Living in London always reminds me of what the great Fran Lebowitz said about New York "nobody can afford to live there, and yet 8 million people do'. I live outside London so it was never an issue, I've always loved it.
@@loveandlondon Such a weird video. I had you mentioning things like Google maps and Skype and I thought maybe this was an older video. Then I saw it was in 2021. Zoom and Citymapper are the relevant apps here no?
I’ve done a lot of research into moving to London and you explained it all (and much more) so well, it’s so much easier to understand. Thank you! I’ll definitely be checking out that checklist 😊
This is so helpful and timely Jess! Thanks for all the tips. I will be moving to London later during the year for grad school. Hopefully the city will be out of lockdown by then...very excited for the next chapter of my life:) Your videos have been invaluable!
Just started watching your videos and enjoy them! As an American who has visited London and Liverpool 5 times and hoping for the sixth in April (all booked) it is nice to gather more about London and the surrounding areas from someone who lives there. Best wishes and will be watching. I printed out the 101 Guide and will check it out-Thank YOu
Thanks so much for watching! Just a little thing, almost all of my guides are not meant to be printed (too much ink and they have links in them, plus we want to save paper!) so next time let me know if you need help just saving it to your phone or iPad, we can help with that :)
As someone who went through the hurdle of relocating to London, I can say that this is video is a an incredibly useful source of information for someone looking to come here,
My fantasy is to move to London when I retire. I probably won't ever be able to afford it, but I love seeing videos like these that keep the dream alive, especially now when we can't really travel anywhere. I've subscribed to you channel. I know what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my day. Thank you.
Thank you for this video! My wife and I rent a 3 bedroom home on a 650m2 block in Australia (Brisbane QLD - Close to CBD) for the equivalent for 190GBP/week. It will be a big culture shock when we move into a place when we move in May with a lot less space!! *nervous laughter*. She is however delighted to hear Londoners tend to be able to live with a lot less as she is currently on a minimalist journey and is commencing her decluttering phase :D Thanks for the uploads it really is helping me understand our big move even more and the costs associated.
I think she'll thrive in London! honestly I don't mind the small space. So glad that you guys found this helpful Billy, and thanks for your kind commment!
Hey! Jessica! 🙂 That's Very Very Informative 👌🏻👍🏻 Thank You So Much for sharing the Valuable details with crisp break-up Very Helpful & Yes! of course Thank You Again for 'Moving to London Checklist' 🙂 👌🏻 Looking forward for more such Valuable! guidelines 👍🏻
Great video! In my fantasy world where I could convince my wife to move to London, I now know how to budget for the beginning of the adventure, hah. What I find the most interesting is that the rental prices seem not too crazy compared with the cost of purchasing real estate in London (but perhaps this is related to your comment about the housing crisis there and short-term / vacation rentals?)
About upfront, some agencies ask you to meet one of the following requirements to rent flat: - Household income must be 30 x monthly rent - OR Pay 6 months upfront - OR have a UK Guarantor who earns 30 x monthly rent
I think I first went to central london on my own around 1972/3 along with my sister, we bought a red bus day ticket (red bus rover) and spent the day doing the museums. We were both around 13 yrs old.
I moved to London in 2007 - there were really no smartphones yet. I looked for a room in a flatshare while not yet in London. Via gumtree 😱 I know. I was lucky and didn‘t get scammed. Knowing about the tenancy deposit scheme would have been good. The first few spaces were furnished and when I arrived I only had a bag and a suitcase anyway, so that was helpful.
It would be a dream to live anywhere in the UK, let alone just London. I'm sure it's much cheaper in smaller cities where cost of living is much less, but then it's about trying to find a job that is willing to hire you as an American over a British person and I'm sure in a smaller city that's much more difficult.
Thanks so much! I wouldn't recommend any foreigner to purchase property in London upon first moving there. Give it a year or two so you can learn the areas you like, have job security, ensure you want to stay long term, etc. It could be a very expensive mistake otherwise.
Another benefit people forget about contents insurance is that is usually comes with personal liability insurance. So many people think they dont need it until they accidently knock into someone while cycling, or accidentally spill their drink over someones designer dress in the pub, or forget they have left something on the floor that the plumber trips up when he/she is coming in to fix your leaking tap, or your dog bites someone. No one plans for these things to happen, but they happen. Having the personal liability cover that comes with contents insurance can be a bit of a life saver when you are looking at a bill of thousands of pounds (and that could be just to defend it). I've seen the relief from people who realise they have that cover, and the heart wrenching dismay of people who realise they have been caught out and dont have any cover to help them out. Its not worth the heartache
I moved to London 5 years ago. Just came with my suitcase and went straight to a shared house - London is too expensive to get a flat or anything to start with 🙈🙈 I find it mad how people move so much around London! I can't be bothered to move all the time 😅😅
Came to London almost five years ago. 1 suitcase and 500£ in my pocket. Lived in a share house with too many ppl (romanian style 😂🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️) for 10 month then moved out to a much more decent place. By that time 1 and a half suitcases. Ohh, those were the times :)) Great video! Keep it up!
@@danielazziptrips 1 kitchen for 9 people?? Well that's a bit much. Some landlords are operating illegal houses. That sounds like one of those 😬 But yes, beginning was hard on my side as well. But if you think about it, every beginning is hard. Happy to see things worked out for you :)
@@CuriousPavel Right? I agree, it is a bit much, and we didn't have a proper contract so yes, I guess it was an illegal house. Totally! Beginnings are hard but worth it :D Thank you! Wishing you a lovely weekend!
Hi Jess, thank you so much for this videos, you're definitely making moving to London way easier in these crazy times of uncertainty... Quick question, assuming a new UK Skilled Worker VISA immigrant has his new job settled and can pass the employment reference check, is it possible to get a rent without the agency requiring the 6 Months upfront? Under this condition, on the one hand there would be no credit history at all but on the other hand the employer reference check can be passed successfully... So would agencies ask for the 6 Months upfront or would they allow for standard renting conditions?
what about NHS costs or costs to potentially get citizenship if applicable? Would love to move to London, but unless I win the lottery it wouldn't be economical to just uproot my life/career at this point. If it was 15-17 years ago and I was just out of college I'd have done so and maybe I should have back in 03/04
I studied abroad in London, and it felt like home. I've always wanted to live there permanently, but it seems like the only way to live there is to have a sponsored work visa. How else can I make this happen? (I'm from the US)
Hey Corrine, have a look at the UK government's website, they lay out all visa options, or speak to an immigration lawyer to see what options you have :) glad you enjoyed London so much!
I would love to do a short-term, two-month, summer stay in London to see what it is like to live in the city. Long-term, I doubt I would like relocating from one expensive, crowded city (New York) to another. I would prefer a smaller city within commuting distance to London.
Wow, that 14.7k rounded up to 15 is over 26k cdn...😌 not including food, transportation and odd pint 😂 Bravo Jess to you and everyone else who manages to do it on their own 👍
Remember, I said at the end that people do it for much less. It completely depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to have the first few months you're there. Thanks for watching!
Love your video! You mentioned shipping a small box (looking at like 50 lbs or so) would be 200 pounds. Everything I'm seeing is $800-$1000. Can you recommend a good shipping company?
Living in London always reminds me of what the great Fran Lebowitz said about New York "nobody can afford to live there, and yet 8 million people do'. I live outside London so it was never an issue, I've always loved it.
That's really weird you say that because I was just watching her Netflix show last night! But haha yes it's so true!!
Love of London Yeah just love Kevin
@@loveandlondon Kevin very yeah just like love of London
@@loveandlondon Such a weird video. I had you mentioning things like Google maps and Skype and I thought maybe this was an older video. Then I saw it was in 2021. Zoom and Citymapper are the relevant apps here no?
I need to save this video for when I'm old enough to move. I've been dreaming of moving to London ever since I first went
Awesome! It's a great time here.
One day:)))
Bro same I’m scared I won’t understand the currency or anything like how do I pay and all that
I’ve done a lot of research into moving to London and you explained it all (and much more) so well, it’s so much easier to understand. Thank you! I’ll definitely be checking out that checklist 😊
That's great to hear :) Glad I could help Sherly!
This is so helpful and timely Jess! Thanks for all the tips. I will be moving to London later during the year for grad school. Hopefully the city will be out of lockdown by then...very excited for the next chapter of my life:) Your videos have been invaluable!
That's great! Fingers crossed for you. Thank you so much for watching Stephanie! Happy planning
Just started watching your videos and enjoy them! As an American who has visited London and Liverpool 5 times and hoping for the sixth in April (all booked) it is nice to gather more about London and the surrounding areas from someone who lives there. Best wishes and will be watching. I printed out the 101 Guide and will check it out-Thank YOu
Thanks so much for watching! Just a little thing, almost all of my guides are not meant to be printed (too much ink and they have links in them, plus we want to save paper!) so next time let me know if you need help just saving it to your phone or iPad, we can help with that :)
It seems like such a complex process to move but your videos always help. Thank you.
Moving to a foreign country is no easy feat! But doable :) thanks for watching!
As someone who went through the hurdle of relocating to London, I can say that this is video is a an incredibly useful source of information for someone looking to come here,
Thanks so much Roberto! :)
Love the tips! Wish I had this info before I moved here 3 years ago :D
Haha awwwww ❤️
I good day. Thank u for sharing ur videos. Hope to see many more. Make a video telling us how is the covid in ur country right now
Moving to London from Miami in 2 months. This is very helpful, thanks!
You're very welcome, thanks for watching! Be sure to watch the other videos in my Moving to London series for more help. Good luck with the move!
My fantasy is to move to London when I retire. I probably won't ever be able to afford it, but I love seeing videos like these that keep the dream alive, especially now when we can't really travel anywhere. I've subscribed to you channel. I know what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my day. Thank you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave such a nice comment Trot! Happy to have you here ❤️
Excellent tips. Can't think of anything to add
Thanks Pavel :)
Very good advice hopefully it won't take a month I start tomorrow
def Saving this video for the future!! thanks for sharing :)
Glad you found it helpful Gloria :)
Thank you for this video! My wife and I rent a 3 bedroom home on a 650m2 block in Australia (Brisbane QLD - Close to CBD) for the equivalent for 190GBP/week. It will be a big culture shock when we move into a place when we move in May with a lot less space!! *nervous laughter*. She is however delighted to hear Londoners tend to be able to live with a lot less as she is currently on a minimalist journey and is commencing her decluttering phase :D Thanks for the uploads it really is helping me understand our big move even more and the costs associated.
I think she'll thrive in London! honestly I don't mind the small space. So glad that you guys found this helpful Billy, and thanks for your kind commment!
Very helpful thank you... moving to London in July, yay!!
Awesome!! Should be a great time to come!
Hey! Jessica! 🙂
That's Very Very Informative 👌🏻👍🏻 Thank You So Much for sharing the Valuable details with crisp break-up Very Helpful & Yes! of course Thank You Again for 'Moving to London Checklist' 🙂 👌🏻 Looking forward for more such Valuable! guidelines 👍🏻
You're so welcome Hiren. Thanks for taking the time to watch and write a lovely comment.
EXCELLENT video. Thank you!
Thanks for watching Travis :)
Thank you! Great infos
Thanks for watching!
Great video! In my fantasy world where I could convince my wife to move to London, I now know how to budget for the beginning of the adventure, hah. What I find the most interesting is that the rental prices seem not too crazy compared with the cost of purchasing real estate in London (but perhaps this is related to your comment about the housing crisis there and short-term / vacation rentals?)
Hmmm well short term rentals affect both rental prices and purchasing. Yeah I mean buying of course is significantly more and involves lots of fees!
@@loveandlondon I'm keeping the dream alive! Maybe we can "summer in London" (ha!) once the pandemic is done and things are more back to normal.
I have begun thinking of moving abroad to the UK and this helped me out tremendously. With inflation I'm going to add a little bit extra. Thank you.
This is two years old and inflation has been insane so you might want to add quite a bit more :)
About upfront, some agencies ask you to meet one of the following requirements to rent flat:
- Household income must be 30 x monthly rent
- OR Pay 6 months upfront
- OR have a UK Guarantor who earns 30 x monthly rent
Thanks a lot. Very clear
thanks for watching!
Super helpful!
Glad to hear it Raja, thanks for watching!
Great video!
Thanks so much Amber, thanks for watching!
I think I first went to central london on my own around 1972/3 along with my sister, we bought a red bus day ticket (red bus rover) and spent the day doing the museums. We were both around 13 yrs old.
Interesting video! 😊
Thanks for watching!
This is great. I recall navigating with only the A to Z
Omg wow!!
@@loveandlondon not to mention driving a stick shift in London traffic. great adventures!
I love this video
Thanks for watching!
thank you!
Thanks for watching Claudia!
I moved to London in 2007 - there were really no smartphones yet. I looked for a room in a flatshare while not yet in London. Via gumtree 😱 I know. I was lucky and didn‘t get scammed. Knowing about the tenancy deposit scheme would have been good. The first few spaces were furnished and when I arrived I only had a bag and a suitcase anyway, so that was helpful.
House share is a good option while you go for your house hunting 🏠👌
Yes it absolutely is, and decreases costs significantly!
It would be a dream to live anywhere in the UK, let alone just London. I'm sure it's much cheaper in smaller cities where cost of living is much less, but then it's about trying to find a job that is willing to hire you as an American over a British person and I'm sure in a smaller city that's much more difficult.
Yes, that's a very good point DJ! You're correct. Thanks for watching :)
Really thorough list of considerations! Any tips or information for folx planning to buy property rather than rent?
Thanks so much! I wouldn't recommend any foreigner to purchase property in London upon first moving there. Give it a year or two so you can learn the areas you like, have job security, ensure you want to stay long term, etc. It could be a very expensive mistake otherwise.
Another benefit people forget about contents insurance is that is usually comes with personal liability insurance. So many people think they dont need it until they accidently knock into someone while cycling, or accidentally spill their drink over someones designer dress in the pub, or forget they have left something on the floor that the plumber trips up when he/she is coming in to fix your leaking tap, or your dog bites someone. No one plans for these things to happen, but they happen. Having the personal liability cover that comes with contents insurance can be a bit of a life saver when you are looking at a bill of thousands of pounds (and that could be just to defend it). I've seen the relief from people who realise they have that cover, and the heart wrenching dismay of people who realise they have been caught out and dont have any cover to help them out. Its not worth the heartache
Great point, thanks for sharing Sarah! So everyone should look into a plan with personal liability included.
Hi Jess, so good to see you. What's the vaccine situation like in London? Will you be getting yours soon?
Hi Janet! Because I'm young, it will be a while.
I moved to London 5 years ago. Just came with my suitcase and went straight to a shared house - London is too expensive to get a flat or anything to start with 🙈🙈 I find it mad how people move so much around London! I can't be bothered to move all the time 😅😅
That's great! Thanks for watching 😊😊
Came to London almost five years ago. 1 suitcase and 500£ in my pocket. Lived in a share house with too many ppl (romanian style 😂🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️) for 10 month then moved out to a much more decent place. By that time 1 and a half suitcases. Ohh, those were the times :))
Great video! Keep it up!
@@vasile4186 my first shared house here had 9 people and only one kitchen 🙈🙈 but I guess that's what most people do! Otherwise it gets pretty tough!!
@@danielazziptrips 1 kitchen for 9 people?? Well that's a bit much. Some landlords are operating illegal houses. That sounds like one of those 😬
But yes, beginning was hard on my side as well. But if you think about it, every beginning is hard.
Happy to see things worked out for you :)
@@CuriousPavel Right? I agree, it is a bit much, and we didn't have a proper contract so yes, I guess it was an illegal house. Totally! Beginnings are hard but worth it :D Thank you! Wishing you a lovely weekend!
Hi Jess, thank you so much for this videos, you're definitely making moving to London way easier in these crazy times of uncertainty... Quick question, assuming a new UK Skilled Worker VISA immigrant has his new job settled and can pass the employment reference check, is it possible to get a rent without the agency requiring the 6 Months upfront? Under this condition, on the one hand there would be no credit history at all but on the other hand the employer reference check can be passed successfully... So would agencies ask for the 6 Months upfront or would they allow for standard renting conditions?
You'll most likely not find anyone who will not do the 6 months upfront
@@loveandlondon So no credit history would overule great employer reference and high income verification?
What an excellent vidoe. The upfront rent info is surprising....any tips for avoiding many months upfront?
If you're new to the country it's rare to be able to avoid it unless you have a UK guarantor
@@loveandlondon that is annoying. I hope a good stable job can be helpful. What do you think?
I remember agent fees, backed away and magically only had to pay a third (years ago)
Love that they're gone now!
what about NHS costs or costs to potentially get citizenship if applicable? Would love to move to London, but unless I win the lottery it wouldn't be economical to just uproot my life/career at this point. If it was 15-17 years ago and I was just out of college I'd have done so and maybe I should have back in 03/04
NHS is free but visas usually include an NHS surcharge!
Do you have a video on where to second hand shop in London??
Yup! Here are vintage shops: th-cam.com/video/H-cXkJq4ogg/w-d-xo.html&t
And here are secondhand shops: th-cam.com/video/ikyrC2OTLok/w-d-xo.html&t
I studied abroad in London, and it felt like home. I've always wanted to live there permanently, but it seems like the only way to live there is to have a sponsored work visa. How else can I make this happen? (I'm from the US)
Hey Corrine, have a look at the UK government's website, they lay out all visa options, or speak to an immigration lawyer to see what options you have :) glad you enjoyed London so much!
I would love to do a short-term, two-month, summer stay in London to see what it is like to live in the city. Long-term, I doubt I would like relocating from one expensive, crowded city (New York) to another. I would prefer a smaller city within commuting distance to London.
Cool! Thanks for watching Deborah.
That's what many people prefer, Deborah. There are good transport links here so you'll be fine :)
Wow, that 14.7k rounded up to 15 is over 26k cdn...😌 not including food, transportation and odd pint 😂 Bravo Jess to you and everyone else who manages to do it on their own 👍
Don't forget this is hypothetical so people do it on way less.
Any other recommendations for apart hotels? The one you mentioned has no availability for the dates I am looking!
Here you go: loveandlondon.com/18-london-apart-hotels-better-than-airbnb/
When I’m older I would like to move to London I always wanted to live there so ima move there
So is there a way to move there as a self employed person that is not looking to study there?
Not really, it's really tough. Talk to an immigration lawyer to find out if you have any options!
Could you pls give advice to short term travel who plan to stay in UK for less than 6 months?
Lots of tips across my channel :) Thanks for watching Wenn!
Hello, I rent in London (1bed flat, it’s been 1.5 year, however I wasn’t aware at all about the contents insurance) is it mandatory?
Most contracts will say it's mandatory!
Note to self, cancel planned move to London...
Lot of coin however it is relative to wages... what would a average wage be?
Remember, I said at the end that people do it for much less. It completely depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to have the first few months you're there. Thanks for watching!
The average UK wage is £31,461 - which of course means that most people also get far less
How is an "apart-hotel"or serviced apartment any different from Air BnB?
It's basically in the name. It's a blend between apartment and hotel. But your money supports multiple employees and not just one greedy landlord.
So the 1 week holding deposit AND the 5 weeks for the security deposit should BOTH go into a DPS account?
the one week is part of the rest of the deposit, which should go into the holding account
@@loveandlondon Thank you so much :))
What’s the best Realestate web app, for houses for sale/rent?
Hey! I talk about this in this video about how to find a flat in London: th-cam.com/video/ALHd7xotT4c/w-d-xo.html&t
You remind me of Courtney Cox
It seems work or study visas are the only ways to move there from u s.
Study is the "easiest" one, but otherwise it's quite tricky to get a visa from the US.
The dream....
Do you know anything about pet travel?
I'm afraid I don't!
Love your video! You mentioned shipping a small box (looking at like 50 lbs or so) would be 200 pounds. Everything I'm seeing is $800-$1000. Can you recommend a good shipping company?
Try Send my Bag, but remember that you will have to pay customs and duties
Almost as bad as LA. Dang that’s pretty pricey.
Yup! But as mentioned, people also do it for a lot less. Just depends on the lifestyle you want.
Too much 🤣
As mentioned, you can do it for way cheaper (or more) than my example. Just depends on the situation!