Questions About Relocating To London
Moving to a new location creates inevitable uncertainty and raises questions about what life will be like in a new location and the logistics of the move.
Our experienced consultants will personally guide you through each step of the process. However, the following information may help to answer some initial questions surrounding relocating to London.
Private Relocation
In London, the landlord is responsible for insuring the building, along with any furniture included in your lease. However as tenant, you are responsible for insuring all of your personal belongings and any furniture you may hire or buy.
No, we will arrange to contact the relevant companies, and notify them regarding the change of account.
Council Tax is the main form of local taxation in Britain. It is paid by residents to the local authority, the base for the tax being residential property. The tax pays for the cost of local services e.g. Police and Fire Authorities, refuse collection, community services.
We would recommend that you commence the Property Search programme no earlier than 3-4 weeks in advance of your arrival. As stated earlier, most landlords would expect a tenant to take up occupation within 2-3 weeks.
In our experience, the data on the internet is not always up to date. The itinerary will be researched by the Property Search Consultant on the day prior to your visit, and the itinerary will often change on the day of the visit due to properties being removed from availability. Please do not pin hopes on properties found on the internet.
In our experience the average time to negotiate a lease is circa 7-10 working days. This is dependent upon the co-operation of the landlord, and it can take longer if the landlord is not readily available.
No, we advise strongly against this as it may adversely affect your visa and work permit application.
We recommend that you locate a suitable school before you identify a conveniently located property, albeit many public school applications will require you to have signed a lease first for a property.
Getting the right school for your child(ren) is very important, and we believe that this element should be of great significance while making decisions.
We provide as part of our relocation service a Education & School Search Service
In our experience a ‘furnished’ property contains standard furniture (e.g. beds, wardrobes, sofa, coffee table) and standard kitchen appliances (cooker, washing-machine and fridge-freezer).
The property may or may not contain kitchen wares (e.g. cutlery; crockery; saucepans), linen and electrical entertainment equipment (e.g. TV). Please liaise with your Property Search consultant to clarify details, and if in doubt, also specify any specific requests on your “wish list”.
Typically the following are included in an unfurnished property: Carpets and curtains, cooker, washing-machine, fridge-freezer, dishwasher (white goods), although these may vary between properties. Please liaise with Your Property Search Consultant prior to making an offer to clarify details.
Please be aware that the average UK house size is smaller than the average house size in Europe or USA; particularly in cities such as London. Nevertheless there are a great number of storage facilities throughout London If you have any doubt or concern about your furniture size, please ask your Home Search consultant.
Yes, although you will need to specify this request in advance of the Property Search visit, as not all landlords will allow pets. Please be aware that this will also reduce the number of suitable properties available to you.
London does have the capability of a wired Broadband connection i.e. BT.
Whilst it is possible to use certain items set up for other countries electricity supply (such as laptops, chargers etc) and from the USA a step-own transformer can be used, it is recommended for extended use that UK appliances are utilised. Nevertheless adaptors are widely sold; so can be used for short periods.
London operates a left hand drive system, under a Highway code. To drive in London, you need to obtain a driver’s license.
Expats are allowed to, and do, drive; however, both foreigners and locals prefer to employ professionals to take on the London traffic jams.
International driver’s licenses are not recognised in the UK. Foreigners are required to have a UK driver’s licence, and most employers will make the necessary arrangements for this.