In London as well as in other big cities rental prices are insanely high. The problem may be irrelevant for those who have an unlimited budget, otherwise finding accessible accommodation is tough. But not to worry, Goguin is here to help!

By all London standards, a good price would be ranging between £100 and £180 per week for a single room in a shared flat. Furthermore, London houses both new and old are miniature. Don’t expect airy and spacious places, as local architects prefer building taller houses rather than wider ones – consider it English style.

Deal with Agencies Cautiously
London agencies can be helpful for those who are looking for a new home, but it is always good to know these 6 things:

1. Agencies can ask you to pay before even visiting the apartment. Never, ever do that!

2. Sometimes the exact address of your “wonderful home” is not even communicated to you. Make sure to ask for it.

3. Be careful with accepting offers and paying advances to agencies, most of the time web pictures of the rooms do not match the reality. Note that this never happens on Goguin, where content is carefully checked by our admins.

4. Get a city map, and mark the most famous, expensive, central, beautiful or alternatives areas. Once you get familiar with neighbourhoods, you will easily understand that a room for rent in Piccadilly Circus for £100 per week is definitely a fake.

5. Avoid any money request via Western Union, MoneyGram and similar because they are mostly used by scammers!

6. You will probably see flats with no living room, which is quite common in London houses where the aim is to obtain as many rooms as possible. Those are often nice flats, but you can only walk between your room, a bathroom and a kitchen.

Useful list of terms for room/flat searching in London:

Flat-share
In a flat like this you will share with others some common areas like the kitchen, bathroom, living room, garden etc. The room can be shared as well with one or more people.

Studio-flat
Small studio (for one or two people) with bathroom and kitchenette or small kitchen.

One bedroom flat or Two bedroom flat
The first refers to a one bedroom flat including living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, while the second one is usually a three-room flat including living room, two bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom.

Bedsit
Room with a separate entrance, you will share bathroom and kitchen with the other tenants of the building.

Inc bills
This statement indicates that bills are included in the rental price.

FF, P/F, U/F
Referring to:
FF – Fully furnished; P/F – Partly Furnished; U/F – Unfurnished (although sometimes there is built-in kitchen).

Gas Central Heating
Often abbreviated to GCH, indicates that there is central heating in the apartment.

DEP and REF required
The landlord requires an initial deposit and references (income, employment, etc.).

PW and PCM
PW indicates the amount to be paid per week, while PCM means payment per calendar month.

Top Up
This term refers to a rechargeable prepaid utilities card. Try not to forget to charge it, no money equals no gas and electricity!

W/M, D/W, N/S
Other important abbreviations of the flats are: W/M – washing machine, D/W – dishwasher and N/S – no smokers.

So how can we help you to find an apartment in magical London? Easy! Just go to Goguin, sign up for free and fill in your profile. For example, if you are leaving a room or a flat in Berlin to move to London, Goguin will match you with Londoners who leave the city and have a vacant home. You can communicate directly and arrange all the details with no agency help needed. Our community of movers is waiting for you!