Planning trip to London this Summer

Does anyone think an English speaking national or even an immigrant in England with English as their second language would make this kind of grammar mistake? It seems very common on craigslist and gumtree and I tend to ignore them and think of them as scammers:

"I believe you will be so much interested in renting it."

Maybe I'm being too careful? It just seems like a mistake a scammer from another country would make and not a native or second learner who'd actually have a place would say.

I emailed the flat I posted, twice. The guy never responded, I assume it was legit and he got barraged with emails.

Also, is it reasonable for people to be asking for deposits for only a single month stay? I tend to be turned off by those as well. This one person wants £950 deposit, that seems ridiculous and like a potential scam.

What's their nationality got to do with it? Lucky for you, landlords in the UK aren't allowed to discriminate against foreigners or you might end up renting no-where!

As for deposits, they are required by law to pay it into a Tenancy Deposit Scheme so you can't be ripped off on that.

What's their nationality got to do with it? Lucky for you, landlords in the UK aren't allowed to discriminate against foreigners or you might end up renting no-where!

I am not trying to discriminate. It's just if you use craigslist or gumtree you will notice a million scams and they are all from foreign non primary English speaking countries. The emails are in broken English with weird capitalizations and added plurals to random words. I know it's very possible I'll get an Indian landlord and would not mind at all! I'm just being wary of the scammers. I only asked if it was possible that even an immigrant whose second language was English would make such a mistake (because I'd be glad to rent from them, and if they made the mistake I could be less wary.)

As for deposits, they are required by law to pay it into a Tenancy Deposit Scheme so you can't be ripped off on that.

How exactly does this work? I've been asking landlords if they comply with this because it was mentioned earlier in the thread. Yet how do I actually make the payment? Is it still to the landlord and they give it to the scheme? If so I could still be ripped off. Or do they give the people in control of the scheme a code or something and I in turn use that code and pay under it?

How exactly does this work? I've been asking landlords if they comply with this because it was mentioned earlier in the thread. Yet how do I actually make the payment? Is it still to the landlord and they give it to the scheme? If so I could still be ripped off. Or do they give the people in control of the scheme a code or something and I in turn use that code and pay under it?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TenancyDeposit/index.htm

Here's another one that seems too good to be true that I've emailed back and forth with:

Hello,
 Thanks for your interest in my flat,i have a 2bedrooms flat and it's
 a whole flat not a share, in St James's Square, London, SW1Y 4LG . the
 nearest tube station to my flat is the Piccadilly Circus Tube Station
 which is just about 6 minutes walk,I have attached the picture of my
 flat hope you will like it? when would you love to view the property?
 I'm available tomorrow if you don't mind.below are the details
 Area: 01- Central London
 Rent: Rent: £145.00 Per Week ( £600.00 Per Month} SECURITY
 DEPOSIT:£700.00 refundable to you after 5 days in my flat
 Utilities include: electricity, gas, cable, phone.
 FEATURES::Central Heating,Double Glazed,Laminate Flooring,Available
 Now Furnishing: Furnished apartment situated in the Heart of CENTRAL
 LONDON bills included. its fully furnished, DG, GCH, bath/wc, its
 laminated flooring, 24 hrs Security and Porter Service available and entry
 phone.
 # Fully-equipped kitchen
 # Vaulted ceilings
 # Washer/dryer in unit
 # Broadband internet connection in each room
 # Air conditioning
 # Fireplace/select units
 # modern English furniture
 it is well maintained and clean in a very special clean and secure
 environment in central London.,when are you available for the viewing ASAP
 SCARAFILE.

Does that price seem way too low for a single occupancy with all the features? It seems near impossible. What am I missing?

Completely and utterly way too low. Frankly £600/week sounds more likely, and even that sounds low.

I am not trying to discriminate. It's just if you use craigslist or gumtree you will notice a million scams and they are all from foreign non primary English speaking countries. The emails are in broken English with weird capitalizations and added plurals to random words. I know it's very possible I'll get an Indian landlord and would not mind at all! I'm just being wary of the scammers. I only asked if it was possible that even an immigrant whose second language was English would make such a mistake (because I'd be glad to rent from them, and if they made the mistake I could be less wary.)

You'd be amazed at the number of mistakes native English speakers make when they're writing. If you use bad grammar as a deal breaker, you'll never have a place to live.

In terms of deposits, a landlord would be insane to not require one of at least a full month's rent. It's their only real protection if you destroy the place, especially as you'll be leaving the country at the end of your tenancy and have no history in the country before it. They're generally handled the same way as in the US... leave the place perfect, wait 6 months, and get a quarter of it back. (I joke because of my own current situation waiting for a return.)

Completely and utterly way too low. Frankly £600/week sounds more likely, and even that sounds low.

That sounds too good to be true!! What did the picture look like?

Completely and utterly way too low. Frankly £600/week sounds more likely, and even that sounds low.

Totally agree!  Unbelievable.

I am not trying to discriminate. It's just if you use craigslist or gumtree you will notice a million scams and they are all from foreign non primary English speaking countries. The emails are in broken English with weird capitalizations and added plurals to random words.

It's easy to point fingers and accuse people of discrimination, but foreign scammers are a legitimate concern.

And I do judge people on spelling and grammar.    I can't help it.

I am not trying to discriminate. It's just if you use craigslist or gumtree you will notice a million scams and they are all from foreign non primary English speaking countries. The emails are in broken English with weird capitalizations and added plurals to random words.

If you look around this forum, you'll find posts like that as well.  Good English doesn't seem to be as important to some as it is to others.

I think there is a risk of scamming here.  I am asking around to see if any of my friends are willing to part with their spare rooms for a month, but I need a bit of background.  I'll take it to PM.

Vicky

Thanks Victoria!

If anyone else is bored, feel free to browse craigslist and gumtree or whatever other medium and link what seems legit based on your knowledge of prices!

So I'll be browsing a few colleges when we're there as well. It might turn out that I'll need to get my Master's or higher for the IGS. Are advisors or people I can speak to even in during the summer? I assume there'd have to be at least general advisors in mid-late July or during the entire summer for summer courses. Do I need to call in advance or are the colleges there pretty friendly/casual about walk-ins and general questions? I realize this is a very general question and probably differs by person/university, but maybe just general advice will suffice. My questions would be: (1) requirements for admission, such as letters of recommendation, do they accept letters from US (2) Tuition costs (3) Transferable courses/degrees from US.