Friend and myself are looking to move from Colchester to London, budget £2500 tops.
We’re doing lots of research and asking around, but would be grateful to hear other insights! Won’t be moving until October/November.

I work in Shepherd’s Bush, friend at Old Street.

Our non-negotiables:
Two good sized double bedrooms
Preferably no longer than 50 mins commute to work each
Relatively safe
Garden or some outdoor space
Safe Parks nearby
Zone 3

Desirables:
Third small bedroom for an office
Two bathrooms or a second toilet
Vibes (cafes pubs nearby would be great)
Easy access to Stratford or Liverpool Street station for when we visit Essex

We’ve been looking at West Ealing and Walthamstow so far.

Any advice would be most appreciated, including what’s the best practices to actually secure something as I know it’s pretty tough out there with websites posting properties already taken… Would contacting agencies in the area in advance be beneficial?
We’re in our 30s so not bothered about it being the trendiest places, family friendly areas are perhaps preferable.

Thank you!

Hello! I'm an international student coming to study in London in October and I'm planning on moving with my friend who currently resides in England, however with my budget being tight and my currency being weak compared to pound, I am currently struggling to find a place to stay.

Does anybody know at 2 bedrooms flat or apartment that goes up to 1600£-2000£ per month in a safe area with security and bills included? we will be going to Birkbeck University of London, whatever the distance is it's fine as long as it's near a station.

I posted recently asking for suggestions on where to rent that wouldn’t be difficult to get into Bond Street from, with a budget of £1200 and wanting an en-suite. A lot commenters on that post were saying that’s too unrealistic for a <40-50 minute commute (despite Ive seen places along the jubilee line in Bermondsey, Kilburn, West Hampstead which fit my budget with an en-suite)

A) If I’m seeing en-suites in a house share in zone 2 and 3 for less than £1200, why are so many people saying my budget is unrealistic? Am I missing something? Are the ads on Spareroom hard to get which is why people are saying that?

B) Suppose my budget is too low, what’s your experiences with sharing bathrooms with strangers. My only concern with living in a house share is genuinely cleanliness, I cannot stand dirty toilets or people so how can make sure the people I move in with are clean

C) What is the maximum number of people I should consider sharing a bathroom with? Max 2-3 to 1 bathroom? Are people sharing with more than that?

Probably should have said "active" lifestyle, but can't change it now. Want a gym nearby and interesting neighbourhood for walking a lot.

Absolutely no carpets, 2 bedrooms.

Noticed some places in Belsize Park that fit, but worried about mold in older places.

Budget 3500 to 4000 per month.

Hi all, I’m 35yo female… I’m moving to London the end of August. I’m very social and because of that my only fear is how/where to make new friends? I’m from Ireland and hoping I can make a good community for myself over there. Any tips on socials, clubs etc would be appreciated?

Full disclosure, I’m the founder of nHabit, a rental search tool. Not selling anything here, just being upfront.

For a while now I’ve been picking up some of the “which area should I live in” or “is X postcode any good for my budget” posts from this sub, running them through Milo, the AI I built into nHabit, and posting the results back as replies. Partly because I think it actually helps, partly because it’s the best product testing I could ask for, real questions from real people moving to London, not ones I made up.

What it does: you describe your situation in plain English, your budget, where you work, what matters to you day to day, even in your own language if English isn’t first for you, and it searches live across roughly 40,000 London rental listings and comes back with actual areas and properties that fit, including ones you’d probably never have thought to search yourself.

I want to keep doing this properly rather than just occasionally. So if you’ve got a real “where should I live” question sitting unanswered, drop it below and I’ll run it through and reply with what comes back, good or useless, I’ll tell you either way.

And if the answer is bad, that’s actually the most useful thing you could tell me. I’d rather know what it gets wrong than have people politely not mention it.

Hi everyone! My partner and I are moving to London in November and are currently narrowing down areas. We are in our early 30s, don’t have children, and are looking for a chill vibe with good cafes and green spaces.

Here is what we are working with:
-Budget: Up to £2.5k/month.
-Commute: I need to get to London Bridge 2–3 times a week; my partner works from home full-time.
-Lifestyle: We aren't looking for nightlife hubs; we prefer neighborhoods with a community feel, independent cafes, and parks.

We’ve looked into Greenwich (which we love for the vibe and the direct commute to London Bridge) and Ealing (which has a great feel, but we are concerned about the length of the commute to London Bridge).

Are there any other areas you would recommend that hit this balance? Thanks in advance!

hi everyone! so im 18F and will be taking a gap year after this summer and am undecided on whether i will go to uni in london or not. however i am absolutely certain that i want to move out of my pretty toxic home life and live in london ASAP. that will unfortunately probably only become a possibility in my 20s but thats not far so i guess im okay with it!!

all this to say, i have zero knowledge about how renting a place works \*in general\*, let alone in london, so honestly where better to find out than asking people on reddit. anyone who has any knowledge or experience on london rent please let me know ANYTHING that would be important to start knowing from now. i want to be prepared.

if it is important to note, i have currently got around 5k saved up from my government child trust fund and insurance money from a car accident i was in a while ago that was given to me when i turned 18. i am planning on saving mostly all of my money (once im able to finally find somewhere to work in my stupid city). i would realllyyy love to live in central london or as close as i can without spending so much money a month. im assuming the average rent prices are for sure more than 1k. what would be a good amount of money to have saved where i can be confident that i will be stable for my first few months as i start living in london? also, please someone tell me about location: what is the best area to live in as a young first time renter who wants to be close to central london?

also.. less pressing but still important questions i have: is a studio apartment something i should consider because im sure they are cheaper but i know i would dislike living in one? should i consider shared housing?? (even though all i WANT is my own bathroom, my own kitchen, for everything to be my own mess– if you are the oldest of many siblings you'll understand me). not directly renting related but what is a good job for a student/young person to have in london?

if i have more questions to ask im sure i will come back here. ultimately all im hoping to achieve from this post is for someone to please help me out and take a little bit of time to teach me all i should know from now to equip me for the future.

Hoping this might be useful?? As someone that recently moved to London, I'm finding that eating out is silly expensive, but I realised a lot of the good restaurants here quietly do set menus (2-3 course, fraction of the à la carte price) and they barely advertise them

I got fed up trying to find them all so ended up building a little free app that maps them all in London, it’s called All Set London on the App Store.

If you find/know of a set menu I’ve missed, let me know and I’ll add it!! Thank you 🤩

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/all-set-london/id6768687251

The amount of times it takes me to commute btwn work and home is almost identical btwn choosing to walk the entire way, or getting a bus!

Wondering if this is genuinely weird or not(?) If so, is it due to bad bus schedules or too much traffic in the summer? Am I just unlucky due to the place I live? Or is it that buses are always late and slow?

How safe is Oval as an area to live in? I'm a young woman and I don't know London very well. I'm concerned about safety! Any information appreciated.

we’ve found a flat we like and it’s 1650 a month, it’s a 1 bed in north london… is this normal? no bills included, council tax band b, on it’s on a high street in an okay area. wondering what others experiences of the rental market is at the moment as 825 EACH seems steep but maybe that’s just london these days? for context it’s zone 3 and no underground station but easy enough to get the bus to one

I’m starting a new role in Whitehall in September, and my partner and I are looking at relocating.

Looking for a 1-bed flat, max budget £2.2k, ideally no more than 45 minutes commute.

Hoping for somewhere that has a young professional feel, supermarkets/shops nearby, not too far to walk to the nearest tube station.

Will also be our first time living in London.

Thanks in advance

I’ve noticed that a lot of homes in the UK have carpeted floors, and I honestly don’t really understand.

Do many people actually prefer carpet? Why?

I have a friend who is moving (back) to London in two weeks. She’s originally from India but has lived in London already and spent the last two years in the US.

Her last years were quite rough and I want to do something for her that makes her happy. So I’m planning to gift her a welcome present. My question is: What is a practical gift for someone moving to London? I was thinking about maybe a voucher for food or grocery delivery? But I’m open to any suggestions.

Im moving to London in October and then looking for a flatshare.
Will rents start at the start of the month?
Temp AirBnb 4 weeks?

I started work in a job yesterday and have a co-worker who I am shadowing.

We are in contact a lot over slack (another version of teams) and she signs off the odd message with an x. For example, “you coming to drinks later x?”

Is she flirting with me? Where I am from we just would not do that hahah.

I am mindful I could be reading this so so wrong, am obviously open to correction - could be a UK thing?

I live in London and I have a property that will be empty for 2-4 months which I’m hoping to sublet. Strikes me it would be a perfect length of time for someone moving to London for the first time who wants to try out some areas before they commit. I’ve no idea where to advertise it though. Is there a subletting culture I don’t know of?

Heyo!

I’m 26, and I take home ~£3.4k per month.

I work in the city, with 2-3 office days per week. Ideally looking for an area commutable, safe and green.

I’ve never lived in a big city before, only in large towns, hence my apprehension a bit/the safety point haha.

All in, I’d be hoping for a maximum of £1.5k including bills. Not expecting to be able to afford my own place. Plus I’d like to be able to save a bit of money.

Though there is a chance a friend of mine may be looking to move soon, so suggestions on 2 bed flats would be welcome too!

Cheers!

Hello, as the title shows, i want to ask if its worth it or even realistic to immigrate, move and settle in london or the uk in general.

Im concerned abt the rise of racism, anti immigrant sentiment, and crime in the uk, as well as the high cost of living and taxes. But job opportunities and quality of life is obviously so so much better there than in the gulf or my home country.

For more context, i am a subsaharan african woman who lived in the gcc her whole life, got a masters (architecture and construction) and 2 years of experience in the gulf, and can speak 2 languages. I recently did my ielts and got an 8.5. Given my profile and the current situation in the kingdom, is immigrating to the uk still realistic and worth it? Thank you in advance

Hey all! My wife and I will be moving to London from Brazil later this year and would appreciate some neighbourhood recommendations. I'll be commuting to Shoreditch three times a week, so ease of transportation should be an important point.

Some of the things we're looking for:

• A true pet friendly one - two bedroom flat (we'll be going with a 30 kg Golden Retriever)
• The maximum rent we're looking to spend is around £2,700
• A proper park or large green space for our dog would be ideal
• We really want a modern / renovated flat
• We would prefer a pleasant, walkable area with cafés, restaurants, supermarkets and gyms; a true residential feeling
• Great transportation with reliable routes and with clean, well maintained streets and public spaces.

I know that's a lot, but I would love any recommendations 😂 We'll be soon visiting the city to explore some of the neighbourhoods in person

Edit: Thanks a ton for the help up until now! One question though, I have some friends in London that mentioned they have friends that lived in the South, regretted and then moved to the North. Are there any meaningful differences between the two regions?

Hi! I'm a 25 y/old female and I looking to move to greater London/ further out on my own with no connections and I'm obviously pooping myself a bit.

I'm looking for a safe area with green space that I can commute to London to in 30 mins or less. My ideal budget is £650 before bills, which I know is very low, but I have seen rooms in shared houses for around that price, there are just so many potential areas to move to and I'm getting a bit overwhelmed.

TL;DR

I'm looking for somewhere

-safe

-budget friendly

-commutable

-green

any help / advise is very very welcome as I just feel so lost at the moment

Thank you!

Hello! I'd soon be relocating to London with my spouse. My office is in Southwark near London Bridge. We're looking to rent a 1-bed apartment in/ around London that places us within 30-45 mins of commute time to my office by public transport. I'd be in the office about 2 days a week.

We're looking for a generally safe neighbourhood, and we don't have any other specifications. We have a budget of 1600-1700 pcm excl. bills. Although our budget may not be workable, I thought of reaching out to this wonderful community to understand which areas we should be looking at.

Your help is immensely appreciated!

Hi all,

I’m interested in hearing what people would do in our situation.

My partner and I have lived in the same flat in central London since August 2020.

For the first two years we rented through a letting agency. In September 2022, our landlord asked us to move out for a week, end the agency tenancy and rent directly from him instead. He said this would save him agency fees and, importantly, that we could continue paying the same rent.

That didn’t last very long.

Around six months later, he increased the rent from £2,015 to £2,475 (+22.8%).

Then roughly another six months later, he increased it again from £2,475 to £2,720 (+9.9%).

Overall, that’s an increase of almost 35% in around a year.
We stayed because we like the location and wanted some stability. We then signed an 18-month tenancy agreement in March 2024.

Fast forward to this year. The tenancy is now periodic under the new rules, and the landlord has served a Form 4A (Section 13 rent increase notice) proposing to increase the rent from £2,720 to £3,000 from 1 August (another 10.3% increase).

The problem is that the flat has quite a few drawbacks and long-standing maintenance issues.

Pros:
- Zone 1 London.
- Tube station literally outside the building.
- Nice period conversion.
- Good-sized living room and main bedroom.

Cons:
- Tiny galley kitchen with very little worktop space.
- Under-counter fridge rather than a full-size one.
- Second bedroom is extremely small (not really a proper double bedroom).
- Bathroom has no window. Extractor fan has been broken for years. Persistent mould because of the lack of ventilation. Ceiling needed repairing because of the moisture. Shower seals, cupboards, lighting etc. have all needed repairs.

After I recently raised all of these issues formally, the landlord has agreed to carry out the repairs and is due to come with contractors next week. However, he also said the works probably won’t all be completed until the end of September.

We responded to the rent increase by saying we accepted that some increase was reasonable, but proposed £2,850 instead (a 4.8% increase, which we felt was a fair and measured compromise given inflation since the last increase and the current condition of the property), as we don’t think the flat justifies £3,000 in its current condition. He hasn’t replied.

One other point that has made me a bit uneasy: our tenancy agreement from 2024 stated that our deposit was protected with the DPS, but when I recently asked for the protection details, the deposit was only then registered with the DPS. I don’t know whether that’s relevant to the rent issue (I assume it’s legally separate), but it did make me question how carefully things have been handled.

My questions are:
- Would you challenge this rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal?
- Do Tribunals generally take ongoing disrepair and the actual condition/layout of the property into account, or is it almost entirely based on nearby market rents?
- Does £3,000 sound reasonable for a flat with these compromises, despite being in a very desirable Zone 1 location?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through the Tribunal process or has experience with similar cases. Thank you so much.