Accommodation available to you

When relocating to London, you do have options as to the type of accommodation that you live in, ranging from sofa surfing to renting a flat or house on your own.  Some of which are more practical than others and your personal circumstances will often affect which is the best option for you, but there are pro’s and con’s for you to consider:

Couch or sofa surfing

If you have friends in London, they may be willing to let you sleep on their sofa or in their spare room.  This is great as often they expect very little in terms of rent but the problem however is not to overstay your welcome as your friendship may be tested.

Hostels

Another cost effective option is to stay in a hostel, but this would be more of a short term solution than a long term one as you do not get any privacy, partying room mates may keep you up and security can sometimes be an issue.

Flats to share

Flat shares (or house shares) are when a group of people rent out a property and share the cost of living between them and are a popular form of accommodation in London.  The benefits of them are that it makes living cheaper but the downside is that you have to share communal areas such as the bathroom, kitchen and lounge.

Similar to flat and house shares are lodgings, where families with a spare room rent it out.  The advantage of this is that rent is normally on a similar level to flat and house shares but living in someone else’s house and playing by their rules could be an issue for some. 

Full property rentals

A more expensive option is to rent out a whole flat or house on your own and that is the biggest downside of renting property in London, the upside however is that you have your own space and do not have to take flat or house mates into consideration. 

For those moving to London, the most cost effective and often social means to live is by finding houses and flats to share.  For more information on how to find them and other tips and advice you may find useful, you can find it on this website.

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