Apartment hunting in London

[UnderProtest]

NEAR me!!!!! Rightmove is the one that should have all/most listings and Foxtons, Chard, and Douglas and Gordon are real estate agencies. Some properties can be listed with multiple agencies so that can be a bit confusing. Belgravia, Chelsea, South Kensington and Knightsbridge will be expensive, but I'm sure you can find something. Pimlico is slightly further east, but its cheaper. Its super easy to get around on the Tube here. We've been here 6 months with two small children and haven't wanted a car.

Let me know if you have specific questions. We had a relocation agency helping us, but they were worthless.

[frlcb]

There are also council taxes and your tv licensing fee that you have to pay. We lived in SW London (Wimbledon) and loved it, but it was zone 3. Zones 1 and 2 are the most central, but we could be into Waterloo in 20 minutes and my husband worked in Soho and that was another 15 minutes or so. We didn't have a car and didn't need one. You can work with an estate agent (like Foxtons, for example) and they can help you.

[stever]

We lived in Chiswick, which was 20 minutes from Green Park on the Piccadilly line. Super easy and no need for a car.

[frlcb]

Jul 23, 2014 14:52:54 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Jul 23, 2014 14:13:01 GMT -5 frlcb said:

There are also council taxes and your tv licensing fee that you have to pay. We lived in SW London (Wimbledon) and loved it, but it was zone 3. Zones 1 and 2 are the most central, but we could be into Waterloo in 20 minutes and my husband worked in Soho and that was another 15 minutes or so. We didn't have a car and didn't need one. You can work with an estate agent (like Foxtons, for example) and they can help you.

What are these zones you speak of and why do they matter?  Just indicate how far they are from the city center?  I'm sure there are neighborhood differences, but are you saying there are tax differences too?

How much do estate agents charge?  Do I need to work with one, or is it possible to find something on my own?

Zones are how you get charged on the tube - so a zone 1 monthly card would be less than a zone 1-2, 1-2-3, etc.

Here is a relatively easy breakdown of council tax - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_Tax

I am sure you could find something on your own but an estate agent would help. I can't remember how much, sorry!

[fbf2006]

Have you looked at a tube map? I use that daily when trying to figure out where stuff is located and the zones. I've also been using rightmove to see how much apartments are in various areas. My husband's job is at Moorgate and mine might be at Hammersmith (interviewed and praying I get the job) so we're hoping to live somewhere in the NW or SW. Initially we really wanted to live in/around Canary Wharf, which is where most of the financial service companies are. We're still looking into it.

[potatopie]

just saw this today on Apartment Therapy: A Renter's Life in London

don't know anything about London, but thought it might be an interesting, albeit superficial, breakdown.

[UnderProtest]

Yeah, space is quite different here. I'm at a loss right now as to specific tips (its midnight and I've had nyquil), but I would definitely work with an agency. Renting here is so different than in the States. We had to have a personal and professional recommendation to rent our place and the agreement had so many seemingly odd things. i think it would be useful to be able to ask questions of the agency. We were provided a relo agency so they helped us with the process and it was rented through one of the major estate companies. Feel free to PM me about the areas. We are in SW and there are pros and cons to it. But everything is really easy with the tube and you definitely won't need a car for commuting.

[loira]

It also depends on the vibe you want. Do you have kids? Are you looking for something a little leafier and quiet-ish? As pps mentioned, Chiswick and Wimbledon are really lovely for this. They are quieter than central London but still have lots going on.

We live in Bloomsbury right now, which can be outrageously expensive, and it's very central but you always feel very much in the city. Depending on how much R&R you need when you get home from work, this can sometimes be a bad thing.

We used to live in Muswell Hill. I really loved it there too, but might not be as convenient as West London for your commute.

[lolo]

In addition to considering the South London areas that folks have mentioned, I would look at places off the tube line you'd use (or bus if you'll be very central).

For reference, MH worked right where you'll be. At first, we were in Marylebone (which is $$$$) and he took a bus that was a lovely route past Hyde Park and the palace. Then we moved to Islington (Barnsbury specially) and he commuted via the Victoria line. Including his walks on either end, it was about 45 minutes. I highly recommend the area. I loved that it was not quite so full of ex pats--we were the only non English or Welsh folks in our building for example, and the pubs around us were lovely places unknown to most tourists.

Definitely bear mind travel distance to the tube when you're looking. Sometimes it's cheaper, nicer and quicker to move a few stops out.

We used Foxtons initially to find us a flat and then our next flat was through Chesterton Humbert's. Our final flat (immediately above the second one) we let without using estate agents since we had gotten to know the owners. (We still drew up a formal contact.)

loira I used to get my hair done on Muswell Hair and loved the area.

[bryantpark]

Are you going to get assistance? Does your company have a relocation agent working for you? If you want to live in central London a two bedroom might be tough depending on the duration of your stay. We had corporate housing and it happened to be 900 pounds a week which is ridiculous for a tiny one bedroom. But we had an amazing location just off of the Kings Road very close to Sloane Square. If your office is where I think it is I am going to be shocked. I'm going to PM you. I have a feeling it is in my old building.

[stever]

Aug 1, 2014 6:00:18 GMT -5 loira said:

It also depends on the vibe you want. Do you have kids? Are you looking for something a little leafier and quiet-ish? As pps mentioned, Chiswick and Wimbledon are really lovely for this. They are quieter than central London but still have lots going on.

We live in Bloomsbury right now, which can be outrageously expensive, and it's very central but you always feel very much in the city. Depending on how much R&R you need when you get home from work, this can sometimes be a bad thing.

We used to live in Muswell Hill. I really loved it there too, but might not be as convenient as West London for your commute.

I luuuuurve Bloomsbury. I got my MA at Birkbeck - one of the cluster of colleges around there - and adored it. It was a bitch of a commute from Chiswick, but I didn't care.

[teatimefor2]

We lived in Zone 1 for two years, right in Covent Garden on Endell Street. I think we paid £360 per week for a tiny one bedroom (2007,2008) But we loved it and we walked everywhere. DH even walked to work.

We didn't have an agent, but you will work with a rental agency. I also recommend using the tube map as a guide. You will be surprised at how little space you actually need.