Finding accommodation is one of the first goals for anyone moving to a new town in a foreign country. In the UK there are options for every budget and style of living, although finding the right place can take time and quite a bit of research.
Short-term accommodation
It is usually easier to secure a place once you are in the country itself, so unless you have family or friends who can offer you a bed for a few nights, the first step is to pre-book a hotel, B&B or AirBnB. Prices vary from region to region, with London ranking low in affordability. Youth hostels are usually the cheapest option, with beds in shared dorms available for as little as £13 per night. Budget accommodation can also be found in Britain’s university halls of residence from the end of June until early September.
If you are more adventurous and don’t mind sharing a place with a stranger, the couchsurfing travel community could be a good option for temporary free accommodation. As long as you follow the etiquette and safety basics, couchsurfing could also be a good way to make new friends, and receive tips from locals.
Long-term accommodation
Renting a place on your own can be difficult to start with and very expensive, as real estate agents often require a guarantor —a UK resident and home owner – and six months of rent up front. Instead, look for a room in a flat or house shares, but beware of tiny ‘box rooms’, cheaper rooms just big enough to fit a single bed in. It is also important to find out more about the other tenants and their schedule, especially if you are going to share a bathroom with three or more people, which is often the case in London.
flatsharing in london
For most newcomers to London, flat sharing is the best option. This is primarily for financial reasons: London is so expensive that it is very difficult to find an affordable flat in living conditions, be it for just one person or even a couple. But also from a social point of view, sharing with other people in a similar situation to your own can be a priceless source of advice and support. Speak Up spoke to Emily Hasler, who moved to London to start a new job and who now lives in Brixton in South London with two other women. We began by asking her what to take into consideration when looking for a shared flat.
Emily Hasler (English accent): There are lots of things to look out for when you’re searching for a place to live. Sometimes these are to do with the other people you’d be living with. Make sure you do feel comfortable living with them and that you think you’ll get on because otherwise you sign up to a contract and you’re not going to be able to leave and you’re going to be stuck there. Also, looking at the state of the accommodation itself and the facilities and making sure that you know what’s included in your rent, whether that includes bills, or if it’s just the accommodation itself.
The rules of sharing a flat
So what makes a good flatshare? Hasler says that it starts with respect and understanding.
Emily Hasler: The rules of flat sharing are about compromise and making sure that everyone is respecting the accommodation that you’re in. There’s going to be shared spaces, at least a bathroom and a kitchen, possibly a living area as well, and it can be difficult to make sure that everyone’s doing their fair bit of cleaning and chores. So, for instance, I had to negotiate with some people that I lived with about the bins because they didn’t have recycling. So, I made sure that we started doing some recycling so the bin wasn’t full all the time. So I think you have to be respectful towards the space, respectful towards the other people and their privacy.
Take care
And it is always better to go through reputable channels, says Hasler, and not be persuaded by cheaper, potentially fraudulent deals.
Emily Hasler: It’s also important to be aware when you’re looking for a flat share of some of the problems that can come up, scams and things like that, and unsafe places to be involved with. So it’s really important when you’re looking, that you use a reputable lettings agent and that you have a contract and that all the normal steps have been gone through. Just be cautious because there are some disreputable people out there, and I would always say that you know you are best renting through a lettings agent rather than going directly to a private landlord because you’ll have more protection that way.