How long before move should we look for housing?

Hi all,

My husband is being transferred to London on April 1.  We are wondering when we should try to rent a flat.  We were planning to go over from Feb. 10-18 to try to find a place.  Is this too early?  Will flats for April 1 be available then?  It's possible that we could postpone the apartment-hunting trip for a week or two.  Would that be better?

We feel a bit of pressure to enter a lease so that we will have a UK address to put on our visa applications. 

Thanks for your help!  This message board has been a source of great information as we prepare for our big move!

We moved here in late June and my husband flew out in early May to secure a place to rent. We weren't moving to London, so it could work differently there. I'd say your timing's about right.

There are a lot of Londoners on this site who should know the best approach. Good luck!

There will be plenty of flats available at that time in London.  Is your hubby's company helping in any way?  It sometimes takes a while to rent a flat, especially as you won't have a UK bank account yet...I'd suggest at the least to get a letter from your hubby's company saying that he'll be working there as a reference.  If you can, it might also be worth just trying to do a short term rent (6 months) so you can see other areas in London at a later date...I've moved a few times in my 2-1/2 years here.