This is solely focused on finding rental properties. Most people immigrating to the U.K. will be renting when they arrive...and so this is for you. There are at least three common ways to rent a property.
- As the sole leasee
- Sign a lease with a friend
- Join a Flatshare/house
Rightmove
It provides what is arguably the most extensive database of properties for renting (and buying). It is well organized so that you can quickly search through various areas and allows you to refine your search so you can find properties meeting your criteria. There are two simple features that help make it a snap.
- Share a Property Listing: You can email a property to a friend, or yourself and their is no need to register for this service. After you have filled in the minimum criteria (your name & email and their name & email) it will remember it for the length of your viewing session. This is great so that as you find more properties you want to share it already has the information filled in for you.
- Extend Your Search: After you have created a search and are viewing the list of properties returned, you search criteria appears on the upper right of the screen. Just below this search criteria is a place to enter an area or location to search for. So once you have entered your search criteria use this additional search box to look for properties in other areas that have the same criteria.
- Search near Station: As many people will be traveling to work via either the Underground or National Rail it is great to be able to select a station and then search within a specified radius.
Find a Property
Don't be fooled by the dated interface, there is robust property information at your fingertips. There is one feature in particular that is great about this site; It allow the user to Search by Map: A map is presented on the home page that allows a user to select a region to search. Then it takes you to a more detailed map to choose from. At any point along the way you can choose to display either all the properties or all the estate agents within the area you are looking at.
Net Lettings
This is one of the first rental property websites we had found while beginning our search in the United States prior to our move to the U.K. While it is not easy to do quick searches for properties as some of the other websites listed here, it has some unique features that set it apart.
- London Area Map: The home pages displays a simple map of the various areas of london. If you know where an area is, it is easy to find on the map, else you may have a tough time. The map is organized to give a broad comparative pricing matrix between different areas.
- Finding an Estate Agent (Realtor): One thing we realized when renting our first property here is how important it is to work through the realtor. Though, it is not the only method, they can be a valuable resource. Generally they are located within the areas they serve. By using the above mentioned map, you can select an area and then it will list the various realtors that serve that area.
- Council Tax: One thing that comes as a shock is the idea that the renter has to pay council tax (similar to propety tax) as opposed to the landlord. Net Lettings list the council tax bands when you select an area from the map.
It is a fantastic site to find and connect on just about anything...sell your stuff...buy a car...meet someone...or for the purposes of our discussion, find a place to live. You can search for properties in various areas like the above mentioned sites, however you are far more likely to find a private landlord not using an agency or find a flatshare. Give it a try.
Move Flat
Though I have not used this site, it appears to be set up well to connect people looking to flatshare.
One thing to remember when looking for a place to rent in the U.K., especially London -- It is super fast paced. It is not uncommon to only find a place to live or move only a few days before you need it. This almost certainly is directly related to the great demand for housing.
Related Article: Renting an Apartment, Maissonette or Flat
