Question about living in Pimlico, Bloomsbury, Vauxhall, or Chelsea

I posted this in the moving topic, but received no responses, so thought I would try here! 

Hi all!

My husband and I are getting ready for our big move to London, and we are searching for a flat to rent while still here in California, since we won't have a chance to pick it out in person. We will be staying there anywhere between 6 to 12 months, so we are trying to pick carefully :-) We get pictures of the potential flats, but it is much harder to get an idea of the neighborhoods - is it somewhere we would want to live, what is it like, what is the area known for, what kind of people tend to live there? We are considering flats in the following areas right now, and would love info about those areas from people who know more than we do!

St. George’s Square, Pimlico, SW1 (by Pimlico Gardens at the river)
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=529250&y=178250&z=1&sv=529250,178250&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

Flat Three Cups Yard, Sandland St., Bloomsbury,  WC1 
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=530785&y=181684&z=1&sv=Sandland&st=1&tl=Sandland+Street,+WC1&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf

The Academy, Vauxhall, SW8 (overlooking Vauxhall Park)
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=530250&y=177750&z=1&sv=530250,177750&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

Tadema Rd. Chelsea, SW10
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=526299&y=177280&z=1&sv=Tadema&st=1&tl=Tadema+Road,+SW10&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf

Thanks in advance!
Aline

If you can, I would honestly not do the rental thing until you get over here.  There are so many variables to moving - how long will it take to work, is there shopping nearby, is the neighborhood decent (which can change within blocks so many of us may not know the exact location)...is there any chance you can go to a B&B beforehand and look around?  Also - is anyone helping you with the rentals?  You may find it tough to rent a place if you don't already have a bank account here.  Tell us a little more about your situation.

Great questions. We do have an agency helping us, and can use a credit card to pay for our rental, so the bankaccount is no problem.  I know it's not ideal to rent from here, but we are bringing our cat with us, and so want to settle in a "permanent" place so that we don't have to uproot him, since the whole thing will be traumatic enough for him.  Hence my questions trying to manage a little bit the risk of moving to a place I haven't seen! :-). I know it's not perfect, but even any general info anyone has about these areas would be appreciated....

Thanks!

Aline

Wish I could help you as I don't know those areas - I live up in NW London.  Hope someone else has looked in those areas.  Your relocation agent should be able to tell you all about each area and you can look at www.upmystreet.co.uk for lots of info...

I think all those areas are pretty nice, but you really should not rent anyplace without seeing it firsthand. Those pictures probably look nothing like the real thing. It took us 6 weeks to find a decent place--but then again, we have two small children so there were a lot of extra variables to consider. Some of the places that looked great online were on a super-busy road, were really grubby and awful inside, were absolutely tiny, weren't near a tube or shopping, etc.  If you look at Foxtons website you can get a better idea of what a flat really looks like, because they do tons of pics and a virtual tour, but still you have no idea of the area until you get there.

A couple of those places are on very busy roads.  The one in Bloomsbury is VERY central, and while it may be nice, it's not close to any parks, etc.

It's doubtful you'll be able to pay rent with a CC. 

I wouldn't rent any place without seeing it first.  That's asking for disaster.  Find a hotel or B&B where you can keep your kitty and line up viewings for as soon as you arrive.  I found a place the first day I looked.