Let me start by mentioning that moving to London was pretty stressful because flats do get taken very quickly. To the extent that, I would search through apps and Google and finally find the perfect flat, send it to my best friend, get all excited, call the agency in the morning and find out that it was already taken… However, do not panic, give yourself about 6 weeks to find the flat that you want! We were looking for a newly refurbished/clean, furnished, two bedroom flat with a kitchen/living area and one or two bathrooms. We then had other preferences like two double bedrooms (which can be hard to find) and fitted wardrobes etc. The area was a pretty big deal too, we wanted great tube links into central, 24-hour weekend night service that were a walk away and pubs, shops and things going on in the centre with about a 10 minute walk.
My questions to you are:
· Are you moving to London and struggling to find a flat?
· Are you getting excited about flats online and finding out they are already taken?
· Do you feel like you’re wasting so much time scrolling through housing sites?
· Are you finding boxy, tiny rooms?
Here are a few suggestions to hopefully help you get that bit closer to finding your flat or giving you a few ideas on how to start searching:
1. What do you want out of your flat?
Here’s a list to get you going:
1. Budget
2. Bedrooms
3. En-suite/ more than one bathroom
4. Cleanliness or state of the flat
5. Is décor important?
6. Private landlord or through an agency
7. Kitchen and dining area (some flats don’t have dining/living areas)
8. What kitchen appliances do you need (dishwasher, cooker, fridge, washing machine)?
9. Furnished or unfurnished flat?
2. Download the Zoopla and Rightmove apps
Use Zoopla and Rightmove to find flats, add them to your favourites and email or call the agency. Also, use this research to find the agencies and then search for more flats through the different agencies’ websites.
3. Get into closed Facebook groups
Join some Facebook communities for certain areas of London or London in general if you are not too fussy about where you want to move to. Note that you may want to do your background research into the landlord first as they are perhaps not going through an estate agent, which on the bright side saves you agency fees!
4. Speak to people, you never know who you might know (all about the connections these days)
Speak to your friends, friends of friends, parents and parents’ friends (even if they help you later on with kitchen appliances because they know you are moving and they are selling or giving away their microwave!).
5. Call agencies and get on their books (be prepared for lots of 020 calls!!!)
Call estate agents to get registered on their books and tell them your requirements. This way they can call or email you when something comes up.
We personally ended up going with Winkworth. But, we also liked Dexters and Foxtons.
6. Visit multiple flats in one viewing
Take a few hours to view as many flats as possible. This also helps you get to know the area and different areas around London. You will soon get the 'feeling' (able to see yourself living there) for an area. Using Citymapper (the most useful app ever!!) to find out how long and how much it will cost to get from A to B, the flat to work for example is really useful! Also, we used Airbnb, so we didn’t have to keep travelling in and out of London, which also meant we could set up loads of viewings over a few consecutive days. Don’t jump into anything too early though because you want to have a look around others flats and see what you can get. My best friend and I held out until we found the flat that both gave us that cosy 'feeling'.
7. Spare rooms
If you are individual looking to live with other people, Spare Rooms is a good option where you are interviewed and able to filter down options as to who you want to live with and what you want from a flat. Also, there is an early bird option which you pay for and it allows you to see all of the new ads (first dibs kind of thing).
8. London's Zones
Don't be afraid to live outside of Zones 1 and 2 because I live in Zone 3 and I'm able to get into the city within 25 minutes. Also, check to see if there is a night tube nearby because being able to just plonk yourself on a tube to get home, rather than paying ridiculous money to Uber is extremely handy after a night out. So, have a look at TFL and see what you need.
Last but not least, don’t forget to take a list of questions with you to ask the agent so you can get as much information when you’re there and don’t waste any time! A few things to ask about are the bills, council tax, dampness, move date and also speak to the current tenants, if they are there, about things such as bills and the area itself etc.
If you have any tips, please leave comments in the blog below!
And, when you get here don't forget to venture out, push yourself outside of your comfort zone, get to know your neighbours and download the Dojo app which keeps you up to date with London's hot spots, events and food! If you have any more questions, contact me via Instagram :) Good luck!!
Kristina x