House/flat renting help and/or advice in London?

[opas]

Loads of good advice already given in this thread. Considering that you work in the Farringdon area have you ever considered moving East? Maybe somewhere like Dalston / London Fields / Bethnal Green? Those areas are a bit pricier than they used to be and you would have to be sure that you liked the area. I'm still not particularly sold on Dalston but I have a friend that moved to that area and she likes it.

London Fields/Broadway Market has got a lot more trendier of late, almost unrecogniseable from how it was 10 years ago.

Also if you move East you may want to consider ditching your 1-3 travelcard and getting a bus pass(!) I know life will be slower but while I was a student I hardly got the tube (unless I was running really late) as I couldn't afford it - also back then a bus pass for the whole of London with the student discount was less that £30 for the month. It did mean that I always had to allow extra time for journeys but sometimes I think that was an absolute positive when I'm stuck on a hot packed tube. I was lucky that I did live in a zone 2 area with good direct bus links into the city and west end though.

Another area you may want to look into is along the eastern end of the DLR (i.e Royal Victoria). That is also v.close to City Airport (don't know if that could be bonus for you in terms of visiting home?)

Again you would need to check it out and that area is not that built up as it has only been regenerated relatively recently but I've got another friend who who got a flat there with her OH and they rave on about it (supposedly they are going to get some cable car to connect them to the O2 North Greenwich at some point too). I thought it was all wasteland round there but was pleasantly surprised as quite a few developments have gone up now. However it is not too busy and if you want a bit more of the city buzz, day and night, then that area may not be ideal.

Good luck! Hope you find something suitable and within budget.

[opas]

Also to save on travel costs, other tricks I have done over the years include getting a zone 2/3 travel card (which gives you a London wide bus pass anyway). If I needed to go into central London I'd travel to the border line station then continue my journey into zone 1 on bus. I know it sounds finicky but when it saves £50+ a month, needs must!

Travelling everywhere by bus also meant I got a good idea of how to get to places around London using the roads. Some of my friends who were also born in London have no idea of how to get to certain places unless they come out of the tube and are really unfamiliar with our city - it's disgraceful

[Legs]

Anyone here had the experience of taking in or being a lodger? I usually have language students but have had to give it up as I'm at college now 2 nights a week. I'm just not sure about having a complete stranger living in my house. But loads of people do it and i would like to hear first hand from people what it's like ( from both sides).

[canadian_turtle]

I'm a lodger, what would you like to know?

[Legs]

I'm a lodger, what would you like to know?

Hi canadian_turtle thanks for your reply. Did you spend much time trying to find the 'right' place. Like looking for the kind of home owner you would think you get on with or just decide on practicality like location and cost?

Basically what I'm trying to work out is once I put up an add and people start calling me should I see people and try to find out a bit about them and then choose someone on the basis of their personalty (which I would think is hard fathom and I don't like judging people). And not take someone on until I think I have found the right person. Or just make sure they can p*y the rent and haven't got something like a live spiders-of-the-world collection and go for it?

I know I may sound pathetic but I have never shared or lived with anyone but my family. I never even had the experience of student sharing.

[canadian_turtle]

I spent a few weeks finding the place I am currently living. I saw a fair few houses but most of them looked quite dingy which instantly put me off, no matter how lovely the home owner may have been. I instantly fell in love with the look and style of the place I am living (very cosy and nicely decorated) and while afterwards I did find about things I hadn't thought of at first I still think I've made the right choice for my first lodging experience. It was certainly important to me that I hit it off with the home owner too, though we don't see each other much it'd be hard living in the same house with someone you dislike, but we only had one proper conversation (of about half an hour) before I moved in which felt very comfortable and good.

You don't have to be a good judge of character to have a comfortable (or awkward) conversation to try and understand what kind of person you're talking to. Obviously you cannot possibly find out everything about them, but it should help you cut out ones you'd know from the start would be an unfit match.

You can always ask for references from previous home owners, work, proof of income, etc. too, if those are things you're worried about.

[Beate]

While the ability to p*y the rent is definitely a priority, it's also really important to get on with the person you share your home with so I would spend as much time as needed to figure out whether that will be the case, as you will be miserable if you cannot tolerate the person who you live with, no matter how good they are in p*ying the rent or washing up.

[Mesa7719]

When I lived in a house/flat share before, I choose to live with a guy. All the other houses I had visited already had girls who already had an established relationship even tho they didnt live in each others pockets if you get me. I found them to be a little "clicky" and they made me feel like I wouldnt fit it with their already made gang.

I totally agree with Beate that you need to get on with the person.

I lived with my best friend once tho and even tho we didnt row or anything, things became a little strained from time to time....

[Legs]

Thank you for the replies. I have advertised. Fingers crossed I get a gooden.