Finding a Property to Rent
To enter a new country or city as a foreigner can sometimes be a very daunting experience, which is why it is always helpful to know where to start, and where to initiate the rental search. The main question to ask yourself is what exactly am I looking for? How much can I afford to pay? What size should it be? Where should it be? Am I willing to share with others or should my rental be self-contained? These are all aspects for consideration to ensure you have the best chance of finding a great new home.
Often people will turn to the internet to research properties, which is definitely a good place to start. The internet has a wealth of sites offering advice and properties available to rent, accommodating every different need, price range and room size. For example, if you are looking for a one bedroom flat in London, the best idea would be to type 'flats in London', or 'one bedroom accommodation in London' into a search engine. Various links to websites will then come up which should aid you in your search.
In order to tailor the search to your needs, you should follow the link and use the search option within the website to be more specific. For example, on a London property website you could search for Flats in Kensington (an area in the west of London) for under 500 pounds. Being as specific as possible will be a great help at this stage, but this is only possible if you know where you wish to live and what you are looking to find. Otherwise, you should visit various sites initially in order to compare property prices.
There are various rental websites available on the internet each offering a wide range of properties to rent, and they are a good way to get an insight into the prices of property according to area, size, the expectations of future flatmates and what kind of property is available to rent in general. Some good examples to aid you in the search are; uk.easyroommate.com, spareroom.co.uk, and gumtree.com.
There is a lot of regional variation in rental prices across the UK, but generally property prices are more expensive near major towns and cities. The bigger UK cities tend to attract a lot of new residents who wish to move into the area to become part of a large, international community, benefit from the job prospects and enjoy the culture and entertainment possibilities offered by a big city. If you want to live in a big city but cannot afford to rent a property in London, you may want to consider other major towns and cities such as Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Swansea, Cardiff or Belfast.
If you wish to rent a furnished flat in a popular area of a big city, such as Manchester or Edinburgh, you might find that you are paying 'London prices', that is, high prices. However, the cost of a furnished property in a trendy area in the city centre of Manchester will rarely be as expensive as an equivalent property in the centre of London. When you begin looking for a property you should try using the internet to research average property prices in a few different locations.
Try to be open-minded when it comes to finding a place to live: you will find a place to stay more easily. You may have a very specific idea of what kind of property you wish to find, for example: a furnished two bedroom house with a large kitchen, bathroom and separate toilet, twenty minutes from the city centre, five minutes from the nearest bus and train station, with a small back garden and a double garage for under £900 a month. However, if you research a range of properties in a few different areas you may find a two bedroom flat that is cheaper, or a larger house with the furnishings and layout you wanted that is forty minutes from the city centre. The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to find suitable accommodation that you can afford. For example:
- One bedroom flat in Manchester - £620/month (average)
- Two bedroom, furnished house in Wilmslow (23km from Manchester) - £515/month
- One bedroom flat in Birmingham - £630/month (average)
- Two bedroom, furnished house in Sutton Coldfield (13km from Birmingham) - £595/month
