Rental Advice

Where is where?

arrondissementsLondon is a big city. But not that big. Most people want to stay close to the center, close to the sites, or major libraries. (Click on the map to the side to view the districts, numbered faintly on the map.)

In general, you should insist on seeing pictures of the apartment, and you should check out the address (for example, using Google Earth – or even viewing a picture of the building in the French yellow pages (www.pages-jaunes.fr). Lodging on very busy streets may be noisy, and some very central locations may have limited access to affordable markets. (On the other hand, they may provide great access to museums and other tourist destinations, so weigh your options.)

How big is big?

London apartments are not measured in square feet, but in square meters. One square meter is 10.7 square feet, so if you measure in feet, you are pretty safe just multiplying by ten. For example, a 40 m2 (square meter) apartment is a little over 400 square feet.

Apartments tend to be compact in London (as in most large cities). The following sizes are a good rule of thumb:

  • Studio: 16-25 m2
  • 1 BR: 20-45 m2
  • 2 BR: 45-80 m2
  • 3 BR: 70-100 m2

There is nothing sacred about these sizes, but if you see a 2 bedroom apartment at 35 m2, you can be pretty sure the second BR has you sleeping vertically; conversely a 1 bedroom that measures 60 m2 will be palatial by Parisian standards.


How much is too much?

This is a subjective question, worthy of a subjective answer. As elsewhere, prices are determined largely by what the market will bear. Lots depends on location, size, and quality, but here are a few indicators:

For very short-term rentals (a few days to a couple of weeks), you should expect a range of:

  • Studio: 80-150 GBP/night
  • 1 Bedroom: 130-180 GBP/night
  • 2 Bedroom: 170-250 GBP/night

Note that this is very rough: some rooms can go for as little as 70 GBP/night; some luxury apartments may cost many hundreds per night.

Medium- to long-term rentals (usually two months to 1 year):

  • Studio: 500-900 GBP/month
  • 1 Bedroom: 900-1300 GBP/month
  • 2 Bedroom: 1200-2500 GBP/month

Again, the range is vaste. Lower prices will generally be had by finding person-to-person ads (see “Classifieds” in the Listings.)


How late is too late?

With rental agencies, it is best to try to line up your housing at least a couple of months before departure. Person-to-person rentals (via the Classifieds) will often require less lead time; in fact, classified ads tend to appear only weeks before a property becomes available for rental.

The longer your stay, the better it is to plan ahead — keeping in mind that the French rental market uses relatively little lead time. Also, the pickier you are about size (two or three bedrooms can be very hard to find), the earlier you should start your search.

If you like to live dangerously, you can also hunt through the rental agency sites at the last

minute; some offer special promotions on properties that are not booked.