A New Chapter: London Flat Hunt!

Our London journey started on a sunny March Friday in New London, Connecticut. After Catja had received her Fulbright award to study at Roehampton, I made the decision to also take the leap across the pond. After accepting my offer at UCL, we both jumped into action looking for housing. We made profiles on Rightmove and SpareRoom with hopes of securing our future flat almost six months before we would start school.

Catja and I had never lived in an off-campus flat before since our college was completely residential until COVID hit, but we had heard war stories from other American universities: students booking apartments one to two years in advance. And those that did not think that far ahead, left to sift through the remains. We felt like we were already four steps behind.

Boy, were we oh so wrong.

Turns out that housing in London is on a much faster and shorter-term timeline. Flats that would become available in September would not enter the market till earliest in June, but likely July. After literally being laughed out of chats with landlords, we learned our housing

Our London journey started on a sunny March Friday in New London, Connecticut. After Catja had received her Fulbright award to study at Roehampton, I made the decision to also take the leap across the pond. After accepting my offer at UCL, we both jumped into action looking for housing. We made profiles on Rightmove and SpareRoom with hopes of securing our future flat almost six months before we would start school.

Some of said senior shenanigans

In the midst of finals, dance performances, thesis writing, senior celebrations, and graduation on my birthday in May, our housing journey that had taken a pause back in March jumped to life. Two lovely British women contacted Catja via SpareRoom to see if we would be willing to start our housing search together, the four of us. We hopped on a WhatsApp chat and began to get to know each other and see if we were compatible housemates. To our surprise, they were incredibly similar to us. One a bit or organized than the other. One a bit more artsy and adventurous. One a bit more of the outdoorsy type. All four of us were moving to London for grad school and eager to explore the city together. After a video call and many messages back and forth, we decided: a girls house it would be!

As we entered into June, it was all hands on deck to scour the web for the perfect flat. Every day, each of us would send listing after listing with the hopes that we could find one that made us all happy. We contacted dozens of landlords on Rightmove and SpareRoom and dozens of agencies with local listings across London. In between the disappointment of unanswered messages, we virtually toured two flats. The first, a lovely house that ended up renting for far more than we were willing to pay in a bidding war that was far too foreign to all of us.

The second was a quaint second-floor flat in a residential neighborhood not too far from any of our schools. Catja was sold the moment she heard it had a garden that was in desperate need of weeding. We decided to place an offer. Luckily, the landlord really liked us and decided to go forward with the tenancy agreement. The anxieties fueled by the terrifying stories of finding flats in London slipped away. For a moment anyway.

Our landlord gave Catja and me three weeks to get a visa and prove that we had the right to rent and live in London. The panic began again. Three weeks?! Had he heard how long the visa process takes? We had to break the news to our new roomies that there was a chance, but it sure was a small one. So, under the advice of the agent we negotiated. Our incredible flatmate figured out that we could offer slightly more rent to get us a couple more weeks to get our documents together. The landlord and agent trusted us, and we frantically continued the application and biometrics process.

Now, with visas in hand, deposits paid, and guarantor agreements signed, we have our very own flat in London! Our London journey begins in September, so stay posted for packing and our early adventures before school begins.

Cross your fingers for a Madd Men (my fantasy team) win this week, as I have somehow lost to Catja for an entire year!

Zoe