Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

A large number of people move to London every year for work or study, and finding housing in this city always turns into a difficult process. In this article, we will help you figure it out.

Steps

1. 1 Start looking for accommodation on the Internet. There are many rental sites out there, and below we provide a list of the most popular and useful ones:
   • RoomMatesUK.com is a user-friendly site with intuitive navigation where you can find cheap options for apartments and rooms and new neighbors, as well as chat with them. The site is advertised by people who rent apartments, real estate agents and owners of private houses. In addition, the site has a round-the-clock SMART AGENT function (that is, an automatic assistant), thanks to which it will be easier for you to find neighbors and housing.
   • Gumtree - This site has many affordable apartments in all areas of London. Both agents and private landlords post their ads on this site, but there are also scammers there, so be careful! (Read the section on the site on how to avoid falling prey to attackers.)
   • Findaproperty - a site with ads from real estate agents; here are apartments and rooms of the middle price range.
   • Primelocation is also a site with classifieds from real estate agents, but features mid to high price apartments in the city center.
   • Rightmove - site with ads for agents; most of the apartments have a mid-range price range and are located in central London and outside the city.
   • Craigslist - This site is very popular in the US, but not in the UK. Here you can find advertisements for renting cheap apartments from agents and homeowners, but besides them, there are also scammers.
   • Loot - This site has a lot of affordable housing deals, but pretty much everything here is published on Gumtree as well.
2. 2 Select the area. London is a large city, which means there are many options for apartments and rooms, but the bursting transportation system can make it difficult to get to the places you want. When choosing an area, the following factors should be considered:
   • Housing cost. This is the most important question. Everyone would like to live in the Mayfair area, but most people cannot afford it. As a rule, the closer to the center the area, the higher the price. Use special filters when searching for housing on real estate sites to find out the price range of all areas.
   • Transport.Where will you need to travel? Will you be working in the Kensington area? Or will you need to travel to the university in Bayswater? Transport in London is quite slow and expensive, so many people prefer to settle closer to their place of work or study.
   • Space. How much space do you need? If you want to have a garden and a guest room, you will have to look for accommodation far from the center or even out of town. If you are willing to be content with little, you can afford housing closer to the center.
3. 3 Contact agents or landlords through the website, find out if there are more properties that interest you, and make an appointment to view. You should always look at an apartment or room before concluding a lease. Housing is snapped up very quickly, so often the advertisements you refer to will no longer be relevant. But don't be discouraged: if you work with an agency, its staff will be able to find the right option for you. When viewing a property, ask the agent or owner as many questions as possible, including the following:
   • ready to move in - when can you move?
   • contract - for what is the minimum term of the contract?
   • deposit - how much will the deposit be? How will he operate?
   • documents and recommendations - which of this does a home owner need?
   • furniture and household appliances - what is included in the rental price?
   • Utility bills - what bills will you need to pay?
   • neighbors - who will be neighbors (noisy students, a family with a small child who need silence, etc.)?
   • district - what is in the area?
   • and many other questions.
4. 4 After you look at the apartment or room and ask all the questions, you may decide to rent an apartment, in which case you need to make an offer for the price. Whatever the price is indicated in the ad, you can always bargain, but how much they will yield to you depends on many factors. If the market is in high demand (in spring, summer and autumn), then the landlord will not be willing to bargain, but the situation will be the opposite during the calm months (November and December). You can offer the owner a slightly lower amount than indicated in the ad, but he can refuse. When offering your price, you must be sure of the following points:
   • contract - how long do you want to rent?
   • check-in date - when are you ready to move and start fulfilling the terms of the contract?
   • furniture and household appliances - what exactly is included in the rental price? Will there be an inventory of all things?
   • documents - what exactly does the landlord want and when? After you name your price, the landlord may agree immediately, or may decide to negotiate another price or terms.
5. 5 After the owner accepts the price, you will need to post a deposit. Usually the amount is the cost of one week's rental and is non-refundable. If you change your mind and refuse to rent this apartment, the deposit will not be returned to you. As a rule, an advertisement for renting an apartment or room for rent remains active until the deposit is made, and theoretically, any other person can rent an apartment that you like, even if the owner has already accepted your terms. Accommodation is not reserved until the tenant pays a deposit. It is important to remember the following when paying the bond:
   • you need to make sure that you and the owner of the home have agreed on how long the apartment will be reserved for you;
   • the deposit is non-refundable. If you change your mind and refuse to rent a house, the owner will leave a deposit to himself;
   • you need to receive a check or a receipt from the owner or agent, which will indicate the address of the premises, the amount paid, the date, rental price, date of arrival and other conditions that you have already agreed on. Your deposit will be deducted from the first rental payment.
6. 6 Provide all documents required by the owner. Such documents may include:
   • employer recommendation - a letter or email confirming where you work and by whom.Some landlords also ask for a pay statement;
   • referrals from your previous landlords - if you lived in the UK;
   • bank statements - the homeowner may want to look at 3 months' statements to make sure that you are getting paid and you are not in arrears;
   • bank statement - sometimes the owners want to see a statement confirming your solvency;
   • a copy of your passport - all landlords need a passport to make sure you are you;
   • loan certificate - sometimes landlords require a certificate stating that you do not owe banks a huge amount.
   • If you have previously lived in another city, you will not have most of these documents, so you will need to ask the agent or owner what will be required of you in this case.
7. 7 Before you check in, carefully read the rental conditions that you will need to sign. Check if all agreements match. If something is wrong, immediately contact the agent or owner, as this document will oblige you to certain things, so you should not sign what you disagree with or do not like.
8. 8 Know when and how much you need to pay. This will be clear when you negotiate terms with an agent or landlord. Often tenants are asked to pay 1 month or 6 weeks of rent, as well as pay the rent for the first few months in advance. You will need to pay all these amounts upon signing the contract or upon check-in. If you are using an agent, the landlord may ask you to pay the agent in advance so that he can pay the owner by the time the contract is signed. The amounts you pay must be stated in the rental conditions. This document is drawn up at the request of the government in order to protect the rights of both parties in the event of disputes. Remember that when paying for the first few months, the landlord must first wait for the money to be credited to their account. Bank transfers, especially from abroad, can take several days, so try to pay in advance.
9. 9 Get the keys. On the day the contract is due to take effect, you will need to meet with the property owner and / or agent to sign the contract and check in. By this time, the money will be credited to the account of the owner of the apartment or room, and all your documents will be checked. The landlord or agent can take an inventory of the property, making notes about the state of things, but this must be agreed upon at the stage of discussing the price and conditions. That's all - now you can live for your pleasure!
10. 10 Pay the rent. You will agree on the terms upon check-in, but usually the rent is paid on a monthly basis. You can transfer from your bank account to the account of the real estate agency or landlord.

Tips

• Try to rent an apartment without intermediaries. This way you do not have to spend money on agent services and you will have the opportunity to rent a house at a lower price.
• What if something breaks in the house? Call your landlord or agent. You will need to discuss with them who is responsible for such cases and document this in the contract.

Warnings

• Use common sense. If the offer seems too good to be real, it is most likely cheating.
• Don't agree to pay money to people you've never seen.
• One should always look at housing before paying money.
• Ask for checks or receipts for all money paid (deposits, rent, etc.).
• Ask as many questions as possible about the property and the person who is showing it to you.
• Do not pay money for viewing the apartment or the possibility of booking it before you see it.
• Make sure the person showing you the property is eligible to rent out the property. Whether it's an agent or a landlord, they need to prove that the transaction will be legal.