Pied à Terre

August 8, 2006 9:53 AM

How do I go about securing a good deal on a short-term lease (30-90 days) in London?

I will be travelling to London from Los Angeles in early October and staying there between 30-90 days on business. What would be the best way to go about getting a good deal on a single flat w/kitchen and private bathroom in Central London for around £200 pcw? This figure would ideally include all relative taxes. I'm aware of Craigslist, but are there any reputable estate agents I might also use? What about other sites that have short-term lets as an option? Thanks so much in advance...

posted by Lillitatiana to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

Gumtree and Moveflat.com are much more popular than craigslist over here.
posted by handee at 10:15 AM on August 8, 2006

Findaproperty.co.uk is also good.
posted by nyterrant at 10:17 AM on August 8, 2006

http://www.servicedlets.com/london

http://www.shortstay-london.com/
posted by wackybrit at 10:26 AM on August 8, 2006

Actually, might want to give that first one of mine a miss. I just dug around and the cheapest is £850 a week ;-)
posted by wackybrit at 10:27 AM on August 8, 2006

With huge luck. The short let market is inordinatly expensive if you're looking to rent somewhere for yourself. That said with c.£870pcm you'll be able to afford a one bed flat / studio on a short term let.

Findaproperty linked above is really more appropriate for purchase of leasehold / freehold property but it does have a Short Lets section.

The Gumtree linked above by handee is a great resource but it skews young-ish and towards Antipodean travellers. Still, you'll find a room in a shared house no problem through it. Probably a one bed property too.

I think that you should be looking in the property section of Loot, London's traditional (and still leading; Craigslist is nowhere by comparison) housing resource.

Also worth an occasional look are the property sections of the Evening Standard newspaper.

On a side note, avoid anything called a bedsit. Yuck.
posted by dmt at 10:30 AM on August 8, 2006

Oh, and welcome! See you at the next meetup!
posted by dmt at 10:30 AM on August 8, 2006

BTW, there's no way you'll get somewhere in 'Central London' for £200 per week on short term. Even a proper rental would be higher than that (and you'd pay council taxes on top). In fact, you'd be lucky to get somewhere in outer London for that.

If your budget is such, you might need to come up with a more informal arrangement like a temporary flatshare, or stay with someone you 'know'. It'll definitely take some hunting though. Central London is a popular place for some reason and even a nasty studio flat on a long-term rental can run over £1200 a month excluding taxes.
posted by wackybrit at 10:31 AM on August 8, 2006

That said with c.£870pcm you'll be able to afford a one bed flat / studio on a short term let.

Really? In Skegness, perhaps, but in Central London? If that were the case everyone would use short rentals than pay £100+ per night in a hotel.

(One possible solution for the original poster could be to try and land a deal at Travelodge. They often do £10-£26/night deals, even in centrally located lodges, but again.. lots of hunting.)
posted by wackybrit at 10:33 AM on August 8, 2006

dmt: BTW, my friend pays about £500-£600 per month to rent a bedsit in outer London and it's very nice (even if there's no room to swing a cat and you have to share a bathroom). A nice bedsit really isn't bad at all.
posted by wackybrit at 10:35 AM on August 8, 2006

Mate, Central London means zones 1 and 2. Loads of studios for that money; take Hammersmith as our example. 12 there alone. Dalling Road looks prime!

Shared bathrooms? No, ta, I went to boarding school and used to be a ski bum - I know how disgusting they can be. (All I'd need would be prison for an institutional full house, no?) Also, bed linen smelling of your cooking? Eew.
posted by dmt at 10:53 AM on August 8, 2006

Loot.com is key. But read it the moment it comes out -- things are gone within minutes!
posted by k8t at 12:22 PM on August 8, 2006

Citadines Aparthotel -- serviced apartments in your price range. I've stayed in them in other cities and they do what you need.
posted by patricio at 2:31 PM on August 8, 2006

Thanks, all!
posted by Lillitatiana at 7:22 AM on August 9, 2006

My partner and I are paying 550 a month total to live 3 minutes walk from Great Portland Street tube [1 minute walk from Regent's Park]. Sweetest deal ever? Probably.
posted by cloeburner at 8:01 AM on August 31, 2006