Living in London

London is a very unique place in that we have people from all over the world moving in and out on a regular basis. As such, we endeavour to provide as much information as possible to get you started, but the actual leg work will be up to you.

Moving & Storage Services:
Boxman will  deliver empty boxes to your flat (for free), pick them up once you've packed (within 2 weeks), store them as long as you need them to (for £5 per month per box), then deliver them to your new flat when you're am ready for them (for £5 deliver per box).

Housing Generally people in the ward do not host visitors as London tends to draw in more people than we can accommodate and it becomes a burden on the ward members. If you're coming to tour the city, I would suggest finding a hostel or hotel (see links below).

Here is a fast track guide to starting your housing search: 

1. First, read the through the information on the ward housing website to familiarise yourself with the intricacies of housing in London. What you don’t know CAN hurt you, so make sure you gather as much information as possible. The website will provide you with valuable information regarding rent, transport/commuting know-how, and areas of London. 
2. Post your housing requirements on the ward housing list on the website. We have a live document that allows you to update your own information. I would suggest posting your housing needs on this straight away so that people who have availability will be able to contact you directly. It's a good idea to check back regularly to find new postings as well. Please keep your information up to date and remove it when you’ve found housing or are no longer looking. This maintains the integrity of the document and saves people time from contacting people who are no longer looking.
3. Review the LDS YSA housing availability listing on the website. You might get lucky and find a good fit.
4. Contact others who are also looking for housingusing the contact information on the housing required list. It’s often easier to put together a new flat than trying to find space in an existing flat.
5. Submit your name and contact details to as many letting agencies as possible. This is key to finding a flat on your own (or with a group of people also looking). A lot of the flat listings online are teaser ads and will not produce results by simply responding to these adverts. Many of the flats listed are likely no longer available. Agencies are the practical way to finding something suitable with all your requirements. Beware of ads for flats that are too good to be true—if the rent is low for a given area, it’s likely a scam. Never send money to anyone before you have a contract in place and have viewed the property.

If you're here for a short time, it might also be a good idea to check out hostel options. If you get in contact with a hostel directly, they can sometimes rent out the rooms at weekly and monthly rates at a deep discount. We had a ward member in a hostel for a few months and she was paying a very reasonable price--less than £450 per month, which is much less than a shared flat in central London and centrally located as well. The following links tend to be good sources for the best priced hostels/hotels in central London:

http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/london/

http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/London

From time to time, members may be in a position to take on an extra flatmate for a month or two (especially those who go home for the summer); so you may be able stay with ward members for an agreed upon pro-rated share of the rent. In that case, I would again recommend posting your information and housing needs on the Britannia / Hyde Park YSA Facebook pages with all the relevant details.

This is a link to the official London YSA Facebook page. Post your details here so that people can contact you if they have a room available or if they are looking for a group of people to start a new flat.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/hydeparkysa/

Here is a link to a historic London YSA facebook page that is still in use. Most people post to both pages, so there will be overlap, but it's a good idea to check both pages in the event that one page has a listing that the other does not!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/londoncfya/

Things you should know before you move to London:

• Navigating London
• London by Area
• Maps
• London by Borough
• London by Postcode(list of postal districts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_postal_district)
• London by Zone
• Public Transport Links
• Deciding Where to Live
• When to Look
• Neighbourhoods
• Logistics of Living in London
• Renting
• Letting agents
• Some of the leading estate agents include:
  • Foxtons
  • Chesterton Humberts
  • Thomson Currie
  • Hamptons
  • Chesterton
  • Currell
  • Winkworth
  • Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward
• Flatsharing  
• Gumtree
• Spare room
• Buying
• Cost of Living by Area
• Budgeting Typical Housing Expenses
• Council Tax
• Food
• Transportation
• Gas & Electricity
• Internet
• Thames Water
• Rubbish Collection
• Phones

Making the Move - Additional things to consider: 

• Renter's Insurance
• Inspecting Properties
• Guarantors & References
• Inventory & Schedule of Condition
• TV Licenses
• Rental Agreements / Contracts
• Checking Ownership of Property
• Holding Deposits / Damage Deposits - You are likely to require a deposit (often a month and a half rent) and the first month’s rent up front, so when assessing your rental budget try to work out how much you will need up front to rent in London.
• Moving Companies
• Moving from Overseas