This is all great stuff and you have been "taking me to school" on this subject.

Yes, this MIGHT be for real and NO, its not all a hoax or research for a screen play.

I've been approached about a job in London, but we are not really sure if the salary and housing allowance is enough. I'm all for foreign adventure, but college bills, car payments and mortages wait for no man.

I have to make a sensible counter-offer very soon, thus the sudden, disorganized research now.

After looking at those websites, I can see how a study and extra bathroom are often hard to find. I also looked at actual room sizes and they were more like large closets and not bedrooms as we know them. This sounds terrible, so please don't take me for a snob, but one listed "single" bedroom was about the size of my LW's masterbedroom closet! No joke!

Regarding the property tax, if the renter pays it, then that has to be considered an extra expense. 2500 pounds rent per month PLUS the 150 pounds of proptery tax per month?

That is exactly the kind of thing I need to know if I'm to make a good estimate of my true living costs.

Oh, how does a Flat differ from an apartment? Smaller building? Access to a private garden?

Flat and apartment are simply different words for exactly the same thing. An Englishman who says "apartment" to refer to something in Britain is either being affected or trying to help someone who speaks a different dialect.

for all intents and purposes, flat = apartment. technically, a flat is an apartment arranged on a single floor.

yes, the council tax bill is in addition to the rental amount that is advertised and collected by the owner or agent. It is never included except perhaps for a very short term let.

The tax is collected by the council (equivalent of "city hall") directly from you and this has nothing to do with your rent payment.

flanner...i was not suggesting any particular area because it has a large expat community. just giving him the information so that he can make his own judgement depending on what he wants. he also alluded to other issues (like "surprise" expenses and tv licence) this is why i strayed beyond location.

tulips makes some good points...if you have no experience with london flats/houses, then you may be very surprised at some things like the typical refrigerator sizes. i agree with flanner that you have less of a shock if you have at least a little garden (or terrace at minimum). unfortunately, some flats have terraces but most do not.

there are far too many areas in and around london to discuss them all here i suggest you check out this book -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...380321-6919628

unfortunately, it is difficult to do the numbers (for salary, expenses, etc). some risk is inevitable in this area. if you are paid in £, there is no way to compare your current salary in dollars. with the £/$ ex rate on the high side historically (recent history), you have some risk if you still have a lot of obligations payable in $ (tuition, etc). In other words, you do the maths today and next year your salary may be much less in $ terms.

it all depends on what level of spending you want but unless you have a generous expat deal (which you may based on your housing allowance), then you probably will need to adjust down your lifestyle.

"Find the fridge" is a great game to play when looking at kitchens. Flat and house size is very different in London. You need to figure out need vs want. Do you want to be in the thick of things or in a quieter section of London (across the river or up towards Hampstead).
Would your company pay for a relocation company? Their agents will take you around and do a lot of the hard work of going to agent to agent. They also help with lease negotiations.
(TV licience is £121 a year and should be WAY down on your list of issues. )

Lack of sunlight can be an issue for many expats. Might factor that in to the mix of rental properties. A small sunny place would be better FOR ME than a larger flat with less light.

Find the location of your office and figure out transport- and buses count too.

thanks - I rather like the term flat instead of apartment. And I will get a paid one week pre-move housing trip.

A flat refers to a cheap abode in a block or conversion - a council flat. Apartment refers to something more luxurious and modern, a term developers and estate agents have coined.

As for rates, Westminster council has the lowest (or practically, I can't remember precisely) and is under half some of the other councils. Kensington is, believe it or not, in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and has relatively low rates too. Your property will be in the top band, and that can incur charges of around 150-250 per month.

If you can be more specific - outside space? high/low floor? area? What do you want from it, you're a little vague at present for me to offer you further help.

americans think a flat is something foreign and exotic...not at all like the apartments that poor americans live in.

british think an apartment is something luxurious and exclusive...not at all like the flats that poor british live in.

m2k is right (again). many if not most new luxury buildings are marketing "apartments" rather than "flats". this has nothing to do with trying to help someone who speaks another dialect. just a trend.

When I lived in London in the early 80's, a flat was all on one floor . . an apartment on multiple floors . .

I suppose that is all history now?

I had a flat in Maida Vail near tube and bus stops . . easy to get to Central London and several nearby Pubs . . nice location, although we had the occasional loon escape from the near by hospital and run naked in the street, or walking around blithering . . but I considered that part of the charm.

wrs

Degas coming to London, how fabulous! I think £2500 a month rent is ample for a decent flat (apartment, whatever) in a good, central location, but it seems obvious you need to rethink your expectations of the size and amenities you can get for that price. I don't know where you live in the US, but London living is like Manhattan living: it's a different lifestyle from living anywhere else (in the US OR the UK).

I live in London, whereas my family live in Birmingham (UK). While they all get 4/5 bedroom houses with large gardens, studies, and garaging for 2 cars, I get a 2 bedroom flat of c1000sq ft. I don't feel like I'm making great sacrifices because I get the benefits of living in a great city, and when I'm tired of the pace and lack of space, I'll move out and get that big house. As you're only looking at 1-2 years, I think you should see it as an adventure and should think of your accomodations accordingly.

You can certainly run a car if you want to - I do - but it isn't necessary in London and you'll almost certainly have to park it in the street outside (and pay up to £100 pa for a residents parking permit). Parking can be a headache even then - when most flats were built, the residents didn't have cars, so imagine trying to park directly outside your home, which may be a converted victorian house with 4 flats. 4 flats = 4 or more cars outside one house? The sums just don't add up.

There are NUMEROUS good books on living in London, which will give you a great run down on areas to live and the rest. Amazon.co.uk has them all.

Living costs: the books I mentioned will help a lot here, but as a rough guide to monthly expenses:

Rent +
Council tax (100-200 per month, depending on where you live)
Telephone/broadband connection (c.£40 pm/unlimited internet access)
Television licence (c.£10 a month - a pittance, and it funds the wonderful, ad-free BBC)
Cable or Sky TV if required (c.£40)
Gas/electricity (sticking my finger in the air - c.£60-100 a month?)
Travel (tube & bus pass, zones 1/2) £80 a month
Mobile phone (c.£40 a month)
Gym membership (if required) c.£50-80 a month depending on poshness).
Weekly food shop: c.£100 for 2 people (eating and drinking well at home).
Average indian take-away for 2 (home delivery) c.£20.

Everything else is pleasure money.