Sorry for the radio silence guys, I haven’t really had much to talk about since my big move a few weeks ago! But, I’m back now… Anyways, over the next few weeks, I’m going to be starting a series of posts on living in London. And my first post is all about finding a place to live in London.
I was lucky. Even though I looked at what felt like 1000 places, I found a room in just ten days. So, you may be wondering how I did this.
Finding A Place To Live In London
SpareRoom
If you’ve spoken to me before or follow me on Instagram then you know I signed up for SpareRoom months ago. SpareRoom is a website where you can find different listings for rooms and entire flats. You can also find people who are looking for roommates. It’s used by landlords, agents, and people who are looking to fill their rooms. On the other side of it is people like me, who are looking for a room.
Using SpareRoom
About two weeks before I actually came out here I paid for a membership so I could post an advertisement explaining what I wanted to find in a room.
My checklist included:
- Located Central/East London
- Roommates around my age
- Close to a tube station or bus stop
- Near some of my friends
- Under 700 pounds with all bills included
- Furnished with a desk
- Living room
I also added some photos and wrote a little “about me” blurb. I ended up getting an overwhelming amount of responses to my ad, but most of them weren’t in the area I wanted to be in or in my price range. But, I still went to look at some of them.
Setting Up Viewings
Once I found rooms that I wanted to look at I reached out via SpareRoom to set up a viewing. The viewings usually take place on the weekends or at night so that you can meet your potential flatmates. I think I looked at seven different flats. And the viewings were all different.
A few of them I met with the current tenant and they showed me around the room. Others I went to look at with an agent. In the end, I think it’s just whatever you’re going to be comfortable with. You’re going to have to compromise on something if you want to find a place to live in quickly. Which leads me to my next point…
The Flat You End Up With When You Live In London
Rooms go super quickly in London. Especially in central London which is where I was looking. And that’s the reason I ended up signing a lease to my room literally on the spot.
I had to compromise on the things I wanted, but I also got a few things on the list:
- I’m located in East London in Zone 1
- My flatmates seem to be around my age. No one has been living here that long so we’re all just starting to get comfortable with one another.
- I’m next to two bus stops and a few blocks away from a tube station
- I’m walking distance to at least three of my friends
- I went slightly over my budget but I’m paying for the location
- I have no desk — in fact, I’m paying a whole lot of money to essentially live in a shoebox
- There’s no living room, but the kitchen has a decent sized table and a TV.
The Moral of The Story
If you’re looking for a place to live in London you have to decide what you really want. If you want to save money you’re not going to be able to live in Zone 1 and maybe not even Zone 2. If you’re interested in being central you may have to go over your budget and you probably won’t have as much space as you would have liked. But, the way I look at it is like this: you didn’t move all the way to London to sit in your flat.
Have you moved to London? How was the process for you?
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