How Not To Rent A Flat In London

I’m in the process of looking for a new place to live in London and for a change, I’m not in a rush, which means I can afford to take my time. There is nothing wrong with the studio I currently live in, it is big, bright, spacious and I like the area that I live in, which is Kilburn. But, there has always got to be a but, I know eventually, that I would like have a bit more space and be a little bit further away from the High Road, as well as having a garden, oh how I miss not having a garden.

A huge mistake that people make when looking for somewhere to live in London, is to be in a hurry. When you are in a rush, that is when things are most likely going to end in tears or you are going to get ripped off, that is most definitely, How Not To Rent A Flat In London.

Another mistake to make is wasting precious time, for example when you phone up to enquire about a property, ask relevant questions. Not so long ago, I visited a studio, which took me 3 hours to travel back and forth from and it was the size of a dog kennel. In fact if told my Staffie, that was her new home, she would have bitten my arm off. If I only asked the guy on the phone, how big was it, instead of just assuming that it would be okay. Not asking questions before you visit, is most definitely, How Not To Rent A Flat In London.

A basic mistake to make, is not too go and wander around your new potential neighbourhood, during the day and night to get a feel for the area, to see if you like the buzz and atmosphere of the place. Or even, to see if you have got some crazy or loud neighbours and worst of all, a busy train track out the back. When I recently looked at a place in Cricklewood, which is only a few miles from where I live. I walked around the area for an hour or so, to get a feel for the place and I couldn’t stand it, I knew that  I would never be comfortable living in that part of London. Being too lazy to have a good scout around the area of your new home, is most definitely, How Not To Rent A Flat In London.

Whatever you do, never fall victim to scammers, use the common sense that you were born with. If something seems too good to be true and believe me, it always is in London. You can usually spot the fraudsters on Gumtree a mile off, they will respond to your enquiry in bad English and then on the second email they will mention the dreaded words Western Union. My favourite response to these fools, is to play along with their game and when they think I’m about to give them money, I send them a picture of a donkeys ass. Sending money to someone to pay a deposit for a property, you have never viewed before, is most definitely, How Not To Rent A Flat In London.

When you finally find a place to live, which you are comfortable with, make sure, that you get a receipt for your deposit and that you get a rental agreement, which you actually bother to read properly. To move into a new place without doing so, is most definitely, How Not To Rent A Flat In London.

If you are using a letting agent, estate agent or consultant to find a property for you in London, do some research on them. There are quiet a few crooked companies out there, which advertise all over the place on Gumtree, Craigslist, and Loot. They charge you a fee before they have found a place for you to live, which is actually illegal in the UK. The ploy of such companies, is to advertise loads of cheap and reasonable priced rental properties all over London, which basically don’t exist. I think you get the picture, as to what such companies are all about. With the help of Google, it wont take you too much time or effort to find out if the company you are dealing with is legitimate or not, not doing so, is most definitely, How Not To Rent A Flat In London.

The name of the game, when looking for a place to live in London is to take things seriously and put some effort into it. Because if you don’t, you will be back to square or potentially even worse, you will find yourself stuck in a crap hole for year, until your lease ends! So if you follow my advise, you will know, How To Rent A Flat In London.

London is a vibrant, buzzing and amazing city to live in, but there are also rip off merchants, crooks and con men, standing on virtually every street corner, waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting.

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