advice needed for my friend

before_hollywood

hey guys, hope someone can help.
my friend Jessica is thinking of moving to london from america, and she wants to know a few things about renting in london (unfortunatly i know nothing about london rent cos i am a manc!!!), she is hoping to get a job in a school library and rent somewhere with flatmates.
could anyone advise how much typical rents are, where and where not to rent and anything else that is useful? thank you all loads in advance, i am going to send her a link to this forum too.

mr218

she really needs to fix a total budget for rent and travel. the further you live away from your place of work you might find cheaper rents but the travel costs are higher.

your friend needs to decide on a few more things before anyone can advise her.

meanwhile try https://www.findaproperty.co.uk to get listings on rentals to give you some ideas of price and what is available for that price

lynzpower

The thorntreeforum on the lonely planet message board is excellent for this question, its asked almost daily. I would recommend she looks there. All a matter of taste as to recommendations, eg i wouldnt live south of the river again freinds would never live north and so on.

gumtree.com is also useful for an idea of houseshare costs etc.

silvercar

I was reading an article in the Sunday Times property section recently about a block of flats designed for those new to london to rent a place for a few months while they establish themselves. I can't remember what it was called but it had a gym and cinema in the block. Each flat had 3-9 rooms all rented out on an individual basis. I think it was near West Hampstead. Anyone remember the name?

meanmachine_2

there's also a scheme whereby young people board with older owners and in return for a small rent, they do basic tasks, such as get them their shopping, and generally provide them with a bit of security.

It's a charity run project that a friend was on - 200pcm for a room in central London, sharing with this hilarious ageing actress.

Does anyone know the name of the scheme...?

lynzpower

Meanmachine

Its something like Homeshare. thing is the applicants have to be fully CRB cleared which can take some months to get sorted if the applicant is comiong from abroad.

Brilliant scheme though, if it wasnt for my OH id do it in a shot. And maybe rent my flat out for a million pounds a week

xela_17

From my limited knowledge (dodn't know east or west London that well) would recommend Archway and Tufnell Park area in North London and Clapham/Balham areas in South London. All four have loads of young people and are not that expensive. I lived in Camden for a time whch was great but Camden rents are extortionate!