It’s quite possible that you will know someone in the UK that you can stay with while you find your feet. Word from the wise: two weeks is the most (3 weeks at a push) that you should consider staying with friends or family before it starts getting a little awkward for all involved:
·Don’t overstay your welcome that it ends up putting a strain on friendships.
·Most people will never tell you that you are overstaying your welcome as this would be considered rude and cruel.
·Try and get yourself sorted as soon as you can…or spread the love and stay with more than one friend or family member if you are finding it difficult in finding your own place.
·Don’t be overly optimistic and think you will find your own place within the first week of arriving.
London has many cheap hotels and youth hostels. If you have no idea where to go, head off to Earl’s Court where you will find many cheap places to stay. Earl’s Court is in Zone 1 and you will be able to find accommodation there from approximately £25 per night or £80 per week. For £15 a night you can share accommodation, typically with 5+ others in the dorm. This would be a typical youth hostel so watch out for your luggage and money.
Where to look for accommodation?
You are more likely to end up living in an area where you already have friends or family. If you do not have any contacts in London try and focus your search in area’s in and around Zone3. South of the river (East Putney, Southfields Wimbledon etc) is filled with antipodeans and is very open, with parks, rivers walks, street cafés and pubs. North of the river (West Hampstead, Finchley, Golders Green etc) is filled with people from all over the world and is great if you are wanting to experience different cultures etc. It’s also considerably closer to the city. Canary Warf, Greenwich and Docklands offer city dwelling and is quite a pricey area. It’s best to explore the area before committing to finding a flatshare or a property of your own to rent.
What price to pay per week / month?
Depending on the size and location you could pay anything from £80 to £180 per week for a room in a flat share, the more rooms, the cheaper it will be but that will also come with its own set of problems as it’s not fun trying to get ready for work in a flat/house share when 5 or 6 other people are trying to do the same thing.
You can get a self containing studio for £600-£750 per month and that will usually include all bills (gas, water and electricity), council tax may be included in that rate but it may be extra (check with the estate agent or landlord.
One bedroom places are hard to come by at a reasonable rental, so expect to pay between £700 and £900 per month for the luxury of more space. Bills will usually not be included so expect to add on at least £90 - £150 a month for these.
Couples often get a two bedroom flat or house and rent out the second room to a single person to split the costs. A two bedroom flat could rent for £750 - £1000, so split three ways is not that bad.
Obviously the area depicts the rental: if the rental is dirt cheap the chances are that the area is a bit of a dump.
In Zone5 and Zone6 rentals are very cheap as they are about 30 minutes away from London via overland train. The only downside living that far out of the city is that if you miss the last train (usually at around 23:50) you are basically stuck, unless you feel like trying your hand at navigating the night bus route (which I’ve never tried myself!)
There are loads of publications where you can find accommodation. Look out for the TNT Magazine and the Loot newspaper. Nowadays most people find accommodation through the Gumtree website (www.gumtree.com). You will probably have 2 options when looking for accommodation – joining an existing flat-share or renting (with flat mates) a whole flat and house. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Joining an Existing Flat /House Share
Advantages
·You’d more than likely just need to pay rent and a deposit and you can move in (normally straight away or in a week or two)
·You would not need to pay expensive estate agent costs (these can be in the region of £50 - £100 per person to do credit/reference checks)
·Bills etc will already be set up and there would be someone already in the flat or house who organises paying utility companies and other bills.
·If you don’t have to go on the lease you normally would need to give one months notice and/or subject to agreement, find someone to take your room when you leave.
·When you view the flat or house you should get an idea of how clean and hygienic the existing flat mates are.
Disadvantages
·You will have no personal living space besides your room (sometimes you have to share that as well with one other). So if you like your space look closely at the number of people already there.
·You will have to get used to the behavioral habits of others, some of which you may not agree with BUT will have to live with (we can’t all be perfect).
·If you leave the flat/house share due to personal differences and you have to find a replacement for your room, it becomes very hard to do this as you can’t be neutral and indifferent.
Starting a new Flat or House Share
Advantages
·You get to set the tone: you chose who you live with, where etc and you have more control (and responsibility)
·The balance is equal: as everyone joined at the same time, each of you has equal footing.
·You get to see the property from the outset, so you know exactly what condition to leave it in when you leave.
·It should be fairly easy to divide costs equally in the beginning: rental, deposits etc.
Disadvantages
·Like with anything new, the start up costs can be exorbitant. Estate agents are required to do reference checking on the person who’s going to hold the lease, but sometimes they will do a reference check on each and every person moving in.
·You are bound to a lease for 6 months and sometimes longer.
·It’s a slow process. It can take up to 4 weeks to set up a house share.
·Most don’t come with electronics (TV, kettle, toaster etc) so it needs to be agreed upon as to how the house wishes to purchase these things. Discuss this before hand, most houses will agree to have a house kitty (as in a float/petty cash…not the feline kind)
When you are enquiring about a property find out the following;
·The exact location, and how far is it from public transport (get the postcode and put it in www.streetmap.co.uk)
·Monthly rent and deposit required
·Minimum duration of contract
·Whether the property is furnished or unfurnished
·If the rent includes any bills and if not what bills are there in the property and what the likely charge will be (council tax band is important)
·How many other people live in the property (ask about what they do & where they from to see if you will fit in)
Things to Remember.
Don’t Commit: It is best not to get into a long term contract with your first digs as you may find yourself another job or find a better area to stay. Around £70 - £80 per week is quite cheap, look in this price bracket when you first arrive.
Signing Leases: Read and reread the lease before you sign! Try get a 6 months break clause in a 12 month lease, so that you can move if you need to.
Be careful of unscrupulous agents or landlords as there are many in the UK. A good tip would be to try get a hold of anyone who has rented from them to ask if they are a fair
Getting Started 
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