finding housing in southampton area

I guess most of you went thru this when you moved to the UK. How do you look for housing long distance. I can already see myself living in a hotel forever with my husband off to his job, 2 kids and big labrador running around the corridors. Imagining that they will kick us out before we have found a nice place to live.

We will be moving to the Southampton area in the middle of July. With the current housing market in the USA being so low, I am not sure we will be able to sell our house (or sell it for a reasonable price), so we are looking for a rental when we get to the UK.

What would be the best way to approach this? Are there realtors that specialize in rental properties? Would it be best to do my own search on internet before we leave. Which search engines should I use?
Which pitfalls should I be aware of when renting in UK?

Looking for some advice,

Corine

I have a similar question.  I am just wondering what the best approach to finding a place to live is especially since I have pets (two cats and a dog). 

Previously, from reading posts, I gathered that most came and found a place once they arrived and that worked because most places are available right away.  Is this true?  That is my plan so far, but I don't even know how to decide exactly where to live! 

What are the best search engines for finding a place?  Recommendations for finding a place that allows pets?  I've looked at some places on-line to get an idea of housing costs and realized that many places don't allow pets. 

rightmove.co.uk is a good place to start

You can also try petfriendlyrentals.co.uk