Tea Time Travels

Snuggled up on our cozy couch while writing this feels even more satisfying after reflecting on the stressful process it was to find out flat. We recently had some friends and family members buy home in Michigan, but didn’t know we would have to go deal with the same crazy market and bidding wars just to rent in London.

Although we started looking for flats before we moved, we read one thing consistently through our research: do not sign a lease without seeing the place in person. And I am so glad we followed that advice. We saw several flats that looked lovey online, but were awful in person. 

For months before we moved we researched neighbourhoods that would be a good fit for us. Because my husband was still interviewing and my job was very central in London, we cold really live anywhere knowing that the public transportation would make our commute easy.

When we moved here we rented an Airbnb for a month, not knowing how long it would take to find a place to live. We were staying in a very cute area, Stoke Newington, with lots of cute coffee shops, independent boutiques, and a huge park right down the street. However, the living quarters were not ideal long term. It was probably 200 square feet, had a pull out sofa that acted as our bed, which took up the entire room when it was set up. We had a sliver of a hallway where we could escape to that contained the kitchen and washer. I think the worst part was that there were no windows and just a skylight. We often joked that we were in the “void” because that was the only glimpse of the outside world. It really wasn’t as bad as it sounded, and it was temporary. But it certainly incentivized us to find a place as soon as possible. 

We quickly found out that the rental market was extremely competitive, and most places that were listed online had already been let the same day that they were posted. I began to work with agents from rental companies who would email me listings and suggested seeing them as soon as possible if we had any chance of getting the unit. 

We found that our search became significantly harder because we had a dog. It wasn’t just up to the landlord, but some building codes had regulations against pets. It seemed to look bleaker by the day, so we started looking at anything and everything within our price range and in a decent area. 

The first flat we saw was quite small, on the third floor which wasn’t ideal for Cookie, but it was in a nice area and was listed at a decent price for London. So we decided to pursue it and put an offer in. We then found out that most landlords wanted at least a two year agreement, and the rental agent suggested bidding at least £150 over asking price per month. We figured we would just offer £50 over to what happened and get a feel of the market. The agent emailed me two days later saying that flat went for £300 over the listed price per month. 

So we kept looking. I had to work during the week and we were not able to see as many flats, but we looked constantly online and booked viewings for the weekend. The weekend that we found our flat we saw 7 different flats back to back in one day across the entire city. After the 6th viewing we were exhausted and hungry as we hadn’t had time to eat. But we pushed through and saw that last one. There was a line out the door of different couples who requested to see it, and the woman who was conducting the viewings said at least 20 people had seen it so far. But it was perfect. It was fully furnished (including dishes, decorations, appliances), on the ground floor, pet friendly, all bills included, and in an amazing location. 

We sat in a pub after that viewing, admiring the surrounding area of Islington. The rental agents told us that we had to submit offers by 5PM that night to have a chance. So we gave three different offers, accompanied by a few paragraphs about why we would make good tenants. 

Shockingly, we heard back the next day that we got accepted to the last (and our favorite) flat. She loved hearing our story and was excited to rent it to us to help begin our new adventure. And she loved the photo we attached of our dog…. Finally Cookie was pulling her weight after making our search so difficult! 

After some more stressful days of opening a bank account and trying to quickly transfer our money to secure a deposit, we finally had a home! 

We have loved living in Islington, exploring the local pubs, restaurants and charity shops. We are between two main tube lines and have busses that come by every few minutes that can take us anywhere in the city. 

Unfortunately, the owner may have to sell our flat so we might have to move again this summer, but it has been a wonderful place to establish ourselves as we learn about and explore this lovely city.