Living in London > Estate agents

Estate Agents

There are literally a trillion estate agents in London, some of them much larger than others. The most recognised of these is foxtons, unfortunately it is also one of the most expensive.

Typically a London estate agent will ask for a fee of around the £200 mark. A good estate agent will arrange everything for your moving in date, this would typically include contacting all gas, electric and water providers and changing the account details, being present on the move in day to make sure everything is well.

I had a bad experience with my first estate agent with regards to things being different on the move in date than what we had previously arranged. We were told that the flat was going to be completely re-carpeted and that we would have a private parking space off the road. Both of these turned out to be untrue but since there was nothing in writing and the landlord had no idea of what the estate agent was promising we could not do anything about it.

As a suggestion, try estateagents.co.uk for property in London.

If a property has been on the market for a while then there is a good chance the landlord will accept a lower than asking price as long as you are willing to move in very quickly. For this reason it can often be a benefit to look for a place about 2 weeks before the start of term on the premise that you could move in the following day if so required.

Part 3: Rent >>