London Housing
I am from the U.S. & will be entering the MSc Accounting Organisations & Institutions this fall at LSE. I have a conditional offer & expect to fulfill the conditions. I have a couple of questions and was hoping somebody could answer them! Thank you in advance...
In terms of accommodations, I'm not sure what to do. Since being accepted in February I've done a lot of research on housing in London (in addition to studying there for a semester in Fall 2009). I lived in Dorset Square in Marylebone & loved it. I know a bit about neighborhoods within Central London, but not much else. Ideally, I'd love to live alone and meet people through the school but I'm worried about the social life not living up to my expectations and thus me spending too much time alone. I've applied for LSE's Grosvenor House but its pretty damn expensive! Northumberland House is my 2nd preference, but would probably elect to live privately if I got this.
Aside from this, I've been offered a one bedroom flat nearest to Bow Road tube stop in East London for 500 pounds/month aside from electricity. Based on my limited understanding this is a generous offer. My concern is making the most of my time in London. Is this far enough from "Central London" that I'll be too far to really enjoy it? Also, is this neighborhood lively at all or is it just dead quiet? I'm pretty lost about what to think about it.
Also, does anybody know if Interlet/Flatland a bad service for finding a flat?
Any advice any of you could give me would be much appreciated. Again, thank you in advance!
In terms of accommodations, I'm not sure what to do. Since being accepted in February I've done a lot of research on housing in London (in addition to studying there for a semester in Fall 2009). I lived in Dorset Square in Marylebone & loved it. I know a bit about neighborhoods within Central London, but not much else. Ideally, I'd love to live alone and meet people through the school but I'm worried about the social life not living up to my expectations and thus me spending too much time alone. I've applied for LSE's Grosvenor House but its pretty damn expensive! Northumberland House is my 2nd preference, but would probably elect to live privately if I got this.
Aside from this, I've been offered a one bedroom flat nearest to Bow Road tube stop in East London for 500 pounds/month aside from electricity. Based on my limited understanding this is a generous offer. My concern is making the most of my time in London. Is this far enough from "Central London" that I'll be too far to really enjoy it? Also, is this neighborhood lively at all or is it just dead quiet? I'm pretty lost about what to think about it.
Also, does anybody know if Interlet/Flatland a bad service for finding a flat?
Any advice any of you could give me would be much appreciated. Again, thank you in advance!
gumtree.com
just use private landlords. You avoid the crazy fees that letting agents pay and you can negotiate on the rent etc. I have always found that having a private landlor makes it easier to build a good relationship and get things fixed faster.
Also bow is fine to get to central london. There is a night bus that goes all the way down to Trafalgar Square. Also you can get the tube during the day.
just use private landlords. You avoid the crazy fees that letting agents pay and you can negotiate on the rent etc. I have always found that having a private landlor makes it easier to build a good relationship and get things fixed faster.
Also bow is fine to get to central london. There is a night bus that goes all the way down to Trafalgar Square. Also you can get the tube during the day.
Original post by beefmaster
gumtree.com
just use private landlords. You avoid the crazy fees that letting agents pay and you can negotiate on the rent etc. I have always found that having a private landlor makes it easier to build a good relationship and get things fixed faster.
Also bow is fine to get to central london. There is a night bus that goes all the way down to Trafalgar Square. Also you can get the tube during the day.
just use private landlords. You avoid the crazy fees that letting agents pay and you can negotiate on the rent etc. I have always found that having a private landlor makes it easier to build a good relationship and get things fixed faster.
Also bow is fine to get to central london. There is a night bus that goes all the way down to Trafalgar Square. Also you can get the tube during the day.
Right...I've been checking gumtree periodically. Is there much of a neighborhood in Bow or is it mostly residential out there?
Original post by soxrok3
Right...I've been checking gumtree periodically. Is there much of a neighborhood in Bow or is it mostly residential out there?
Its pretty residential honestly. If you want to pay a similar price I would look at Bethnal Green, Mile End, and Whitechappel. They all have good underground and bus links and should not be any more expensive than Bow. They also have many more things to do.
Original post by beefmaster
Its pretty residential honestly. If you want to pay a similar price I would look at Bethnal Green, Mile End, and Whitechappel. They all have good underground and bus links and should not be any more expensive than Bow. They also have many more things to do.
I agree with this. East London has the advantage of ease of commute to central and (reasonably) decent rent prices. However, while letting agents can be expensive, don't outrule them completely. www.zoopla.co.uk has a good range of properties and you can really find decent deals on there. However, be aware of letting agent fees (which can be about 300 pounds). gumtree.com is usually good, though you're not immune from being cheated on there. Avoid anywhere that doesn't offer the deposit protection scheme. I am very serious about that.
Other good areas of London that balance social life and rent include Finsbury (well, more or less); Kilburn; Mile End; Whitechapel. If you're more concerned about rent (and to be honest, none of my university friends live anywhere near me and I managed to meet them and socialise with them despite this fact), then maybe you could consider somewhere south on the East London Line (Overground) or Northern line (around Elephant and Castle, perhaps). I'd avoid anywhere too far east, not only because of distance, but due to the upcoming Olympics (things are going to get busy, loud and expensive there). So, anywhere up to Leytonestone/Leyton (which are pretty good areas in themselves).
If you're looking to live alone, gumtree probably isn't the place to go. It's alright for houseshares but otherwise it's overrun with estate agents and bait-and-switches (in my experience).
As for the £500/mo place in Bow -- it sounds too good to be true. Have you seen the place for yourself, or has it been recommended by someone who is 100% trustworthy? I have ~never~ heard of a one-bedroom place anywhere within a sniff of central London for £500/month. £500/month for a room as part of a houseshare, sure, but not as a self-contained flat... ??? If it's indeed true and a decent place you'll be a very lucky person.
As for Bow, yeah it's alright, plus it's near a lot of busy and night life-y areas, so you shouldn't be stuck for things to do if you're living in/around east London. Never heard of Interlet or Flatland, sorry! And unfortunately when it comes to rental agencies, reputation does matter -- there are SO many slimy 'agencies' in operation.
tbh if I were in your position I'd either take a place in residence or attempt to get into a houseshare with a few other people (which might be difficult if you're unable to visit the UK again before uni starts).
Sorry for length, hope that helps some.
As for the £500/mo place in Bow -- it sounds too good to be true. Have you seen the place for yourself, or has it been recommended by someone who is 100% trustworthy? I have ~never~ heard of a one-bedroom place anywhere within a sniff of central London for £500/month. £500/month for a room as part of a houseshare, sure, but not as a self-contained flat... ??? If it's indeed true and a decent place you'll be a very lucky person.
As for Bow, yeah it's alright, plus it's near a lot of busy and night life-y areas, so you shouldn't be stuck for things to do if you're living in/around east London. Never heard of Interlet or Flatland, sorry! And unfortunately when it comes to rental agencies, reputation does matter -- there are SO many slimy 'agencies' in operation.
tbh if I were in your position I'd either take a place in residence or attempt to get into a houseshare with a few other people (which might be difficult if you're unable to visit the UK again before uni starts).
Sorry for length, hope that helps some.
Original post by firedoor
If you're looking to live alone, gumtree probably isn't the place to go. It's alright for houseshares but otherwise it's overrun with estate agents and bait-and-switches (in my experience).
As for the £500/mo place in Bow -- it sounds too good to be true. Have you seen the place for yourself, or has it been recommended by someone who is 100% trustworthy? I have ~never~ heard of a one-bedroom place anywhere within a sniff of central London for £500/month. £500/month for a room as part of a houseshare, sure, but not as a self-contained flat... ??? If it's indeed true and a decent place you'll be a very lucky person.
As for Bow, yeah it's alright, plus it's near a lot of busy and night life-y areas, so you shouldn't be stuck for things to do if you're living in/around east London. Never heard of Interlet or Flatland, sorry! And unfortunately when it comes to rental agencies, reputation does matter -- there are SO many slimy 'agencies' in operation.
tbh if I were in your position I'd either take a place in residence or attempt to get into a houseshare with a few other people (which might be difficult if you're unable to visit the UK again before uni starts).
Sorry for length, hope that helps some.
As for the £500/mo place in Bow -- it sounds too good to be true. Have you seen the place for yourself, or has it been recommended by someone who is 100% trustworthy? I have ~never~ heard of a one-bedroom place anywhere within a sniff of central London for £500/month. £500/month for a room as part of a houseshare, sure, but not as a self-contained flat... ??? If it's indeed true and a decent place you'll be a very lucky person.
As for Bow, yeah it's alright, plus it's near a lot of busy and night life-y areas, so you shouldn't be stuck for things to do if you're living in/around east London. Never heard of Interlet or Flatland, sorry! And unfortunately when it comes to rental agencies, reputation does matter -- there are SO many slimy 'agencies' in operation.
tbh if I were in your position I'd either take a place in residence or attempt to get into a houseshare with a few other people (which might be difficult if you're unable to visit the UK again before uni starts).
Sorry for length, hope that helps some.
Thank you for your thoughts. The 1 BR in Bow was offered to me by a friend, so it is trustworthy indeed. He offered it to me because his most recent tenants moved out unexpectedly and is willing to sacrifice some money in order to have a trustworthy person living there & taking care of it. I told him I wasn't sure, because being there for just a year I'm really interested in making the most of my time. When I Google Mapped it, the neighborhood seemed pretty dry for things to do & looked more like a purely residential area....though it is obviously an unbeatable price, I don't know that I can't find a flatshare in Kings Cross with 2 or 3 students for say....650 PCM...and to be closer to the "action," it may be worth the premium I'd pay.
Perhaps I have a misconception, but I spent a semester in London and would very much like to live in a lively neighborhood that is well connected to several different areas.
Wow! I dunno I think that given that you know the person, 500/mo in Bow is an excellent deal. I guess depending on the exact location it might not be in the middle of all the fun but Bow certainly isn't far from lively areas -- 5 to 30 min of walking or a single busy journey a few stops down the road will bring you to somewhere with a bit more going on, I think. East London is really busy and has a lot going on, esp during weekends.
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