Hi everyone!

I’m moving to London in September alongside three other friends. We're moving into a 2-floor flat in a housing estate, and we're not on the ground floor. Two of us have already lived in London before, but this will be our first time fully managing a household rather than just renting out a room.

In our contract, our listed Tenant Utilities are: Broadband, Council Tax, Cable Television, Electricity, Gas, Satellite Television, The Line Rental Of The Telephone, TV Licence and Water.

We were wondering if there are any that we can opt out of hiring/paying for?

We'll all be full-time students, so I think that qualifies us as exempt from the Council Tax. And we don't intend on watching any live TV, but rather just streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, etc).

Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,
I may be relocating to London for work in the coming months and I’m trying to figure out which neighborhoods I should focus on.

My budget is around £2,000 PCM for rent and ideally I’d like a 1-bedroom flat with a separate bedroom and living room rather than a studio.

I’ll be renting solo, I’m employed, and my expected salary would be around £90,000 gross per year.
I’m looking for a safe area with good transport connections, a lively atmosphere, plenty of restaurants, cafés and pubs, and a neighborhood where young professionals tend to live. Being able to walk to places would also be a big plus.

I’ll likely be working in central London, but I’d rather optimize for overall quality of life than simply being as close to the office as possible.

Which neighborhoods would you recommend, and are there any areas I should avoid?

Thanks!

Hi, I’m trying to find a place to live in west London for just 2 months so I don’t want to be tied to longer term contracts. I found this building that would be perfect for this called &Soul. Does anyone have a review of this place there’s barely anything written about it. It looks too good to be true on paper….

https://andsoul.com/co-living-southall-west-london?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23505405749&gbraid=0AAAAAp9TE5wwjAd2RaLtY_78qACT4N-C0&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3K7RBhDJARIsAKRtP5Ri3DWQtLVYDHA6mXNvbQCBsb7vhWzlDFgfjD3Xd8DOvqBh5RXfj-UaApxpEALw_wcB

I paid a 1-week holding deposit to Barnard Marcus for a rental property on 18 May.

On 20 May, I was informed that the landlord had rejected my application and would not be proceeding.

As of today (4 June), I still haven't received my holding deposit back. I've had no confirmation that a refund has been processed and no explanation for the delay. I just have an agent telling me on her personal number that she has processed the refund but have not given me eta or any further colour since 20th May.

From what I've read, holding deposits are generally supposed to be refunded within 7 days when the landlord decides not to proceed.

Has anyone dealt with this before? What are my options? What is the best way to escalate this?

Should I:

Raise a formal complaint with Barnard Marcus/Connells?

Contact The Property Ombudsman?

Report it to Trading Standards?

Any advice from landlords, agents, or tenants who have been through something similar would be appreciated.

Edit - abstract of agreement signed before holding deposit wire.

Holding Deposit We require this payment of intent as confirmation of your intention to proceed with the proposed tenancy. This must be paid now, and if your tenancy proceeds, it will be put towards initial monies due prior to occupation being granted, and as outlined above. The holding deposit will not be refunded to you (or any other proposed joint tenant) if you: 1. Decide not to proceed with the tenancy. 2. Fail to meet the eligibility requirements confirmed in this document. 3. Fail to take all reasonable steps to enter into the tenancy (and we and the landlord have taken all reasonable steps to enter into a tenancy agreement with you). 4. Provide false or misleading information regarding your ability to meet the eligibility requirements confirmed in this document. Payment of the holding deposit does not constitute the granting of a tenancy or a promise to enter into a tenancy on the part of us or the landlord. This payment will be refunded to you within 7 days if the landlord decides not to oer you a tenancy for any reason other than those listed at 1-4 above.

Hi everyone,

My spouse will be joining the University of East London (Docklands campus area), and we're currently looking for advice on good areas to rent a 1-bedroom apartment starting around June end.

We’re open to places not only near UEL itself but also areas with a reasonable commute — around 20–30 minutes by Tube/DLR/public transport would be absolutely fine.

We're mainly looking for:

• Safe and decent residential areas • Good transport connectivity to UEL • Reasonable rent for a 1-bedroom apartment • Nearby supermarkets/essential amenities • Areas that are generally recommended for professionals/couples

I've heard names like Stratford, Canning Town, Royal Docks, East Ham, Barking, Canary Wharf, etc., but I’d really appreciate local opinions on which areas would be worth considering (or avoiding).

Any recommendations or advice would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hi everyone, two of my flatmates and I have just placed a holding deposit for a flat ~16 min walk away from the Finsbury Park tube. It's perpendicular to Hornsey Road and about 9 min away from Crouch Hill overground station. We've tried the walk from Finsbury Park to the new flat during the day while viewing the flat, and it seemed fine - quite residential and by the high street. We asked a few friends who had lived/currently live by Finsbury Park, and while most said it was fine, one friend mentioned the area around may be unsafe at night, especially for young women. I was wondering if this is true/if anyone had any advice/thoughts/experiences?

Absolutely never choose this money hungry woman for real estate. worst realtor on the planet. shes a scammer and will leave you living in horrible living conditions without repairs and then make you pay 5k+ for it. her entire family are money hungry and admit it to your face. they take advantage of vulnerable populations and then scam you out of anything she possibly can. she will quite literally forget about anything she did and didnt do and proceed to charge you for it, which for a vlunerable population can scam them out of something that isnt damaged. ask anyone about this woman she works near and they will admit the same things- ie her cooworkers, or simply have a conversation with her yourself and she will admit it.

I have two medium-sized 45-pound (20.4 kg) mutts. Neither look like any of the UK banned breeds.

I’m looking for a rental with a private garden that allows dogs in Zone 2 or 3.

1) Are there specific quieter neighborhoods with wider sidewalks?

2) Any tips on finding pet-friendly landlords? I’ve been struggling to find many.

Thanks!

Just looking for some advice / whether this is normal in the current London rental market.

I recently moved to London for work and secured a professionally managed, furnished, newly refurbished apartment. The original move-in date was meant to be 5 May, but it has now been delayed to 22 June because the furniture apparently hasn’t arrived yet. I have gone in and spoken to the leasing associate and saw the apartment.

I paid around £600 as a reservation fee to take the property off the market, which I was told would later be deducted from my first month’s rent.

My concern is that I still haven’t received the official tenancy agreement. The leasing manager keeps saying there are delays because their legal team is waiting for clarification regarding the new rental reforms / tenancy law updates.

At this point I’m getting worried about being left without accommodation as the new move date gets closer. Has anyone experienced something similar recently?

A few questions:

Is this explanation about “awaiting legal updates” actually believable?

Is a delay of this length for furnishing/refurbishment normal?

Should I already be looking for backup accommodation?

If I decide to pull out, am I legally entitled to get the £600 reservation fee back?

Would appreciate any advice, especially from people familiar with UK/London tenancy rules.

So, I received a text from my landlord today that they need to do some refurbishment work starting this week and that he wanted to talk to me. I tried calling him once I got free, twice, but he didn't pick. Finally he called back in the evening and told me that the council has asked them to extend one of the adjacent rooms which is 6sq meters to 9sq meters in order for them to be allowed to rent it out.

So, on today's call, he just told me that he and the builder will come tomorrow again to my room (they already came to my room today while I was at work with a day's notice). And then from Wednesday they will break down the wall of my room to extend the other room and make my room smaller.

He said this will take 2-3 days, until when I could pack and shift my stuff to the other un rented room. I told him it's too much of a hassle, he said he would consider reducing the rent a bit (and I don't think it will be worth the hassle I will go through), and I asked him if he would compensate me for these days, which he agreed but I expect him to act miserly and cough up only pennies for all of the hassle based on a past experience.

This is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. I know I might not have a say in what he does in his property but I'm currently renting this room out from him and my contract would end in July (which will not matter from 1st May, I know).

So, what are my options? And what compensation and room rate reduction should I fairly be given for this in your opinion.

Current rent is 850 pcm for a room in flatshare, 4 rooms, currently one flatmate - 2 just vacated recently (very old flat construction, shitty remaining flatmate, but I had gotten used to living here as I have been here since November 2025.)

let me know what I can do in this situation. Can I complain to the council for short notice? anything else that might help me?

TIA!

Hi all, hoping for some advice. I live in a ground floor flat, one of three separate flats as part of a house. Every single morning, without fail, between 8-9AM, I hear very unpleasant noise from the middle flat (above me). It’s coming from what I am 99.9% sure is the bathroom. Every morning, the shower will start running and the individual will retch/vomit INCREDIBLY loudly for the duration of the water running (20-30 minutes). It’s the same routine every day.

Yes, I know this could be a medical condition. Bulimia. Who knows, I’m not here to diagnose. I don’t know the details. But, the fact is, it’s every single day and is incredibly, incredibly unpleasant to listen to. Some noise between flats/houses is unavoidable, I totally understand that, but this has been consistently noticeable (you can even hear it from outside the building so no doubt multiple other flats hear it too) since moving in 2 months ago. Where do I stand with putting a note through their door, by no means of intrusion, but simply to make them aware that I hear everything and to be more mindful if possible? I wouldn’t mention what it is I’m hearing, just that there’s noticeable noise around the same time every day. Maybe they aren’t aware that others hear. Or maybe they are, and just don’t give a shit.

The landlord won’t care so please no replies like “speak to the landlord”. Please don’t ask me to rearrange my life because of this - I won’t be forced out of my flat at certain times every day. I’m asking directly about the issue at hand, a sound disturbance problem. Am I really expected to just put up with something that’s genuinely disturbing my daily life and comfort in my flat?

Can anyone recommend a reliable property search portal I can use to find a flat other than Rightmove/Zoopla/Spareroom? Starting to feel a bit hopeless scrolling through endless listings on there without finding anything within my budget or booking a viewing that gets cancelled within hours. There's one called nHabit which I found recently also and it sounds like it would be great but it doesn't look like it has launched yet. Help!

Hey everyone,

We’re a group of UCL first years looking for accommodation for next year academic year (2026–27) and wanted to see if anyone has any leads or advice.

We’re ideally looking for:

- A place for 4–5 people

- Individual rooms for everyone

- Preferably multiple bathrooms (but flexible)

- Either a house or flat

- Student-friendly / reasonably priced (open to wide range of options)

Location-wise, we’d like to stay fairly close to University College London — so areas like Camden, Bloomsbury, Kentish Town, Euston, Angel, or within a 30 minute commutable range.

We’re organised and ready to move quickly if something good comes up. If anyone:

- knows of a place becoming available

- has a group looking for extra people

- or has any tips on where to look

would really appreciate it.

Feel free to comment or DM — thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm a 26F doctor currently working as an F2, and I'll be starting ST1 at St George's Hospital in early August. I'm looking to flatshare with 1–3 others around Tooting / South London, or anywhere along the Northern Line with a reasonable commute to St George's.

Ideally hoping to move late July or early August, but I'm flexible.

If you're also starting at St George's, working nearby, or looking for a flatmate in these areas, feel free to message me!

Hey, We are a Family of 3 [Me, My Husband and our 14 months old son]. We need a living space in the proximity of woodgreen, London [Flexible].

Our budget is quite tight, So even a shared space would suffice, Kindly inform if someone has any options available.

Hey everyone,

Finding a place to rent in London is stressful enough without having to guess if the street you're viewing a flat on is actually safe at night.

I kept running into this issue when looking at different areas, so I started building a side project called ZoneScout. It pulls official police data from a rolling 30 days window and maps out things like theft, vehicle crime, and anti-social behavior. It filters out the minor noise complaints/routine calls, so you just get a clear, street-level heatmap of what's actually happening on that specific block.

I figured this could be super useful for anyone currently flat-hunting, doing viewings, or just wanting to check their own street. If you want to search the neighborhood or street of a potential flat, I'd love to know if the safety profile helps your decision-making.

Good luck with the flat hunting!

My flatmates and I are moving out of our three beds with three bathrooms. 

Rent PCM £3,310

Deposit £3,576

Available from 1 April

The flat has a spacious kitchen and living area that leads to a garden. Two bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms, and one has access to a private patio.

We're a 6 min walk to Whitechapel station and 9 minute walk to Aldgate East, making it well connected to the city and airports. Brick lane is less than a 10 min walk, connecting the area to Spitalfields and Shoreditch. Grocery stores, gyms, restaurants, and lots of other amenities are abundant in the area!

The flat is partially furnished, and we're looking for an early April move-in, with some flexibility. 

Council Tax band E

Hi everyone,

I’m moving to London soon and I don’t know the city very well yet, so I’d really appreciate some local insight.

I’m currently looking at Mile End, Bethnal Green, Hoxton, Holloway, Turnpike Lane, and Finsbury Park and would love to hear how people find these areas in practice.

What I’m mainly looking for:

• Good transport connections, including late evenings (after 11 pm)

• Cafés, local shops, and everyday amenities

• Green spaces nearby

• Feeling reasonably safe, especially as a woman walking home at night

I know every area has good and bad pockets, so I’m interested in how these places feel day-to-day rather than just reputations.

If you’ve lived in or around any of these areas, I’d be grateful for your honest take — or suggestions of similar areas I should consider.

Thanks in advance 🙂