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Moving To London 2016 Megathread - ALL QUESTIONS GO HERE

jenjoeful

Mod note: This thread is a collection of questions about moving to London for this yearAny and all questions relating to moving to London should be posted here. If you're looking for specific information, consult the FAQ, check the previous Megathread or use the Search Tool.

New threads opened with questions about moving to London will generally be merged here.

Hi
Me and my other half are looking to move to London in the next 2 months from Dublin.
We have job prospects, him in construction and me in IT so hopefully they work out.
We are thinking we will earn maybe 50k sterling each. We would love a nice 1 bed or even 2 bed apartment within 30 mins of centre of london (which line i don't know) i've heard great things about Camden and it's surrounding towns.
What would a train ticket cost per month?
What kind of accommodation could we get and for what price?
Can you get accommodation directly with a landlord and skip agencies?
Is parking with accom out of the question? Any advice for newbies?

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NewsMeQuick

@Muzi5434 Yes, I telephoned the Newry office and that's how it is now. No UK address, don't pass go.

Renting/Letting Agencies
About renting in general, it seems to be quite regulated compared to other countries I've rented in. Letting agencies seem to have their fingers in nearly all pies, and regular fees like £50 for "referencing" blows my mind.

Is there much of a private/non-agency market? I used Craigslist in Canada, seemed like everyone there used it from renting to getting cheap/freebies. Normal people, no sneaky fees. Anything like that in the UK or nope?

NI Number/ Setting up
[/B]Can I ask did it take long for people to get that in the post? I'm currently planning a full 2 weeks in London before starting work to get that in the post, avoid emergency tax if possible, find a short-term apartment, get a bank account etc.

exiledelbows

Re Craigslist, there is Gumtree but its not as user friendly as other sites and you should take listings with a bucketful of salt. If it's too good to be true, it's because it is. You can find some gems on there (we got a lovely place on there a few years ago). Letting fees are just a part of life here unfortunately.

RE NI number, it takes a few week, but i think you get a letter confirming application pretty quickly. Don't think I ever got emergency taxed at the start - that was eight years ago though.

Muzi5434

NewsMeQuick wrote: »

@Muzi5434 Yes, I telephoned the Newry office and that's how it is now. No UK address, don't pass go.

Renting/Letting Agencies
About renting in general, it seems to be quite regulated compared to other countries I've rented in. Letting agencies seem to have their fingers in nearly all pies, and regular fees like 50 for "referencing" blows my mind.

Is there much of a private/non-agency market? I used Craigslist in Canada, seemed like everyone there used it from renting to getting cheap/freebies. Normal people, no sneaky fees. Anything like that in the UK or nope?

NI Number/ Setting up
[/B]Can I ask did it take long for people to get that in the post? I'm currently planning a full 2 weeks in London before starting work to get that in the post, avoid emergency tax if possible, find a short-term apartment, get a bank account etc.

The NI number takes about 2 weeks to arrive. They'll tell you at the interview that it will be up to 4 weeks but most people get it within 2 weeks.

You probably won't get emergency taxed because you'll get your first pay after a month and within that time it is highly likely that you'll have your NI number.

token101

NewsMeQuick wrote: »

@Muzi5434 Yes, I telephoned the Newry office and that's how it is now. No UK address, don't pass go.

Renting/Letting Agencies
About renting in general, it seems to be quite regulated compared to other countries I've rented in. Letting agencies seem to have their fingers in nearly all pies, and regular fees like £50 for "referencing" blows my mind.

Is there much of a private/non-agency market? I used Craigslist in Canada, seemed like everyone there used it from renting to getting cheap/freebies. Normal people, no sneaky fees. Anything like that in the UK or nope?

It would be a dream to be rid of them, but estate agents own the London rental market. There's Gumtree or Openrent for full property lettings or Spareroom for room rentals if you want to avoid them, but you'll find a lot of those places are badly maintained. The best places are generally locked up by estate agents.

NewsMeQuick

token101 wrote: »

It would be a dream to be rid of them, but estate agents own the London rental market. There's Gumtree or Openrent for full property lettings or Spareroom for room rentals if you want to avoid them, but you'll find a lot of those places are badly maintained. The best places are generally locked up by estate agents.

I see, yeah that's certainly the impression that I got.

OK, well, I'll just have to get on board.

Starting up, even with a confirmed job offer can be pricey: rent, bond (4-6 weeks rent), letting agency "administration fees" etc. Plus, the headwinds of Euro-Sterling conversion. (I was able to live comfortably for 6 months with that money in Canadian dollars.) A crazy idea is perhaps staying in Airbnb just a little longer. They have crazy discounts for weekly or even a month's stay. Just an idea.

Nuttzz

I'm looking at moving to London but want to get a job sorted there first if I can

I have friends who live over there so do you think I'd be better off getting a UK PAYG number and using a friends address for the CV when applying rather than my irish address & phone number?

Muzi5434

Nuttzz wrote: »

I'm looking at moving to London but want to get a job sorted there first if I can

I have friends who live over there so do you think I'd be better off getting a UK PAYG number and using a friends address for the CV when applying rather than my irish address & phone number?

I applied using my Irish phone number and address and there weren't any issues at all. My first and second round interviews were done over the phone or Skype and final round was usually the company paying for flights over

SimonTemplar

Was planning moving to London next year. Unsure if that is possible now due to Brexit.

Will have to wait and see what deal can be made between Ireland and UK.

my friend

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Was planning moving to London next year. Unsure if that is possible now due to Brexit.

Will have to wait and see what deal can be made between Ireland and UK.

! There's no reason you can't, but you go ahead and generate an excuse for your indecision

Wesser

Of course you can go!
You just mightn't make as much money.

BrokenArrows

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Was planning moving to London next year. Unsure if that is possible now due to Brexit.

Will have to wait and see what deal can be made between Ireland and UK.

Nothing is going to change for atleast 2 years. UK will remain as part of the EU until it agrees its leaving terms.

Even when the UK leaves the EU Irish people will continue to have freedom of travel and work in the UK as they always have. There already exists a separate agreement between UK and Ireland regards to Work and Travel.

_Bella_

Moving over to London at the beginning of August and will be looking to rent a flat in the Islington area. Anyone have any recommendations for good letting agencies?

BrokenArrows

_Bella_ wrote: »

Moving over to London at the beginning of August and will be looking to rent a flat in the Islington area. Anyone have any recommendations for good letting agencies?

"good letting agencies", there is no such thing!! Only ones that dont charge as much as the others.

When looking for a place your budget should include Rent, Council Tax, Transport costs and agency fees.

Just look on rightmove.co.uk
Have a look on gumtree if you want to find some private landlords.

rainbow kirby

_Bella_ wrote: »

Moving over to London at the beginning of August and will be looking to rent a flat in the Islington area. Anyone have any recommendations for good letting agencies?

I've been two and a half years living in Archway (northern tip of the borough) and haven't had any problem with TMD in Highgate. Would agree with recommendations to just look at Rightmove/Zoopla etc though, not a massive amount of difference between them in general.

_Bella_

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I've been two and a half years living in Archway (northern tip of the borough) and haven't had any problem with TMD in Highgate. Would agree with recommendations to just look at Rightmove/Zoopla etc though, not a massive amount of difference between them in general.

BrokenArrows wrote: »

"good letting agencies", there is no such thing!! Only ones that dont charge as much as the others.

When looking for a place your budget should include Rent, Council Tax, Transport costs and agency fees.

Just look on rightmove.co.uk
Have a look on gumtree if you want to find some private landlords.

Thanks guys, thought that may be the case! Have heard the problem with rightmove etc. is that a lot of the properties on them have already been let and agencies are slow to update but I will have a look through and hope I get lucky.

BrokenArrows

_Bella_ wrote: »

Thanks guys, thought that may be the case! Have heard the problem with rightmove etc. is that a lot of the properties on them have already been let and agencies are slow to update but I will have a look through and hope I get lucky.

Property for rent usually goes pretty quick. So if you see an ad that was added a few weeks ago then its likely going to be gone.

shrapnel222

this is a good time also as term and uni is coming to an end so there are signs up everywhere, and massive amount of properties on the market

rainbow kirby

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Property for rent usually goes pretty quick. So if you see an add that was added a few weeks ago then its likely going to be gone.

Or a total sh*thole if it's not let after more than a week or two.

BrokenArrows

Also dont be afraid to haggle a little.
Just because a landlord wants a price it doesnt mean he should get it. As the previous poster said there is a lot on the market now and with the whole brexit **** landlords will be a little worried and will want someone stable and reliable in their property.

_Bella_

Thanks for all your advice guys, never rented before and am obviously new to the city so any tips are much appreciated!

seanyboy16

Hey guys!

i am a 22 year old just back from Canada .I worked in Canada for the last 2 years in construction.

Ive got a job lead for London but nothing solid yet .
I will be self employed in the uk .How do i get register for tax and what not in terms of self employed ?

I've been looking at Clapham to live ... Good or bad area?

Accommodation
Can i setup accommodation before i land or do landlords want to meet the tenet first?

Any tips to get into construction ?

TBH peeps im ****ting the pants on moving to London so all advice is welcome .

BrokenArrows

seanyboy16 wrote: »

Hey guys!

i am a 22 year old just back from Canada .I worked in Canada for the last 2 years in construction.

Ive got a job lead for London but nothing solid yet .
I will be self employed in the uk .How do i get register for tax and what not in terms of self employed ?

I've been looking at Clapham to live ... Good or bad area?

Accommodation
Can i setup accommodation before i land or do landlords want to meet the tenet first?

Any tips to get into construction ?

TBH peeps im ****ting the pants on moving to London so all advice is welcome .

If you managed to live in Canada then you will manage London. No biggie.

1. Clapham is a nice area. A bit expensive depending on your budget.
2. Self Employed - https://www.gov.uk/working-for-yourself/overview
3. Its unlikely you will be able to arrange accommodation without being here and its unlikely you will want to. Photos are going to be deceiving and you dont want to get yourself into a lease without seeing a property. Just stay in a hostel for a few weeks until you get yourself sorted.

ancapailldorcha

I got offered a job in London on Thursday. 30k and working near Hammersmith hospital. Would that be a decent enough salary for London?

callaway92

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I got offered a job in London on Thursday. 30k and working near Hammersmith hospital. Would that be a decent enough salary for London?

It's not great, but not terrible either.

You aren't really gonna be having too much fun on a 30k salary in London.

BrokenArrows

callaway92 wrote: »

It's not great, but not terrible either.

You aren't really gonna be having too much fun on a 30k salary in London.

Depends on what his plans are to be fair.

If your ambitions are to rent your own place then 30k just isnt going to be enough. However if your planning on living in a houseshare then you will be fine.
However regardless, dont just take the 30k, try and negotiate higher.

ancapailldorcha

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Depends on what his plans are to be fair.

If your ambitions are to rent your own place then 30k just isnt going to be enough. However if your planning on living in a houseshare then you will be fine.
However regardless, dont just take the 30k, try and negotiate higher.

It'll be a houseshare methinks. Going to be working in White City so I might even be able to walk to work. Would anyone have advice regarding areas to live in/avoid? Is the tube ludicrously expensive?

BrokenArrows

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

It'll be a houseshare methinks. Going to be working in White City so I might even be able to walk to work. Would anyone have advice regarding areas to live in/avoid? Is the tube ludicrously expensive?

The tube is expensive if you dont use it much. Better value if you're a regular user.
For example i live in Zone 4. A Zone 1-4 Monthly Travel Card which gives you unlimited travel on the tube on zones 1-4 and buses in all zones costs £176 per month. I use it every day atleast twice so it works out to be about £5.80 a day. However if i was to use pay as you go then two journeys would cost 5.60 offpeak or 7.80 peak.
You just need to work out whats best for you.

I havent spent any time in white city so i cant advise on that but shepards bush which is near is nice, but its expensive.

BrokenArrows

Here is a link to the cost of the tube.
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/adult-fares.pdf

When they say "caps" they are refering to the maximum they will charge you in one day if you are traveling on pay as you go. They stop charging your card if you continue to travel in the same day if you already spent that amount.

ancapailldorcha

Sorry if I am being dense here. A zone 1-4 travel card will allow infinite travel within those zones for the price of the card? There seems to be a weekly cap for contactless as well. Think I am starting to get it.

rainbow kirby

Yep - as many journeys as you want within zone 1-4 with a travelcard.