Short-Term London Rentals – Read This First!
Planning on visiting London in the summer of 2012?
Then you’re going to have to start thinking about your accommodation real soon.
With around 100,000 hotel rooms available in London, places are going to become pretty hard to come by for many.
Will this include you?
Well, obviously that’s your call. But if you’re struggling to find someplace that fits your requirements, try something a little different.
Short-Term London Rentals – Read This First
One option you could try is finding a short-term London rental for your vacation.
There are plenty of options on offer, whether you’re traveling alone or with family or friends…BUT – read this first, the London 2012 UIG list of...
Short-Term Rental Questions
1. What is the EXACT address, complete with postcode (you can then look up the exact location on (Google or Streetmap.co.uk)?
2. Is a minimum stay required? If yes, how long is it?
3. Will you get a discount for a longer stay? Are there discounts for stays of more than 14 days or 28 days or longer?
4. Is VAT included?
5. What are the cancelation fees?
6. Is there a telephone in the flat? What is the telephone number?
7. Will the property provider/agent supply an inventory list?
8. Are linens and towels provided?
9. What utensils are in the kitchen?
10. What are the bedding arrangements? Twins? Double? Queen?
11. Does it have a bath and shower?
12. Is there a television in the flat?
13. Does the flat have air conditioning? Fans?
14. Does the flat have heating? Is it on a timer? How does it operate? Is it on a coin-operated meter and, if so, what coins does it take? Do all the rooms have heating?
15. Is there anything that I need to be aware of regarding electricity? Hot water?
16. Where is the nearest grocery store or supermarket?
17. Does the building have an elevator?
18. Is daily housekeeping provided? Are there laundry facilities for guests?
19. Are there any cleaning fees?
20. Can you provide the measurements of the flat/house? Can you provide images of the layout?
21. Have there ever been problems with noisy neighbors?
22. If there is a Reception area, is it staffed 24 hours?
23. What time can I check in?
24. What time must we check out?
25. What payment system is in place? Payment systems such as Western Union are used because it means there is no fixed location for the individual, and the money can be collected anywhere in the world using false identification.
Even if the money is collected in the UK, it will be sent out again within minutes. The large number of
The telephone numbers used are normally Platform numbers (Number starting with 070 or from international calls 004470) These numbers are set up via the Internet with various providers and unfortunately can be answered, again, anywhere in the world. The details given re. setting up these account are, of course, again false.
26. If a deposit is paid, can the rest be paid upon arrival (you should insist on this option)? Or is full payment required in advance?
Try to confirm with the agency (if there is one) that you will not be given a ‘substitute’ flat if the place you rent is double-booked (prevents ‘bait and switch’), and try to acquire a range of recent photographs of the flat, preferably showing the house number as part of the montage. Ask how recent the photos are.
If you manage to get hold of some photos, note the condition and quality of furniture. Remember that they'll put photos of their best accommodation on the web.
Also, we suggest you read the description carefully. For example, does it give a full idea of what's included in the apartment? And is there a full kitchen with oven, cooker, and full-sized fridge, or a kitchenette with no oven and a couple of hotplates? These small things can make a big difference to your vacation and the enjoyment you get from it. By the same token, ask for instructions to be left for the appliances, especially washer/dryer units and ovens.
It clearly pays to try to talk to the owner by phone beforehand. If possible, ensure that there's a local contact, and that you have their name, phone number, and address. Operating instructions are sometimes unintelligible, and sometimes you just need to have somebody show you how to turn the heat on, turn the heat down, find the water heater, turn on the water heater, open the window, open the door of the washing machine, bring the towels that were promised and paid for, deal with a break in the water line, etc..
One of the most important things you'll want to know before you visit London and stay in rented accommodation is how far the flat is to convenient public transport. If you are booking outside of
Travel insurance is always advisable, especially for any pre-paid expenses (e.g. apartment rent or deposit). Oh, and one last thing - do read the fine print before you verbally confirm. Some companies hold you to verbal commitments.
That's a pretty exhaustive list of things to consider. What we're really saying is just be a little smart in your approach to securing short-term rental accommodation. Don't expect anything better than what you see in the photographs or forget to include the cost of payment to the owner/agency into your overall budget. If the agency requires money to be wired to them, then the cost of an inter-bank wire also needs to be figured into your planning.
We hope you've found this article useful.
One thing you can expect – and that is the number of websites offering to find and book short-term London rental accommodation for you is almost certainly going to increase. For now, here are some sites that you might find useful:
And it's also worth having a look at Gumtree , which is similar to Craig's List
Bookmark Us
Photos of London
Games Countdown
Local Weather
