Post: #1

Fellow Roosh men,

I'm planning a move to the UK next year , I will stay there 1 or 2 years studying.

I would like to ask the help of the english men here or guys who are familiar to the UK who could give me tips about best cost/benefit places to look for an apartment , could be in London or other cities in the UK that might be interesting for a guy like me.

Post: #2

Firstly, do you have any idea of where you may study? And what kind of budget do you have for rent?

Post: #3

it varies alot.

Ive heard stories of people renting a 1-bedroom apartment in the center of Leeds (big 2nd tier city, in the north/midlands) for £400/month, you'd pay 3-4 times that for a central 1-bedroom apartment in London.

A single room central in a shared house in London might be £700-800/month. You can get decent single rooms for £600 further out, and the odd one or two central if you're lucky. If you're willing to live quite far out you could maybe get down to £450 if you really scour. It won't be a good location though.

Post: #4

If you want to live in a shared house and don't mind hipsters I would recommend checking out the Dalston/Hackney area of London. I have two friends that live there and one pays £350 a month and another pays around £450. That is insanely cheap for London, I thought their places would be shit holes but they are pretty nice houses with cool flatmates. If you're staying just for a year or two this would be a good place to live to meet loads of people. Some of the best parties I've been to have been out in Hackney. Another benefit of this area is it's pretty close if you work in the city and you won't be spending lots of time/money on transport.

This area of town does have its dodgy characters and has quite a lot of council estates but its being gentrified and attracts young people who want to have a good time.

I have to say I have never lived out that way but when I visit I am pleasantly surprised by the cool bars and restaurants. I live in South London where you would normally pay £700 a month for a room which seem a bit of a rip off in comparison. The reason I haven't moved to Hackney/Dalston area is I like to live out of the city and I have got used to the area I flat in.

Post: #5

(06-19-2013 08:22 AM)RonnieB Wrote:  I have to say I have never lived out that way but when I visit I am pleasantly surprised by the cool bars and restaurants. I live in South London where you would normally pay £700 a month for a room which seem a bit of a rip off in comparison. The reason I haven't moved to Hackney/Dalston area is I like to live out of the city and I have got used to the area I flat in.

What part of South London do you live in? Surprised your friends are getting those prices for somewhere in Hackney, I found it more expensive than South London inner boroughs.

Post: #6

As a Brazilian I think you would feel at home in London, I recall a few Brazil shops close to Wilseden in North West London. The area is considered a little "rough" but I am sure the rent prices are decent. It is Zone 2 which is close to central London.
For cheaper rent I would imagine East London would be your best bet.
The obvious question is how much are you willing to spend on rent?

Post: #7

(06-19-2013 08:53 AM)chinadawg Wrote:  

(06-19-2013 08:22 AM)RonnieB Wrote:  I have to say I have never lived out that way but when I visit I am pleasantly surprised by the cool bars and restaurants. I live in South London where you would normally pay £700 a month for a room which seem a bit of a rip off in comparison. The reason I haven't moved to Hackney/Dalston area is I like to live out of the city and I have got used to the area I flat in.

What part of South London do you live in? Surprised your friends are getting those prices for somewhere in Hackney, I found it more expensive than South London inner boroughs.

I live in the Putney area. I was surprised when my friends told me what they paid in Hackney, maybe they got a good deal and the rent is actually high out that way.

Post: #8

(06-19-2013 03:03 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  As a Brazilian I think you would feel at home in London, I recall a few Brazil shops close to Wilseden in North West London. The area is considered a little "rough" but I am sure the rent prices are decent. It is Zone 2 which is close to central London.
For cheaper rent I would imagine East London would be your best bet.
The obvious question is how much are you willing to spend on rent?

Yeah there are a lot of Brazilians in Willesden area and other North West London areas I think. I wouldnt say Willesden or anywhere West is that fun though to be honest.

London isnt really like the rest of the UK though... For a more culturally interesting place (i.e. actually feels like England), I would maybe give Manchester or Liverpool a shot.

Post: #9

Brent

Post: #10

At first I don't intend to share accomodation with other people, im looking for a house or apt to live on my own. My budget is 1500 GBP per c month to rent. I'm planning to make london my base in Europe , with the intention to buy a property there in the future. I
With that in mind,i would also consider suburbs and more familiar places as well , as long as it provides a decent commute to the city center.

Post: #11

*although im brazilian, im not a guy who likes to be only tied with the brazilian community when im abroad, i rather integrate with people from britain and other nationalities. I really dislike people who don't integrate when they go abroad, i don't see the point. Heard a lot about east london, places like hoxton shoreditch hackney etc..seems interesting if it still provides reasonable prices. Is radical islam still a problem in this areas or its not big as it seems?

Post: #12

Hoxton and Shoreditch are very sought after areas, there are a lot of clubs and bars. The price of rent would be expensive, I would look at Islington area which is nice and close by.
On Facebook there is a group called Canadians in London, people often advertise places for rent.
Most people in London share accommodations so I hope you are alright with that.
Check listings on Gumtree and I believe there is a site called spare room.co.uk.

Post: #13

Mr GM £1500 a month could get you a nice 1 or 2 bedroom place in a pretty decent area. Don't worry about radical Islam, I've never seen it in London. Sure there has been isolated incidents like the one in Woolwich the other month but you won't run into it.

If you go to the worst areas of London they are actually pretty tame, it's generally a safe city.

Some areas to live if you want to meet lots of people and have fun :

Hackney/Dalston/Shoreditch/Hoxton - A mix of rough and cool with loads of creative types living there, great night life and parties

Clapham/Putney - Lots of young people that like to have fun. Not many hipster types, people that live here are probably more likely to have an office job. Good night life in places like Clapham High Street

Post: #14

£1500 a month? You're laughing mate, you'll be able to get a nice place on your own for that. I agree with Ronnie, I know a lot of people who've moved to London from Manchester and they live in Clapham. Also, from what I gather Brixton has become rather gentrified.

Ronnie, where in London is actually rough these days? I'm sure Hackney used to be bad as well didn't it?

Post: #15

Hey Teedub, I'm sure there is still some dodgy areas of Hackney. There is no way to easily move those council towers so there's always going to be a few weirdos around.

The worst areas I have seen are Peckham, Harlesden and Wembly. But they are still alright, just poorer areas with more ethnic diversity. It's not dangerous like Baltimore in the tv show The Wire.

Post: #16

good thread. keep the replies coming

Post: #17

(06-20-2013 06:53 AM)Mr.GM Wrote:  At first I don't intend to share accomodation with other people, im looking for a house or apt to live on my own. My budget is 1500 GBP per c month to rent. I'm planning to make london my base in Europe , with the intention to buy a property there in the future. I
With that in mind,i would also consider suburbs and more familiar places as well , as long as it provides a decent commute to the city center.

you are loaded.

Post: #18

Yeah Putney is one of the more expensive areas of South London, a little further East will bring the rent down a lot. I would recommend somewhere like Brixton or Clapham, for your money you will get a decent place in an area with decent local night life, plus very quick transport into central London for study/work/play. Just remember when you are renting that utility bills in the UK are high, and that we pay council tax on property which is also high. Sometimes council tax is included in your rent.

Post: #19

(06-20-2013 11:27 AM)RonnieB Wrote:  Hey Teedub, I'm sure there is still some dodgy areas of Hackney. There is no way to easily move those council towers so there's always going to be a few weirdos around.

The worst areas I have seen are Peckham, Harlesden and Wembly. But they are still alright, just poorer areas with more ethnic diversity. It's not dangerous like Baltimore in the tv show The Wire.

definitely agree, also reckon Stonebridge is pretty bad.

Post: #20

I've been contacting some real state agencies in the UK, and received lots of ads about houses in the Barnes area. From what I've seen its a suburb. Anyone familiar with the area ?

I would also appreciate if someone here has a contact of a broket or a relocation/real state agency to recommend for me. I don't have a bank account in the UK yet and people say that is very hard to rent a place in the UK via gumtree without a record of rented properties in the uk or a regular job in the UK.

Post: #21

MR GM, One of my flat is going to be vacant from August as my current tenant is moving out.. Its an one bed room flat and its in Whitechapel, its about 10 min walk to Bethnal green and about 15 min bus to Oxford circus..

If you are interested then I can arrange some thing for you... The rent is £1250 including electricity, gas and water..

Post: #22

(06-22-2013 09:42 AM)Mr.GM Wrote:  I've been contacting some real state agencies in the UK, and received lots of ads about houses in the Barnes area. From what I've seen its a suburb. Anyone familiar with the area ?

I would also appreciate if someone here has a contact of a broket or a relocation/real state agency to recommend for me. I don't have a bank account in the UK yet and people say that is very hard to rent a place in the UK via gumtree without a record of rented properties in the uk or a regular job in the UK.

Barnes is one of the nicest parts of London, nice houses with lots of trees and it's by the river. You can walk across the river to get the underground from Hammersmith or get trains to London from Barnes or Putney. Also it's relatively close to the city, you won't be spending ages travelling.

It's a quiet area of London, there are not many places to go out late but some nice pubs to have food and a few drinks in. Sometimes it's good to live in a quiet area and go partying in other areas, London is pretty easy to get around.

I would recommend not signing anything up long term until you get to London. Get a short term place for a few weeks or month and check out the city so you know which areas you like. You could even get a cheap hotel like the travel lodge for a few weeks, sometimes this can be cheaper than renting. If you want to do this get one out by Heathrow where you can pick up a hotel for around £30 a night if you book in advance, then you can spend time travelling around London finding where you want.

You can get around not having a job or having London renting references by offering to pay more rent in advance or showing proof of funds in your banks account.

Watch out for some of the ads on gumtree, I know two people who have been scammed by people off gumtree offering flats. In both cases the person advertising didn't own the flat and pretended to rent it and asked for rent/bond payment in advance. Having said that I have used gumtree and have had no problems.

Sorry, I can't recommend a real estate agency as the one I rented from a hopeless.

Post: #23

Also this thread has gone off topic, 'Best affordable Boroughs in London' doesn't include Barnes! It's on the more expensive end of the scale, you've got too much money Mr GM haha