next »

[amarieh]

Is there any affordable housing available for married couples that have pets?  We have to live near Kings Cross/Camden/Russell Square area.  We want a place that isn't extremely tiny because we don't want our pets on top of us at all hours.
I've been searching the listings on gumtree for weeks and the responses I get are all from spammers.  I'm so tired of it.
Please help me.  My husband and I just want to live together in a flat that is reasonably sized and will accomodate our pets.  It seems it will be impossible for us to live in London.  A place with a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and queen sized bed would be ideal.
Is this too much to ask for on two postdoc salaries?

[fourhats]

It isn't all that easy to find a rental in London that allows pets, and as you're finding rents are very high, bedrooms often small (and often don't have closets).  Have you looked on www.findaproperty.com or www.zoopla.com?

[oddlyodd]

Why do you have to live near King's Cross/Russell Square? There are cheaper places further out, and you can commute by tube easily, even if you're then getting a train from KX.

[alleyoxenfree]

Have you looked on sabbaticalhomes?

http://www.sabbaticalhomes.co.uk/

[expatinuk]

A place with a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and queen sized bed would be ideal.
Is this too much to ask for on two postdoc salaries?

You're lucky to find this in any rental in the UK, unless you're talking extreme top end. Oh... just to let you know... in the UK what you call a Queen size bed is a King sized bed here.

[onelime]

and that's "washer," not "washer/dryer." You will not see a dryer anywhere in the UK for the entire length of your postdoc. It's a hot sunny country, you know, and the wash dries quickly on a rack. :)

[theblondeassassin]

and that's "washer," not "washer/dryer." You will not see a dryer anywhere in the UK for the entire length of your postdoc. It's a hot sunny country, you know, and the wash dries quickly on a rack. :)

I KNEW that was a Dalek living in my utility room and not a Hotpoint condenser dryer as it claimed when it rang the front door bell and asked to come in.

[wegie]

Is there any affordable housing available for married couples that have pets? 

In London?

Let's just say that the London version of "affordable" is an interesting concept.

We have to live near Kings Cross/Camden/Russell Square area.  We want a place that isn't extremely tiny because we don't want our pets on top of us at all hours.

KGX has more transport links than a medium-sized country. Half an hour's commute from there covers a huge swathe of southern England. The area immediately around there is either slummy or extortionately expensive, but either way you're looking at a minimum of a thousand pounds a month for a studio or one-bed flat.

I've been searching the listings on gumtree for weeks and the responses I get are all from spammers.  I'm so tired of it.

Gumtree is notorious as a spam haven. Findaproperty.com and rightmove.co.uk are the two biggest aggregators of estate agent listings.

Please help me.  My husband and I just want to live together in a flat that is reasonably sized and will accomodate our pets.  It seems it will be impossible for us to live in London.  A place with a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and queen sized bed would be ideal.
Is this too much to ask for on two postdoc salaries?

It's not too much to ask, although I'd be moderately surprised to find it in the areas in which you're searching. Remember that London has a very well integrated public transport system, and most people are quite happy to live at some distance from their work (my husband works in the City, but we live out in Kew, for instance -- and I know at least one lecturer at QMUL who lives in Kingston), particularly if it means they get somewhere nicer to live.

It's the pets that will be the major sticking point, though. Unless you have gerbils, you're going to run into umpteen gazillion contracts specifying "no pets".

[fourhats]

OP, you might be interested in this from the BBC:  the UK tends to have the small homes in Europe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8201900.stm

It's about houses, rather than apartments, but it gives you some idea of how to scale expectations.

Also, you don't say when you're leaving, but I assume that if it's for September, your pets are chipped, you've gone through the process of getting a vet's pet passport, and work visas for yourselves?  All these can take some time and money.  Hopefully your university can help you set up a bank account (not as simple as in the US) and answer some of your other questions.

[wegie]

OP, you might be interested in this from the BBC:  the UK tends to have the small homes in Europe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8201900.stm

It's about houses, rather than apartments, but it gives you some idea of how to scale expectations.

It's worse than that. That's *all* new-build homes, including flats. Our flat. built in 1965, is seen as relatively spacious for an entry-level two bedroom at 600 sq ft. The equivalent today would be about 500 sq ft or less. A family with a toddler are currently renting our place, and they love that it's so much bigger than their previous one-bed flat!

The thing to remember is that the greater London/SE England area has the highest population density in Europe. There really isn't room to swing a cat here, and it's reflected in the insane prices for very small amounts of space.

Personally, you'd have to pay me to live in King's Cross. Horrible part of town. And the bits that are nice around there, Clerkenwell or Bloomsbury for example, are priced accordingly.

[amarieh]

Alright so I've realized I have a nice life in America with my 170 square meter home that has room to swing my pets! 

But, I still want to move to London.  What do you all think about Finsbury Park?  I've seen some cheaper flats in that neighborhood.  It has good connections to the tube and train lines.  Is the neighborhood safe?  Are there good restaurants and shops?  The park in the neighborhood looks appealing at least.

I guess I am getting hung up on the vocabulary when looking at these listings.  I have a hard time figuring out the different types of buildings - flats, apartments, maisonettes, period conversions, houses that look like flats to me.  I don't really know what the difference is between all of these.  I know there are other terms I've stumbled on too that I don't understand necessarily.  Freeholder?  Let?  I assume a let is a lease.  Wouldn't you always want to sign a lease to protect yourself?  Sometimes the searches let you check "no let".  Why would anyone not want a lease?  Is that for if you only want to live in the place a month or two and then move out right away?

Also, please clarify the bed vocabulary.  Most flats I've seen say they are a 1 double bedroom studio or flat.  Sometimes it looks like they come furnished with a brand new double bed.  Is that double bed the same size as a double or full bed in the US?  Some flats have pictures of a room with what looks like two twin beds pushed together.  What would be the proper name for that?  Is that still called a double bed?  Or a King?  In the US two twin beds would equal the same size as a King bed.  That's what we want to have in our place in London.  We want a bed that is the size of two twin beds or we'll take two twin beds pushed next to each other.  So what is this called in England?

And is it generally the agencies that are providing the furniture?  For instance, if they put a brand new double bed in the place is there room for negotiation to ask for 2 single beds pushed together instead?

[llanfair]

When we were in London for three months in 2005, we rented a room "with double bed".  Um, no.  It was a three-quarter.  I wound up sleeping on the floor on an air-mattress.

The area we were in, though, I can recommend: Belsize Park, NW3.  Very close to two Tube lines and only 15 mins from a third.  20 minutes got me to Euston Station/Kings Cross (depending on the line I took).  It was a great neighbourhood, with everything we could've wanted.  Very close to Hampstead Heath, too.

[oddlyodd]

O.k. I'll have a go at answering your queries, having just rented a house in a commuter town just outside London (only 20 minutes to King's Cross on very frequent trains - I still think you should consider this option if you actually want a house)

Finsbury Park?  I've seen some cheaper flats in that neighborhood.  It has good connections to the tube and train lines.  Is the neighborhood safe?  Are there good restaurants and shops?  The park in the neighborhood looks appealing at least.

As in most areas, there are good parts and bad parts. I think you're really going to have to fly over and do some walking round to get a feel for the place rather than trying to do it remotely over the internet.

I guess I am getting hung up on the vocabulary when looking at these listings.  I have a hard time figuring out the different types of buildings - flats, apartments, maisonettes, period conversions, houses that look like flats to me.  I don't really know what the difference is between all of these.  I know there are other terms I've stumbled on too that I don't understand necessarily.  Freeholder?  Let?  I assume a let is a lease.  Wouldn't you always want to sign a lease to protect yourself?  Sometimes the searches let you check "no let".  Why would anyone not want a lease?  Is that for if you only want to live in the place a month or two and then move out right away?

Letting agencies are notoriously free and easy with the thesaurus. Most places will be a 'flat' or apartment, but they will be small. Freeholder refers to when you buy a property (i.e. it doesn't have a lease; you buy it outright).

I think you're getting confused about the word 'let'. It's the past tense of 'to lease' and presumably you're seeing adverts with 'let' on them, meaning the property has already been taken by someone else; the agent haven't got round to taking it off the website yet.  I think the check box you're referring to is a 'already let' option so you can see what's been taken and what hasn't.

Also, please clarify the bed vocabulary.  Most flats I've seen say they are a 1 double bedroom studio or flat.  Sometimes it looks like they come furnished with a brand new double bed.  Is that double bed the same size as a double or full bed in the US?  Some flats have pictures of a room with what looks like two twin beds pushed together.  What would be the proper name for that?  Is that still called a double bed?  Or a King?  In the US two twin beds would equal the same size as a King bed.  That's what we want to have in our place in London.  We want a bed that is the size of two twin beds or we'll take two twin beds pushed next to each other.  So what is this called in England?

Adverts will usually say whether the flat is unfurnished or furnished. It's usually the landlord rather than the agency who provides the furniture. Again, there's no real way of knowing what's in the property until you view it in person.

Two beds pushed together will still be a twin room rather than a double. Most if not all beds in a 'double' room will be a small two-person bed; certainly not as big as a Queen or King.

Flats generally come with white goods, whether they're furnished or unfurnished. This will usually be a refrigerator, washer and hob/stove. If you're lucky it might come with a dryer and dishwasher, but not always.

Watch out also for heating - even in London it gets cold, and rental properties are notoriously badly insulated. I'd avoid places with 'storage heaters' (also called 'economy 7 heating). Gas central heating (GCH) is preferable.

[wegie]

O.k. I'll have a go at answering your queries, having just rented a house in a commuter town just outside London (only 20 minutes to King's Cross on very frequent trains - I still think you should consider this option if you actually want a house)

I was going to suggest Hatfield or St Albans, or even as far out as Royston, but they're very definitely not London. I wouldn't mind (the number of people in the local graveyards with my surname are just a bit of a giveaway ;-), but they really aren't what one thinks of when one imagines having a job in London.

But, I still want to move to London.  What do you all think about Finsbury Park?  I've seen some cheaper flats in that neighborhood.  It has good connections to the tube and train lines.  Is the neighborhood safe?  Are there good restaurants and shops? The park in the neighborhood looks appealing at least.

Finsbury Park is OK. I wouldn't run screaming into the distance (and this is a woman who lives in a horribly upmarket suburb talking ;-). Excellent ethnic restaurants and great travel connections.

I guess I am getting hung up on the vocabulary when looking at these listings.  I have a hard time figuring out the different types of buildings - flats, apartments, maisonettes, period conversions, houses that look like flats to me.  I don't really know what the difference is between all of these.  I know there are other terms I've stumbled on too that I don't understand necessarily.

To carry on from what OddlyOdd said, estate agents aren't legally allowed to lie, but they can be pretty economical with the truth.

Herewith follows wegie's guide to UK estate agent vocabulary . . .

Apartment -- is almost always relatively modern and built as an apartment block.

Flat -- means the same as apartment does in US English, but doesn't always refer to a block originally built as apartments.

Maisonette -- should refer to somewhere that has its own separate front door onto the street . . . but often is used for a duplex that doesn't have its own front door.

Period conversion -- single family home that's been chopped up into flats. Beware of sound insulation problems! But, critically, the ground or lower ground floor conversion may be a garden flat that comes with actual outside space -- very useful with pets.

Freeholder?  Let?  I assume a let is a lease.  Wouldn't you always want to sign a lease to protect yourself?  Sometimes the searches let you check "no let".  Why would anyone not want a lease?  Is that for if you only want to live in the place a month or two and then move out right away?

Freeholder -- owner of the freehold of the property. In some cases this is the landlord, in others not.

To let -- available for rent

Let -- as OddlyOdd says, already rented out to somebody else. The "exclude let properties" check box allows you to filter out stuff that's already been leased.

Also, please clarify the bed vocabulary.  Most flats I've seen say they are a 1 double bedroom studio or flat.  Sometimes it looks like they come furnished with a brand new double bed.  Is that double bed the same size as a double or full bed in the US?  Some flats have pictures of a room with what looks like two twin beds pushed together.  What would be the proper name for that?  Is that still called a double bed?  Or a King?  In the US two twin beds would equal the same size as a King bed.  That's what we want to have in our place in London.  We want a bed that is the size of two twin beds or we'll take two twin beds pushed next to each other.  So what is this called in England?

And is it generally the agencies that are providing the furniture?  For instance, if they put a brand new double bed in the place is there room for negotiation to ask for 2 single beds pushed together instead?

The standard UK double bed is 4 foot six. A king size is five foot.

English single beds come in small (2 foot 6"), medium (2 foot 9") and large (3 foot) sizes. Most English bedrooms tend to feel rather cramped if you have two 3 foot beds pushed together, so if you see two beds pushed together, you can take a decent bet on them being 2 foot 6".

As OddlyOdd said, furnishing is usually the province of the landlord. You can negotiate on what goes in or comes out.

[fourhats]

Do you know anyone in London who can look at places for you?  It sounds as though you don't know neighborhoods, which can vary wildly.  Finsbury Park, as said above, has good and bad areas.  Shepherd's Bush as well.  On the east end, Hackney is now "trendy" in estate agent speak. Belsize Park and Chalk Farm could be nice, as I think someone mentioned.  Maybe Swiss Cottage.

Apartments are often really, really small.  Keep in mind that a double bedroom may only fit a standard double bed, perhaps little else, and a single bedroom fits one twin bed.  And often without closets ('fitted wardrobes').  A bedroom that fits an American sized (not English) king bed would be a real find, especially coupled with a place that allows pet.  Any chance that you're willing to scale back your sleeping requirements?

Another option would be to go on www.sabbaticalhomes.com and take a place for a couple of weeks, while you look around for a longer let.

All that said, London is an exciting city and once you're settled it could be a real adventure.  Have you read Alison Lurie's novel "Foreign Affairs" about visiting American faculty in London?