Finding Somewhere to Live in London

Every day, people book cheap flights to London. About 30, 000 Swedes are currently living in the British Capital. As mentioned in my previous post Finding a Job in London, I stayed at a hostel in Earl’s Court during my first two days. After that I checked into a two-star hotel in the same area, then St Christopher’s Inn near London Bridge, then a three-star hotel in South Kensington, and lastly Smart Hyde Park Inn in Bayswater. I didn’t know that much about London at the time and wanted to move around in the beginning so I could get a feel for the different neighborhoods.

Where to find a place to live?

I recommend Flats & Houses for Rent on Gumtree, where you can filter your search depending on property type, number of bedrooms, private or agency, and whether you want to live north or south of the river. There’s also a section for House Swap and Flats & Houses to Share.

Other sites worth a visit: Flat Share London, FindaProperty, Loot.com, Homes & Property, Net-Lettings.co.uk, HotProperty, and London flats/houses on Craigslist.

If you’re not concerned about the cost and prefer to live in luxury, there are several luxury serviced apartments available such as Cheval Group and One Thirty Queens Gate.

Since I wanted to get to know other Swedes and preferred to share a flat rather than living on my own, I mostly looked for rooms through the ‘for rent’ section on londonsvenskar.com, a website aimed to Swedish people living and working in London.

Where you live vs. whom you’re living with

The two girls who lived in the first flat I looked at near Edgware Road were super friendly. When I came over they offered me soda and home-baked brownies. We talked for almost an hour. They were great. I wish I could say the same about the flat. I felt the same thing when looking at two other flats by Edgware Road.

Sometimes, where you live matters more than whom you’re living with.

Somewhere else than Edgware Road

During my fourth visit to a flat near Edgware Road, the guy who wanted to rent out his room as soon as possible excused himself about the mess once I stepped inside. I wouldn’t have lived there even if I had gotten paid for it. Three rooms; two of them with two beds, one with four beds. One guy was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. Twenty to thirty pairs of shoes in the hallway. One stained wall-to-wall carpet. No furniture in the living room except for a sofa and a table. One small TV. In the kitchen, several rows of dirty dishes. Discolored walls. Stuffy air. Not a pleasant smell. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the flat had had roaches, rats and bed bugs as well.

How people could voluntarily live like that, in an unclean and overcrowded flat, I found it very difficult to understand. This probably wasn’t the standard of all flats near Edgware Road, but I had gotten enough and set my sights on another area.

The importance of replying to ads early

The fifth flat I looked at had a terrific location only a minute from Lancaster Gate, minimalist interior, a great view over London, and affordable rent. If I had replied to the ad earlier I might have gotten the room. The five Swedish girls living there told me that about thirty people had already showed their interest.

Lesson learned: if you see an ad you find interesting, call or email at once before it gets taken by someone else. Don’t wait.

Bayswater and Notting Hill

A friend said that Bayswater was a great living area. Central. Fairly cheap. Close to Hyde Park. I went to look at a ground floor flat along Queensborough Terrace, only meters to the park. The three Swedes living there had me laughing within seconds, the place was rather small yet cosy, the location nothing to complain about and the rent only £325 a month. But because the room consisted of a bunk bed and no wardrobes whatsoever I couldn’t help but wonder where I would keep all my clothes and shoes.

The seventh ad I answered led me to Notting Hill. Once I stepped into the main hallway, saw the ornamented mirror by the stairs and felt the smell of newly painted walls, I knew I would live there. I had made up my mind before even having seen the place or met my future roommate.

As soon as I got inside I fell in love with the surprisingly high ceilings and the French balcony. Not spacious  in any way, though. But cosy. Two beds, a TV on top of a bench, a small wood table near the kitchenette, two chairs and two wardrobes. Luckily I was the first one there and didn’t hesitate for a second.

I loved my new home on Linden Gardens, a quiet terraced house street only a few minutes from Notting Hill Gate, and couldn’t have hoped for a better or more centrally located place at that price.

Don’t make demands

My roommate had plans to rent a single room in another neighborhood before I moved in and when she found a place, I wanted to find a new great roommate.

The first girl who came had her mp3 player on while she was talking to us. She talked nonstop.

“I work nine to five and when I come home I want peace and quiet so I can sit in front of the TV and eat chips and candy and RELAX. I do NOT want to be disturbed.”

How could she think she had even the slightest chance when she made such demands straight away? And who wants to live with someone whose only interests are eating junk food and watching TV? Needless to say, don’t make any demands before you’ve moved in. In fact, there’s no need to make any demands at all. Sharing a place with others is all about giving and taking.

Talk about yourself and ask questions

The second girl, a Brit in her mid twenties, arrived in training clothes and running shoes. A complete opposite to the first one. She told us she usually ran home from work to get some exercise. We small talked for a bit and agreed to get in touch later on. In the end, we chose another girl but those who talked about themselves so we could get to know them a bit stood a much better chance.

Once I had decided to return to Sweden, mostly because I longed for the sea, I helped my roommate to find a replacement. An Italian girl who stopped by one afternoon sat down on my bed the first thing she did and stared into the wall for almost five minutes. At least, that’s what it felt like. After one minute of her sitting there I asked where she lived.

“Near Liverpool Street.”

Another quiet minute.

“So, what do you think?”

She mumbled something incomprehensible in return.

Another quiet minute or two.

She directed her attention to us. “I take it.”

In the end, we picked a girl who sounded genuinely interested in getting to know us and shared a story or two about herself and her current life. Of course, you don’t need to talk about yourself or ask any questions. But more likely than not you’re not the only one interested in a certain place and you’ve got a greater chance if you make a good impression.

Options

Everyone has different preferences. What’s heaven to someone can be hell to someone else. If I could afford it I would buy a house or an apartment in London. I would live there part of the year and rent out the place the rest of the time. Staying long-term in a hotel or live in a serviced apartment also sounds incredibly appealing. But expensive. When it comes to living on my own versus sharing a place with others I’m about 60/40.

I’m not yet sure how long I want to stay once I travel to London, whenever that may be. It depends. But regardless of whether I live there a couple of weeks or a few months, or longer, I have a list I wrote recently of my preferences regarding flats.

Musts:

• Central, in zone 1 or 2
• Wi-Fi access
• Near a park
• Near a tube station and/or bus station
• Not too big, not too small

Preferably:

• All bills included in the rent
• Near a Fresh & Wild or Planet Organic, my favourite food stores
• Large bed
• Minimalist interior
• No wall-to-wall carpet

Bonus:

• Great neighbours
• Balcony or access to roof top terrace and/or garden
• Newly refurbished
• 24-hour concierge service/security and free access to on-site gym with sauna and swimming pool

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One last thing, if you’re looking for great advice on living and working in London, do check out Moving to London Video Travel Guide.

Possibly related posts:

1. Finding a Job in London
2. Something For Every Taste, Budget and Personality in London
3. Don’t Miss Neal’s Yard During Your London Stay
4. Why London?
5. The Green London