Moving to London for overseas education can be one of the most exciting experiences in your life. But if you are not careful and do not plan your move properly, this could turn into a rather unpleasant situation.
5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Moving to London to Study
To help you fully prepare to go we have compiled the 5 most frequent pitfalls encountered when relocating to London to study.
1 Choosing a private rental place on Gumtree (and other free listings):
Whilst it might be full of honest advertisers, the number of scams is higher than on any other property platform. Go safe and choose the Rightmove, Zoopla and Openrent platforms for private rentals.
2 Not realising you don’t have a break clause in your tenancy agreement:
This means you cannot leave your rental place before the end of your term without heavy penalties. Read your tenancy agreement carefully before signing and committing yourself.
3 Forgetting to budget for transport cost, unless you are lucky enough to walk to university.
Public transport in London is hugely expensive. Know what travel zone your university is in, so you can work out the most cost-effective means of getting there. You will pay a premium for travelling into Zone 1.
4 Forgetting to deal with the TV Licence:
Whether you are going to watch live TV, or not, you have to pay for a licence, or apply for an exemption. Otherwise, you can expect a knock on the door at some point. To relieve you from these boring tasks, use an address management services like Monadd: they can register your address across providers when you move, in as little as 15 minutes. This eliminates the hassle of notifying and updating your accounts so you can save stress during the moving process and enjoy your new home.
5 Standing on the left side of an escalator:
Keep to the right if you don’t feel like walking up or down in the underground tunnels. Nothing annoys the locals more than someone standing on the left side of an escalator ? (and probably quite soon you will be feeling the same!).