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First time renter in London

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    First time renter in London

    Hello everyone, hope someone can clear things out..

    I am moving to the UK, in London, to work as a contractor. I need a house to rent obviously for me and my family but since I’m new to the game I am not sure how to proceed.

    I know rental agencies usually want references, but I don’t have any. Could it be possible to rent by forming an Ltd and paying myself a decent salary and then provide my contract to the rental agency? Would it be legal?

    I did manage to find a house thanks to friends of friends who is willing to rent us a house, as a private, in Birmingham. But that’s quite distant from London and if I traveled from Mon-Fri, it would be 4 hours of train commute every day and around 800£-1000£ or so for train pass + London Underground.

    Now, rent in London would be about 1500£ base, while in Birmingham it’s 650£. So even if I commute, the price difference would not be much higher. But I would still commute 4 hours a day.. which is a lot but could always use that time to work in my laptop.

    So is there a way for me to rent in London or it’s better to go to Birmingham, at least for a few months?

    #2
    £1500 will get u a dump outer London still a massive commute, maybe 90 mins on tube/bus. And a seat on the train? You having a laugh? Plus peak times i cant see a season ticket being so cheap.

    Sounds hellish, the stress will kill you.

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      #3
      First time renter in London

      Rent in London. Unless you can do 2-3 days working from home per week.

      Edit - unless you have a good reason to be in Birmingham.

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        #4
        Originally posted by stek View Post
        £1500 will get u a dump outer London still a massive commute, maybe 90 mins on tube/bus. And a seat on the train? You having a laugh? Plus peak times i cant see a season ticket being so cheap.

        Sounds hellish, the stress will kill you.
        Which is why I'm trying to get an apartment in London. Saw some decent ones at £1500 in west London on online listings by agencies, commute would be about 30 minutes in the tube.

        I hadn't considered that I wouldn't find a seat in the train.. is there really that many people going to London from Birmingham on Virgin Trains? 4 hours commute without a seat.. yeah it would be hellish and stressful. But I think i can handle it for a few months until I can rent somewhere closer.

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          #5
          Rent a place in Leighton Buzzard

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            #6
            Originally posted by mineralwasser View Post
            Which is why I'm trying to get an apartment in London. Saw some decent ones at £1500 in west London on online listings by agencies, commute would be about 30 minutes in the tube.

            I hadn't considered that I wouldn't find a seat in the train.. is there really that many people going to London from Birmingham on Virgin Trains? 4 hours commute without a seat.. yeah it would be hellish and stressful. But I think i can handle it for a few months until I can rent somewhere closer.
            I think the reference to a seat was with regard outer London. If you book in advance on Virgin there is a mandatory seat reservation. Use split ticketing websites to get the cost down, the alternative is the Chiltern line into Marylebone which is slightly longer but better priced.

            There are people here who commute from Stafford which is an hour and 15 each way. I expect rentals there will be much cheaper.

            If you want to work on the train go first class. Free wifi and a much nicer seat, plus a meal/snack and coffee provided.

            I rent a room in Harpenden which is 30 mins into the city. I don't get a seat in either direction 95% of the time during peak hours. Over £350 per month on a season ticket also.

            London, is anything but cheap.
            Last edited by Manic; 13 February 2018, 11:47. Reason: Additional Info

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              #7
              Originally posted by SeanT View Post
              Rent a place in Leighton Buzzard

              I would rent somewhere in London directly. Problem is references and what not that agencies want. I don't have any.

              So that's why I was asking if I could form an Ltd, which I need anyway, pay myself a decent salary enough to satisfy agiencies and rent that way. It would provide them references.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Manic View Post
                I think the reference to a seat was with regard outer London. If you book in advance on Virgin there is a mandatory seat reservation. Use split ticketing websites to get the cost down, the alternative is the Chiltern line into Marylebone which is slightly longer but better priced.

                There are people here who commute from Stafford which is an hour and 15 each way. I expect rentals there will be much cheaper.

                If you want to work on the train go first class. Free wifi and a much nicer seat, plus a meal/snack and coffee provided.

                I rent a room in Harpenden which is 30 mins into the city. I don't get a seat in either direction 95% of the time during peak hours. Over £350 per month on a season ticket also.

                London, is anything but cheap.
                Yeah then it's better with a first class.. but what you mean by that you don't get a seat in either direction? Is it because you don't book seat reservation?

                A seat and wi-fi is all I need to commute, just so I can get work done. Is it possible to get a seat everytime with a monthly first class ticket?

                I will try to negotiate a 50/50 split between home and on site work if I can, at least until I can move somewhere closer.

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                  #9
                  Try looking at this site for commute times, you could look at somewhere in Essex for example (Chelmsford?) and probably find somewhere for less than £1000 per month, with a 30 minute commute into Liverpool Street (£380 for monthly ticket). It's all about finding the right balance between rent prices, commute and local amenities. Also, if you look on Gumtree and find a private landlord, they are more likely to accept you if you can show your contract / maybe give an extra month deposit. Just be wary of scammers when renting privately.

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                    #10
                    Where in London is your client based?
                    …Maybe we ain’t that young anymore

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