Finding temporary accommodation in London
July 26, 2015 9:42 AM Subscribe
A friend of mine is moving from Israel to London on the 28th of August.
Their living arrangement just fell through, and as well as getting in touch with people they already know in London, they are looking for resources to find short-term rental housing there.
They are looking for temporary accommodation for one to two weeks while trying to find a more permanent arrangement. What resources (preferably online) are available for finding a room for a short-term rental?
Response by poster: The person in question is moving to London to study, so lodging options that are on par with, or more expensive than, a hotel room are out of their budget.
posted by frimble at 11:46 AM on July 26, 2015
posted by frimble at 11:46 AM on July 26, 2015
http://student.spareroom.co.uk/
The Student Room accommodations forum
Plus there's always couchsurfing.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 12:37 PM on July 26, 2015
The Student Room accommodations forum
Plus there's always couchsurfing.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 12:37 PM on July 26, 2015
Other options could include looking for a short let on Gum Tree or moveflat.com. Also, many universities let their residence halls out over the summer while empty, perhaps worth looking into with the organisation they're studying with or another? Here is an example from UCL.
posted by teststrip at 1:44 PM on July 26, 2015
posted by teststrip at 1:44 PM on July 26, 2015
I've just looked on Airbnb and rates are about £30 per night. That's rock bottom really for central London. There were a couple of options for around £25, but they seemed to be a lot further out.
The alternative would be a hostel - this doesn't look too bad.
posted by tinkletown at 3:59 PM on July 26, 2015
The alternative would be a hostel - this doesn't look too bad.
posted by tinkletown at 3:59 PM on July 26, 2015
Another option is to find a normal length let on Gumtree/Spareroom, but make arrangements to replace yourself as a tenant by the end of the 2 weeks. You skip the markup of "short let" rents this way. I've done this - it requires a fairly laid-back landlord, and consequently you might be in a dump of a place, but it's cheap and works.
Couchsurfing (the formal, website sort) the first few days may be an option, in order to have a base to house-hunt from. Travel light and ship belongings over once settled?
Good luck.
posted by lokta at 7:32 PM on July 26, 2015
Couchsurfing (the formal, website sort) the first few days may be an option, in order to have a base to house-hunt from. Travel light and ship belongings over once settled?
Good luck.
posted by lokta at 7:32 PM on July 26, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Flamingo at 10:18 AM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]