The Hard Stuff (Part 2)

The House

I got very lucky in my search for a house. I had a friend to live with for a couple of months when I first got here and I managed to find a fantastic house in Clapham within 2 weeks of looking.

I live with 6 other people and it’s great! They are a built-in social circle and there’s almost always someone to chat to. We’ve made a good group. We even have our token Aussie (a necessity in a Clapham house)!

Some people prefer to live alone but this drives up the cost so it all depends on the budget you have. Flatshares are very easy to come by in London and often you’ll get to meet the people before you make a commitment. Try your best to do that in fact as you may or may not end up with some pretty insane people!

Use Zoopla or Spareroom to find your new place – they’re often the best! Gumtree is another popular search website but be wary of the scams! Most of you know them by now but just in case: NEVER give anyone any money until you’ve signed an agreement with them.

As well, I recommend going through a private landlord instead of a letting agent to save on admin fees (which can, in many cases, be extortionate).

Another good tip is to try and find a house where the bills are included in the price. You’ll find your housemates easier to get along with when you’re not fighting over who takes the longest showers or leaves their lights on all night. In cases where you can’t do that, a house with fewer flatmates will be easier – 3 or 4 people in a house at the most.

Bills you have to consider:

• Electricity
• Water
• Council tax (a monthly tax calculated based on size and location of your home)
• Heating
• Internet/Phone
• TV Licence (yes, you pay to have a TV in your home!)
• TV Services (similar to the way we pay for Rogers/Shaw cable, etc.)

1. Note: In the UK, you can get very good basic TV channels with something called a Freeview Box. They cost about £20 each and are free to use after that -  hence the name!

Areas to consider within London (starting from cheapest to most expensive):

• Brixton
• Elephant & Castle
• Clapham
• Kennington
• Balham
• Fulham
• Chelsea
• Kensington