Letting agency for East London?
September 25, 2011 7:26 AM   Subscribe

I am moving to London to start a new job next week/week after and finding my room/studio search hampered by squatters and wire transfer fraudsters. Can you recommend a letting agency for East London?
posted by parmanparman to Home & Garden (7 answers total)
 
If you're looking for a room in a shared house I have had quite a lot of luck on Spare room when I moved to London in the same situation as you. The advantage of this website is you can generally find somewhere where you can sign a shorter three month lease so that you have the option to find somewhere else once you know the area better, or to stay where you are if you like it. Alternatively Rightmove is quite good.
posted by Laura_J at 7:54 AM on September 25, 2011


This is an awful time of year to look for a rental place in London because school is starting. When I moved to London this time of year, I spent days marching up and down the street (in Camden somewhere) where all the letting agencies were. We'd run when a new listing was posted.
posted by k8t at 9:31 AM on September 25, 2011


Loft Lets deals with East London, including Tower House in Whitechapel which has a fairly high turnover rate because many (if not most) of its tenants are short-term residents.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 12:17 PM on September 25, 2011


I am doing this right now, and I've spent 8 days on a friends couch but I now have a couple of pretty good leads. All of the places I found were via Moveflat, but I've noticed that there are fewer listings than there were a month or two ago when I was looking (or at least in my price range). But I guess if you are working, you won't be limited to quite the budget I was (less than £500 a month max).
posted by iamnotateenagegirl at 1:20 PM on September 25, 2011


Since you mention wire transfers, I assume you're moving from abroad? Highly recommend that you not try to rent something before you get there. Make sure you can see the place before you give anyone any money. London is full of scammy flat listings.

I found the London housing/real estate system incredibly exasperating. There's always lots on the market, but it tends to go very fast. Lots of agencies don't bother putting up half their listings on their sites because they're gone by the end of the day. The only real way to do it is to find some neighbourhoods you're interested in, and visit several estate agents in that neighbourhood. Gumtree, Rightmove, and some of the other web listing sites are good, but they are by no means a complete listing of what's available. You have to make a multi-pronged attack, using both the web and in-person visits to estate agents.

Generally, flats go up for let when they are available, and not before. So expect to be able to move in to most places the day after you sign the lease, or at least within the week. Also, it is not uncommon to have a 6 month lease. Many places will ask for a 12 month lease, but will offer a 6 month "break clause". Also, many flats come furnished or at least have a bed and a couch. Rents tend to be advertised by the weekly rate, but you pay by the month.

Other things to be mindful of are Council Tax, which will typically add an extra ~£100/month to your rental amount. The rates vary by council and by the zoning of the building you're in, so you'll have to inquire about this with each an every listing. If you are moving from abroad and don't yet have a UK bank account, you may have to pay 3-6 months rent up front, or may require a guarantee from your employer.

If you're looking for a share, then sites like Gumtree might be a help. FWIW, I ended up finding both of my London flats on Craigslist, but I felt like that had more to do with luck than with Craigslist being a superior search tool. Craigslist is very, very scam-ridden in London. So be sure to check out anything in person.
posted by amusebuche at 5:31 PM on September 25, 2011


Response by poster: I already live in England, in Birmingham.
posted by parmanparman at 12:10 AM on September 26, 2011


The rental market has gone completely crazy in London this year - a fortnight ago, we tried three estate agents for either a 2, 3 or 4 bed flat in South London...and there wasn't a single one left. I'd keep plugging away at Gumtree, but be prepared to pay more than you would have done even six months ago.
posted by garlicsmack at 4:17 AM on September 26, 2011


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