seen an overwhelming variety of flats. I was appalled by some (and I don’t use the word “appalled” very often) and very pleasantly surprised by others.
Perhaps a nice Chelsea townhouse? Sure thing, Mr. Trump!
What’s the best way to find these flats anyway? Well, if you have some time, a good place to start is one of the many websites that show apartments from multiple agencies. (I tried http://www.primelocation.com/ and http://www.findaproperty.com/ ) These are helpful in that you can get connected with different estate/ letting agents prior to being in London. HOWEVER:
- Please don’t expect to see the exact property that you’ve inquired about- at least not in the current market. If you are in the area, there’s a chance, but if you are arriving even a couple of days later, it will probably be let.
- Don’t expect the property to look like the picture. In rare cases, I saw a flat that I recognized. In most others, there were unruly tenants and the place looked crazy, OR the pictures were taken 15 years ago when the furniture was new and the place was fresh.
- BUT, there is the option in your offer to request new furniture or ask for a sofa to be removed, etc. It also seems (at least in my little experience) that apartments are painted, professionally cleaned, etc., before a new tenant. Just be sure to ask- and get what you really want in writing. I don’t want to hear later that you trusted me and that it didn’t happen!
Another way to find a flat is to take a stroll through the neighborhood that you’re interested in and pop into agencies. It might not happen that day, but agents will happily take your info and take you out to see places that (hopefully) will fit your criteria. I was warned against bigger agencies like Foxtons based on high-pressure sales pitches, but they do have a lot of listings. I personally found that some of the smaller agencies are not as on top of the market. This is based on the fact that a lot of the flats they showed me were not their own listings, but came from a multiple listing service that agents have access to. In other words, there’s a bit of lag time that could mean that you lose out.
There are also relocation services (like the people at http://www.londonrelocationservices.com/ ). They will weed out properties and show you a large number of properties in your budget in one day, and guarantee success. I didn’t go this route (YET!) because I had no idea what I really wanted, but if you’re short on time, this could be a great bet. Their job is to do all of the pavement-pounding so that you don’t have to (at least not for 4-5 days like I have so far)!
Finally, it’s true what they say. London is expensive. Places tend to be small, great storage is rare (but it DOES exist), and finding everything you want (location, space, storage, outdoor area???!?) may be unrealistic. I did see enough good mixed with the bad to know that the place that it right for me is out there. Now to continue the hunt to find it…
Victoria Westcott
kikimoo
