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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 9:28:29 GMT
I think we all know that London is an incredibly expensive place to live. It seems to be almost impossible to find an affordable flat or house in Greater London. Does anyone have any experience and advice for young people wanting to get an affordable place in London. I've been looking at flatshare, which seems affordable. Does anyone have any experience with that? www.gumtree.com/flatshare/london seems pretty good. |
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Post by Anniek on Oct 3, 2016 10:02:51 GMT
Whats the price range you have in mind? It is possible to find something relatively cheap (around 500-550) in central (zone 1/2) London, but be prepared that you will have to make compromises. So for 550 you probably won't be having a living room, and the room it self will be quite small. Also, it's probably not the best looking place.. I would recommend spareroom.co.uk for flathunting, but in London it's all very last minute. So the best would be; go to london a week before the start of internship/work and schedule as much viewings you can. It's highly unlikely you find anything a month or so in advance. Also, as I know who you are now  check NL Borrel-Housing on FB. Maybe you can also try buddy up, and rent a house. It can work out cheaper than renting a single room from a landlord/agency. (I got very lucky with my house, although I paid soooo much on fees) |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 10:24:15 GMT
Whats the price range you have in mind? It is possible to find something relatively cheap (around 500-550) in central (zone 1/2) London, but be prepared that you will have to make compromises. So for 550 you probably won't be having a living room, and the room it self will be quite small. Also, it's probably not the best looking place.. I would recommend spareroom.co.uk for flathunting, but in London it's all very last minute. So the best would be; go to london a week before the start of internship/work and schedule as much viewings you can. It's highly unlikely you find anything a month or so in advance. Also, as I know who you are now check NL Borrel-Housing on FB. Maybe you can also try buddy up, and rent a house. It can work out cheaper than renting a single room from a landlord/agency. (I got very lucky with my house, although I paid soooo much on fees) My price range would be as low as possible. But I think I might be able to manage 700 or 800 at the most. I could live with having a small room, and I wouldn't mind living a bit further away from central London as long as I can get there within like 30 minutes. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 10:27:58 GMT
I moved to London when I was 21 and started out in flat shares. It seems the only way to make your way in London nowadays - you share, build up your career (and wage) then either save a deposit or rent your own place (then watch as the cost of living increases faster than your wage...). Zoopla and Rightmove are probably the best sites. If entering a flat share, ask for either a 6 month contract or a 12 month contract with a 6 month break clause - keep options available to you. The major thing that annoys me at the moment are these 3rd parties that set themselves up as a 'managing agent' but actually rent entire properties from the owner's appointed managing agent, in order to sublet as a flat share. It inflates the price (because the rent paid has to go through 2 companies who take their fees and profit cut before it gets to the landlord) and in a lot of cases, the 'managing agent' you rent from doesn't have a tenancy agreement that allows them to sublet - exposing the tenant to all sorts of issues, such as - worst case scenario - same day eviction. So you have to be very careful who you rent from nowadays and ensure that you do your own checks. Legitimate businesses are legally obliged to provide a government renting handbook that has all sorts of questions to ask. Rent aside, I don't necessarily find that London is majorly expensive living day to day - you just need to know how to be economical. I know we complain the west end is expensive, but you can easily find a decent theatre ticket for £10 - £15 and have an acceptable meal and drinks for about £20. But then there's so much free stuff to do too that you can't find anywhere else (sightseeing, museums, galleries etc) that you really can have brilliant days out for next to nothing too. I'd try to move there for at least 6 months and then see how my plans are going and then evaluate if I'll be able to support my staying there. That means I'm trying to save up enough money to pay for the first few months of rent regardless of whether or not I can get a decent paying job. |
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Post by viserys on Oct 3, 2016 10:39:37 GMT
When you move out of central London keep the daily train fares in mind. What you save on rent you may pay in commuting.
Also, are £500-550 per month or per week? When I looked at housing in London, I sometimes thought "oh, wow, that's cheaper than I feared" then realized that rents are usually stated per week and not per month as they are here.
I've resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to move to London until I'm a pensioner, sold everything I stand to inherit here and use the money to buy a small place outside London, then travel to the theatre 1-2 times a month.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 10:42:31 GMT
When you move out of central London keep the daily train fares in mind. What you save on rent you may pay in commuting. Also, are £500-550 per month or per week? When I looked at housing in London, I sometimes thought "oh, wow, that's cheaper than I feared" then realized that rents are usually stated per week and not per month as they are here. I've resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to move to London until I'm a pensioner, sold everything I stand to inherit here and use the money to buy a small place outside London, then travel to the theatre 1-2 times a month. I assumed she meant 550 per month. You can find lots of places on flatshare websites for about £150-£200 per week. So that's about £600-£800 per month, which I think is affordable |
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Post by viserys on Oct 3, 2016 10:57:58 GMT
Ah okay, yea, I guess that's fine for you young people In my age I'd only consider a place on my own and those are around 400-500pw |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 11:41:25 GMT
Ah okay, yea, I guess that's fine for you young people In my age I'd only consider a place on my own and those are around 400-500pw That would be my preference too, but I think it's very hard to find an affordable place for one person these days in London, especially for young people |
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Post by Anniek on Oct 3, 2016 11:42:32 GMT
550 a month yeah. I wouldnt say 550 a week is affordable for someone who is posting a thread about becoming an usher.. (dont mean this rude..) If so, Ill switch careers in an instant
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 11:44:28 GMT
550 a month yeah. I wouldnt say 550 a week is affordable for someone who is posting a thread about becoming an usher.. (dont mean this rude..) If so, Ill switch careers in an instant No offence taken  I think 550 a week would be a lot even for people with very good careers. |
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Post by viserys on Oct 3, 2016 11:50:02 GMT
yea it definitely is.
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Post by Flim Flam on Oct 3, 2016 12:34:57 GMT
Someone mentioned to me recently that they found their first room in London through Airbnb. Might be worth a look to get something temporary to start with.
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Post by profquatermass on Oct 4, 2016 10:12:31 GMT
Whats the price range you have in mind? It is possible to find something relatively cheap (around 500-550) in central (zone 1/2) London, but be prepared that you will have to make compromises. So for 550 you probably won't be having a living room, and the room it self will be quite small. Also, it's probably not the best looking place.. I would recommend spareroom.co.uk for flathunting, but in London it's all very last minute. So the best would be; go to london a week before the start of internship/work and schedule as much viewings you can. It's highly unlikely you find anything a month or so in advance. Also, as I know who you are now check NL Borrel-Housing on FB. Maybe you can also try buddy up, and rent a house. It can work out cheaper than renting a single room from a landlord/agency. (I got very lucky with my house, although I paid soooo much on fees) My price range would be as low as possible. But I think I might be able to manage 700 or 800 at the most. I could live with having a small room, and I wouldn't mind living a bit further away from central London as long as I can get there within like 30 minutes. London is a big place. 30 minutes from central London is still going to be Zone 1/2 and thus pretty expensive. There's some alternative ideas here www.theguardian.com/money/2013/sep/01/high-rent-cheap-accommodation |
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Post by Jan on Oct 4, 2016 11:02:33 GMT
It is misleading to keep talking about "London" really, prices vary a lot dependg on the area. If you look down at the end of some of the tube lines, and areas off the tube network, prices are lower. You need to do lots of research first. When Crossrail starts a 30-40 minute commute into central London extends your search area even further.
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Post by Michael on Oct 4, 2016 11:13:08 GMT
When I'm in London, I usually book a hotel in Croydon as it's much cheaper than Central London. And it's less than 20min by train from East Croydon station to either London Victoria or London Bridge (assuming that Southern trains are running - but you can usually take all trains that depart from Victoria and East Croydon anyway). Not sure how expensive the rent is, but that's a place where I'd be looking for an affordable flat.
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Post by Anniek on Oct 4, 2016 15:09:30 GMT
I dont have a lot of knowledge about greater London, and it makes sense that a 30 minute train-journey isn't that bad, especially if your rent really is much cheaper than Central London. (but trains cost a fortune as well).
I live a 20 minute walk from Kings X (just outside zone 1) and I pay around 600 quid including bills. I could choose to live further away for 500, but I would easily have to spend that on public transport whereas now I can walk most of it. So I wont say that greater London with cheaper rent is always the cheapest option!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2016 16:51:27 GMT
I dont have a lot of knowledge about greater London, and it makes sense that a 30 minute train-journey isn't that bad, especially if your rent really is much cheaper than Central London. (but trains cost a fortune as well). I live a 20 minute walk from Kings X (just outside zone 1) and I pay around 600 quid including bills. I could choose to live further away for 500, but I would easily have to spend that on public transport whereas now I can walk most of it. So I wont say that greater London with cheaper rent is always the cheapest option! That sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Any idea how I can find a place at a similar distance for a similar price? |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2016 22:26:02 GMT
If you or anyone is thinking of buying, you really should look into Shared ownership. You buy a percentage of the property and pay a rent on the rest. It's a great way of getting onto the property ladder and you're not giving all your money to someone else. Its an investment. And sometimes the amount you pay in total is what some people spend on rent. I managed to get a 2 bed property and rented out the spare room which covered most of the costs. Over the years I bought the remaining share, so i now own 100% of my property.
I'm now selling my flat, and i will either buy 1 bed shoebox here in town or move out somewhere else. I'm just not sure if i'm ready to leave London yet, but like the idea of a bigger house elsewhere.... what to do??
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Post by Anniek on Oct 5, 2016 7:21:56 GMT
I dont have a lot of knowledge about greater London, and it makes sense that a 30 minute train-journey isn't that bad, especially if your rent really is much cheaper than Central London. (but trains cost a fortune as well). I live a 20 minute walk from Kings X (just outside zone 1) and I pay around 600 quid including bills. I could choose to live further away for 500, but I would easily have to spend that on public transport whereas now I can walk most of it. So I wont say that greater London with cheaper rent is always the cheapest option! That sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Any idea how I can find a place at a similar distance for a similar price? We were very lucky with the price though, we saw some other properties in the same area which were all more expensive. Honestly my rent would be a bit higher, (around 700) but my lovely flatmates decided to charge me less as my room is the smallest (still a decent double room haha) in the house. We found this through an agency, which is quite expensive in terms of fees etc, but they helped us out great, and when something breaks or so, within a day they come and fix it. So maybe buddying up would be a good one and just go to an agency with your preferences and budget. |
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Post by jaqs on Oct 7, 2016 14:55:31 GMT
Gumtree has a lot of scams so be careful.
Being someone's lodger is usually cheapest to start as it means you don't have big agency fees or deposits but it can be awkward living in someone's place not sharing a place. As mentioned Spareroom and easyroomate are good apps to use.
I've lived as a lodger and a 2 bed made 3 bed by sacrificing the lounge. The day I could afford a one bed alone was bliss.
There are also property guardian schemes, but I've never been brace enough.
On the plus side London is very cheap for council tax.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2016 12:27:21 GMT
Gumtree has a lot of scams so be careful. What kind of scams are you talking about exactly? And how can I recognize them? |
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Post by jaqs on Oct 8, 2016 13:23:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2016 17:36:02 GMT
Thanks! The first one you really have to be stupid to pay before you've seen the room, but the second one is definitely more difficult. |
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check NL Borrel-Housing on FB. Maybe you can also try buddy up, and rent a house. It can work out cheaper than renting a single room from a landlord/agency. (I got very lucky with my house, although I paid soooo much on fees)
I think 550 a week would be a lot even for people with very good careers.
