11 Nov 05 The Flat Hunt

It’s doubtful we’ll be able to find a good flat in London from way over here in NY state, USA. The good news is that QuantCo will set us up in an apartment/hotel for the month of January, giving us a chance to pick a neighbourhood and find a suitable place. It’s been helpful to peruse classifieds online but when I see something great it sucks because it’s too early and impossible to go view!

So a few flat-hunting things stand out as noteworthy:

1) It’s expensive! We’re hoping to get a 2-bedroom but it looks like we’ll likely have to settle for one. Either way we’ll be spending somewhere around £1000 per month.

2) Rent prices are quoted weekly. Eg. £250/week. Multiply that by 52 and divide that by 12 so you can see how much monthly rent will be (took me awhile to figure that one out ;)

3) Most places come fully furnished.

4) Council tax. Renters are obligated to pay this monthly. Property tax.

The best sites for listings appear to be Find a Property, Foxtons and of course Craigslist.

From what I understand London flats are generally quite small compared to apartments in North America. We’re used to having limited living space, but I hear doorways and stairwells and such are tiny. So yeah, that enormous sleigh bed just won’t fit (not that we’ve got one anyway).

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