FINDING YOUR NEW HOME IN LONDON
Relocating to London and finding your new home is both exciting but can be challenging.
There are many factors to take into account:
Where do you want to live? Do you know London well? Do you know which neighbourhoods would suit you best?
o Each neighbourhood in London was originally a small village. Each area has its own “look and feel”, amenities and types of properties available.
o Choosing a neighbourhood: what do you prefer? A busy city centre location or a more relaxed suburban atmosphere?
o Do you have children? If so, choosing the right school for your child will influence where you live.
Work commute:
o Where is the office? Being on a direct tube line to work really reduces the time and stress of getting to the office. https://citymapper.com/ is a great app to download.
Local amenities:
o What are you looking for? Shops, restaurants, cafes, parks, libraries, gyms? The good news is that most London neighbourhoods offer all of these.
Monthly rent:
o What is your budget for your weekly/monthly rent? Rents vary widely across the whole of London. The more central you are, expect to pay higher rents – even for an apartment. But equally a house in the suburbs with more space and a garden may be equally expensive.
o Rents in London are quoted weekly and per calendar month (pcm) – to calculate the pcm value: weekly rent x 52 weeks / 12 months.
Are you looking for a flat or a house?
o There are many more flats (apartments) in London than there are houses, especially the more central you are. There are lots of studios, 1-bed and 2-bed flats in London; not so many 3 or 4-bed flats. Houses offer more space and usually have a garden.
Budget:
o Neighbourhoods vary greatly in terms of cost of living. Research the average rent prices in different areas to find one that fits your budget.
Researching:
o What is available to rent: We do have on-line portals, e.g. Rightmove and Zoopla which help you to see what is available, where and what the monthly rental cost is but there are also lots of other properties available that perhaps don’t make it on to the portal websites.
The alternative is to register with each letting agency in each area of interest. This is time consuming and can be stressful as each agent can only show you properties listed with their agency. The alternative is to work with a relocation agency like Anderson Associates Relocation London who do all of this work for you. We maintain relationships with a network of trusted agents across London.
Do get in touch to discuss your move to London: selma@andersonassociates.london
Or, click here to book your Relocate to London Power Hour to discuss all your relocation needs.
a typical London street of terraced family houses