junk4rp

@janisj & @Bowsprit: Good discussions about deposit, booking fee and full payment. I gather that it all depends on the indivisual you are renting from. I have renated vacation rentals in US and most of them ask for a diposit and full payment on arrival. I will see how Europe deals with it. I will prefer to pay by credit card/paypal if possible. At least the payment is covered by fraud protection. Of course the hassle is not covered by anything.

@SteffiG: I am trying to balance the cost with the convenience. We can definitely not afford(time wise) more than 5/10minutes walk to tube stop from the apartment and 10/15 minutes tube rides to the attractions. Hopefully we will find something which works.

Thank you again everyone.

Palenque

Sounds like renting a flat has its perils that you would not have with a hotel -if doing the flat for economy check out the specials that hotel chains like TravelLodge and Premier Inns offer and their regular room rates are often great deals in themselves. Guaranteed modern plumbing, no surprises with cleaning charges, etc.

Palenque

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lovisa

If you decide to give up on booking a flat, you can look at www.booking.com One of the options is to check "Travelling with children". You fill in the ages of your children, and it will show what's available. There are some rooms which supposedly hold 5.

Bowsprit

<< Now, I have gotten around that requirement several times -- either by sending a US$ check that they held til I arrived and I'd pay in cash (so essentially I WAS paying up front but they just wouldn't cash it unless I didn't show up)>>

janisj: Now, That's well done! Perfect, in fact.

SteffieG

I've booked, 2 Hyde Park Apts. for about $100 per night 3 years ago, whether or not the rates are still competitive I can't say but you need to contact them directly to get rates. This may be an option for you. The location is great! No long rides on the tube and a large park to walk in if you need down time from the sights.

mgwest

I've used homeaway.com for vacation rentals in the USA but not in Europe. The site advertises many properties in London....perhaps some of your responders could suggest options with them to help you in your search.

Palenque

ttt

junk4rp

I am ready to sign paperwork on VRBO/235652. The manager says it can accommodate 5 with an extra airbed. It is supposed to be 5 minutes from Sloan Sq tube and it has windows.

Do you think there is anything I am missing? Just doing sanity check.

Thanks.
RP

janisj

• Really REALLY excellent location.

• Really Really REALLY good rate for the neighborhood.

• No photo of bdrm, or "planted area".

• Really weird that three photo captions say >><i>Apartment in Notting Hill</i><<. Is that just a a typo because they also own a place in NH? Or are they pictures of a different flat altogether? I'd just have the owner clarify that -- cuz it definitely ain't in Notting Hill.

junk4rp

@janisj: Yes, the rate is good and location is excellent. I have clarified with the property manager and she says it is in Chelsea. She gave me the address too. It is Bray place, Chelsea, London, Sw3. I checked multimap and google and the address looks legit. I checked review of this apartment and all other listed in the property manager's name and everyone likes her. What else should I check?

janisj

Yes, I know exactly where it is -- I told you about the location way back on Jan 28.

>>>#3 - a really excellent/posh location close to Sloane sq tube station. It is a lower ground (basement) flat but that isn't a big deal - just means it is downstairs. It wouldn't be a dark dingy basement. If the construction next door doesn't bother you this would be a steal.<<<

My point was that her photo captions say "Notting Hill" - I think that may just be a mistake/typo copy/pasted from a different property listing. You might want to tell her about that mistake so she can correct her site.

I don't really see any other problems - she has explained why the rent is so low and it sounds plausible. But I'd be sure to sign up for vrbo's guarantee/insurance option (always a good idea w/ any vrbo rental)

It really IS a wonderful location . . . .

junk4rp

@janisj: she confirmed that the construction is not going on anymore. She mentioned that the notting hill thing is definitely a typo.

junk4rp

So, I thought I was signing the contract with this apartment the other day. But as it turned out, while the property manager Danielle Green had promised me the apartment and the owner rented it to someone else. I found this out by following up with Danielle for two days (after I asked her to send the paper work)! Now I am back in the market looking for another apartment. In the mean time, all the others which I was comparing closely are gone too. I learnt from another poster on tripadvisor that it happened to her too and the property manager in that case was Danielle. So, buyer be aware! Danielle's price may be good but she definitely has some communication issue with the owners she is working with.

Bowsprit

junk4rp: I'm sorry this has happened. Don't give up, the perfect place is still out there. I have always found renting an apartment or flat to be a challenge but certainly possible. I'm sure you'll get other recommendations for rentals here. Truly, good luck with this.

junk4rp

@Bowsprit: Thank you for your encouragement. I know I will find something. But it is taking way too much time and I think(after reading horror apartment rental stories) that even if I booked something I might be anxious till I arrive in London. Yes, I am very thankful to all the fodorites for their feedback!

Bowsprit

I responded on your other thread and asked if you'd consider staying at base2stay instead of in a flat? You'd have a mini kitchen (actually 2) and the bonus of 2 bathrooms.

Palenque

Yes, I know exactly where it is -- I told you about the location way back on Jan 28.>

Now go stand in the corner for 30 minutes!