Finding Housing in London, England: An Expert's Guide

Learn how to find housing in London from an expert's perspective. Find out about popular websites like Gumtree, Zoopla, Rightmove and more.

Finding Housing in London, England: An Expert's Guide

Most searches to find apartments or houses for rent start on popular websites like Gumtree, Zoopla, and Rightmove. Other smaller actors, especially for sharing houses, are Spareroom and Open Rent. In London, traditional renting is usually comprised of a group of private landlords who use a “rental agent” to advertise and manage their individual apartment. Generally, it is recommended to spend about a third of your income on rent in London, but some people spend a little more, close to half (when all is said and done, including utilities).

It is important to consider transportation costs when deciding how far away from the city center to live. For those looking for an alternative to traditional renting, there are apartment-type shared accommodation offers such as UNCLE. These offer incredible apartment blocks located anywhere from Elephant Castle & (very centrally located) to Wembley (further away, but with easy access to central London). UNCLE apartments usually have some leeway on things like the termination clause and the length of the lease (UNCLE is between six months and three years).

The Internet is a great resource for finding rental properties in London. Websites like Rightmove, Zoopla, and Spareroom have huge databases with hundreds of rental properties listed with photos taken by professionals, full details of amenities and facilities, along with expected monthly rental prices. Furnished apartments are very common in London, so you should have no problem finding one for rent in your chosen neighborhoods. When it comes to understanding how to find an apartment in London, it's essential to gather all the documentation in advance.

With hundreds of thousands of people emigrating every year, it can often be difficult to find adequate housing. However, with the right style and at the right price, you can often have a lot of options when it comes to where to live in the city. Shared apartment blocks in London are typically hundreds of apartments in a building or community managed by a parent company, not by the landlords. In the United States, no more than 30% of their income should be paid on housing.

In London, many people spend between 40 and 50% of their net salary on rent.