Planning to have a vacation in London? You better not regret it! London is a great place for relaxation and adventure, in general one of the most interesting places around the world. That makes the tourists from all over the world of coming here again and again. Knowingly, London is the capital and the largest city of United Kingdom and England as well as the largest city in Western Europe. The city is full of significant historical event before that contributes its progressiveness and remains as a global capital of culture, politics, fashion, trade and finance.
Before planning to go in London, think first of the lodging areas you will be sleeping during your stay in London. It is necessary for you to be practical when having a longer period of stay in London. If you are one of the students studying for six months or a year here in London, renting for flats is recommended. Flats are quite different from a three star hotel. Expect that flats are smaller than the three star hotels; however they provide similar amenities inside with of course more low prices offer. It is not necessary of having a check-in in some of London’s prestigious hotels whenever you are about to stay here longer, since you will be just wasting your time unless you are wealthy and can afford the prices of luxurious hotels in London. However, if your budget isn’t enough then don’t force yourself staying in hotels. Yet, if you are just staying for a couple of weeks here in London then that is the time you can avail of staying in some of their five star hotels.
Renting for flats in London needs a proper examination. As a costumer, it is your right of examining whatever amenities available inside in a flat. There are landlords that offer appliances in their flats, examine it all if it’s still functioning so that you will not be cheated with the money you are paying. Another thing is, make sure also of the location of the flat you are about to rent with. Look around if the neighborhood is not hazardous from any calamities. Try also to check if the place if accessible from the city. Renting for a flat nearby the city is a great idea since you can easily go to your destination whenever you want. Flats nearby the city could easily provide you transportation and accessible from shopping centers and center of some special events.
To be more practical of staying in London for a longer period of time, rent flats in London with a group. It can lessen your budget and give you the chance of meeting new friends not only Londoners but as well as coming from the different countries. Sharing from electric bills, waters, and more is a great idea of having a group in renting for flats in London; however it is good if you will be grouping with both sexes for your own good. But be sure of engaging a flat group that you could not disturb your flats neighbor, and if you want some enjoyment you can have parties in London’s disco pubs and clubs.
THE farther one rents a flat from London’s center, the cheaper it will be. This is not a problem if your business is located on the outskirts of the city but if you’re commuting through the Tube or taking any of those black taxis or driving your own car, you’ll be consuming more in terms of fares and gas expenses and you won’t save in the end.
Yet there are other factors that must affect your decision before renting a flat in London. First, renting a flat is ideal for persons who are here on a long-term basis like an exchange student or so. If one is here for a one-week conference, one better stay in a hotel. Anyway, your stay in the three-star hotel is billed to your employer most likely. But if one is on a six-month language course, then staying in a flat is definitely the ideal place to be billeted. The nice thing in being billeted in a flat is that your flat suite offers the same conventional amenities and facilities found on a three-star hotel room with the lesser amount of course. Some of these facilities are cable TV and Internet connection. Then be noted that there are two kinds of flats – furnished and unfurnished ones but the furnished ones come with a steep price obviously.
You also have to be wary if you take on a furnished flat. Check if all the furnishings, the appliances and the furniture are functioning properly. Some London flat landladies usually offer HD television (either LCD or plasma) to go with your rent. You must check these as well as other appliances like dishwashers, dryers, microwave ovens, electric stoves, electric irons, beds, cabinets, drawers, couches, etc. You must also check if there are no vermin invading your house like rats and ants. One indication that your house is infested is by checking whether plants in the front lawn outside have the presence of ants. Another thing that one must know before signing a contract with your landlady is to check about the relative peace in the neighborhood. Check also if the neighborhood is not prone to floods. Check too where the nearest trauma hospital is (or a hospital specializing a certain disease if you got one like a heart center). You must also persistently ask the landlady whether the person renting the room next to yours is on the level.
Another tip in saving while staying in a London flat is to rent on a per-group basis. This means that you don’t rent on your own but with a dozen. This will inevitably make your stay in London lively as you’ll be with your friends. If you’re new here in London, you better get some friends (work colleagues or classmates will do). The most exciting adventure you can have is to rent coed rooms.
This will surely be a blast because you’ll be sharing rooms with both sexes. But first, your roommates of the other sex must explicitly be consenting this arrangement otherwise you’ll not be living harmoniously. If you rent on a per-group basis, you’ll be sharing utility expenses – electricity, water, phone, cable TV and Internet connection, etc. You can also take turns in cooking the food and challenge the lesser chefs in the group to be masters in food preparation.
THE best tip to rent a London flat is to steer clear from the city center as far as possible because one can hunt down the best bargains there. Staying in a flat is ideal for people who are studying here for a semester or so. There are two kinds of flats which you can find in London suburbs – unfurnished and fully furnished. Whether you’ll rent any of the two, you must first inspect the property (both visual and otherwise) before committing to any contract. You must conduct a background check and see whether your potential landlady is not on the verge of bankruptcy. Otherwise, you’ll eventually benefit the hassle of being ejected and finding another flat to move on. You must also conduct a thorough visual inspection on whether all the water pipes and electric wirings are all working properly.
Damaged electric wirings in particular may cause fires and you don’t want that, do you? You must also make sure that the flat that you’ll eventually rent is not infested with vermin. You certainly also don’t want rats and cockroaches to annoy you while you’re having a romantic evening there with your date, do you? This is not just a mere nuisance for some rats have been known to bite people even in urban areas. And bear in mind that some rats contain deadly rabies. If the flat is fully furnished already, the same procedure is still followed. You must check whether all appliances such as dishwasher, DVD player and LCD television are functioning properly. You must also make it clear with the landlady that he or she be responsible in fixing these appliances if they malfunction unless of course if you’re the reason for damaging them. You must also explicitly talk with the landlady regarding the payment method of your rent whether she accepts check. The usual scheme is to pay two months in advance for the first month and the landlady will secure your permission under law to have your credit background checked. A credit background check is normal but if you are uncomfortable with that, then you better check out another flat.
The second tip to rent a London flat if you want to be thrifty is to rent one room with a shared kitchen and bathroom. The tenants will eventually divide among themselves payment of water bill. There must be individual electricity meters for each room for a similar reason. If one avails of cable television and high-speed Internet connection, then the tenant must pay for it individually.
There are two kinds of flats in London – the coed flat and the flat for women only. If you are uncomfortable being surrounded with strangers especially in a coed flat, then you may as well rent as a group so you can hang around anytime without inhibitions. In areas where space is not so congested, you can even have an outdoor barbecue party that lasts till dawn if you want to. Just make sure you don’t disturb your neighbors in the process.
