Planning trip to London this Summer

A BA will be enough to get you the IGS (or it's new incarnation). 

A Level results are out on 21st August so admissions offices will be open around this time but will be very busy.

Be careful when you fly in that the IO doesn't think you intend to stay and study, or you'll get bounced!


Vicky

A BA will be enough to get you the IGS (or it's new incarnation). 




Vicky

I'll finish my BA here before we plan to relocate. In one year I'll have a bachelors in English and Philosophy. I suppose I could get another BA of a different type, but I'd prefer to take one of my degrees to the Master's level instead.

We bought round trip tickets so hopefully they know we're coming back. Then we're just saying that we are going on vacation, we've never been to Europe and want to see museums and spend lots of money in their great country! Which is pretty much true.

What is the deal with people emailing me saying, "I have a flat, let me know if you are interested..."

They send this email in response to a "Want" add I post on gumtree with full details, why would they ask me if I was interested? Wouldn't it be obvious that I am? Is this a trick to get emails for phishing and such or am I being overly paranoid? I get it a lot. It's overwhelming I get tons of emails, but the majority are very shady or way too cheap, brand new home with two bedrooms and two bathrooms for 150 a week? Right...

Anyone know where/about "Herbert Crescent, London, SW1X?"

That is just a way to ask if you are still interested after hearing all the details.  You might not be interested once they tell you location, price etc.

SW1X is Victoria. 

Are you sure they are all shady?  The outer London places will be much cheaper than the central ones.


Vicky

That is just a way to ask if you are still interested after hearing all the details.  You might not be interested once they tell you location, price etc.

Vicky

They don't give any details. That's what I meant. They just email me asking me if I'm interested in renting a flat...Here's an example:

"Are you interested in securing an apartment? Get back to me so i can send you pics and details of my flat. Regards. Agny."

Are you sure they are all shady?  The outer London places will be much cheaper than the central ones.

Vicky

The good ones give me phone numbers, but I can't call them with my service.

Here's the one that seems the most like a scam for being so cheap

Hello,i have a 2 bedroom flat and it's a whole flat in Herbert Crescent, London, SW1X. and the nearest tube station are Train line logo (0.1 miles) Knightsbridge,Train line logo (0.4 miles) ,Hyde Park Corner,Train line logo (0.5 miles) Sloane Square Station which is 2 miles to the flat when would you love to view the property? .below are the detailsArea: 01- Central LondonRent: Rent: £150.00 Per Week ( £600.00 Per Month} SECURITYDEPOSIT:£650.00 refundable to you after 5 days in my flatUtilities include: electricity, gas, cable, phone.FEATURES::Central Heating,Double Glazed,Laminate Flooring,AvailableNow Furnishing: Furnished apartment situated in the Heart of CENTRALLONDON bills included. its fully furnished, DG, GCH, bath/wc, itslaminated flooring, 24 hrs Security and Porter Service available and entryphone.# Fully-equipped kitchen# Vaulted ceilings# Washer/dryer in unit# Broadband internet connection in each room# Air conditioning# Fireplace/select units# modern English furnitureit is well maintained and clean in a very special clean and secureenvironment in central London.,when are you available for the viewing ASAP."

Wasn't sure about: I have available 2 double bedroom flat for rent in Sherwood Street Piccadilly London W1F 7BR United Kingdom double glazed windows, low voltage lighting, wooden flooring throughout, luxury fitted kitchens with integrated appliances, bathrooms with power showers, balconies, these apartments are available furnished. The rent is 800pcm including bills and a security deposit of 500 would be made and. If interested in a viewing please contact me....

Why do they say it's in the United Kingdom...?

Then another vague one: "Hello, I have a lovely flat located at London ,so if you are interested in renting it you can email me back...so that i can email you back the full detail about it,.....here is my email address: vargaflatforrent@gmail.com Thanks."

Thanks for all your help, as always!

The Herbert Crescent ad sounds like the previous SW1 property you posted. The rent is WAY too low for the area, and furthermore, I have never heard of someone giving a deposit back after '5 days in my flat.' This just doesn't make sense.

I would have a look at rightmove.co.uk so that you can get a better idea of comparable rent for different areas. As Vicky has noted, you have a much better chance at finding something at a reasonable price that is not a scam or shady outside of zone 1. Especially if you are not looking for a flat share.

I may have missed this somewhere in this thread, but what is your budget?

Budget is 150-250 GBP PW.

£800 per month for a 2 bed flat in Piccadilly has got to be either a mistake or a con of some kind. It would be more like £800 per week.

Ok, well just for reference, we pay close to the top of that budget for a 1 bedroom in zone 2 North London in a so-so area. Granted it's a nice size, but still nothing special.

I'm not saying that you won't find a 1 bedroom (let alone 2) for that price in zone 1, but it is going to be unlikely. Looking quickly at rightmove, a studio might be possible, but I would definitely expand your search or consider a house/flat share. You might also be able to find a good deal if someone needs a last minute subletter, and is willing to take a cut on price.

We don't need to be in zone 1. We just wanted to be as close to 'central' London as possible. Really as long as we're near a tube and it's in London and we're moderately safe then we will be very happy. We do not need a two bedroom whatsoever, that was just one of the scams I posted. We're okay paying the full 250 or close to it, as you mention your place is, Kate_mate, as long as it's near a tube and we're alone.

The search continues!

So I've been looking at rightmove.co.uk and seeing some very reasonable prices in our range. What's the catch? What are the agent fees etc? I've been warned to avoid agents at all costs and have seen that on several guides as well. But we're getting close now and we really need to find something...

The main thing with going through an agent is they will usually make you go through a credit checking procedure and charge you fees for that, on top of the deposit.  The fees vary wildy but some agents charge as much as a couple of hundred quid and it's non refundable.

Still not completely familiar with the different money terms. What's the US dollar equivalent to a quid? How would checking my credit do anything if I only have US credit? I was under the impression my US credit meant nothing in the UK (it's very high.)

Quid is a slang term for a pound (sterling), so it's the same thing as saying "a buck" when referring to US currency.  The actual exchange rate between the two currencies vary, obviously...roughly two bucks to one quid at the moment.

Your US credit doesn't mean anything in the UK, so if someone runs a UK credit check on you, you'll come up as not having a credit file (aka having no credit history)