Flat Hunt

We've been looking for a flat (apartment) for a month officially. It seems so much longer, and to some degree it has been because we were researching where to live and what we could get for our money since about September. There have been numerous adjustments to our wish list, mostly including raising our budget. I won't go into details on amounts, but our budget has gone up roughly 30% from where we started.

There have been several disappointments so far, but we think we have 2 properties that we'll be happy with. Our second choice looks to be confirmed, but we're waiting to hear back about our first choice. This after several top picks have fallen through. We thought we'd found a place on December 11, but negotiations broke down over the lease a couple weeks later. Then we were into the holidays, which apparently last weeks here, and may not be over even yet. Landlords, it seems, can be tough to get in touch with. They're on holiday in Africa, skiing in Switzerland, and so on. Tracy restarted our search after I'd already gone back to the States and had a couple more places fall through.

Finally I arrived and we went out again Friday. One choice is in an awesome neighborhood and is a great place, the other is in a converted soccer (football) stadium which has a great "wow factor". It appears this will be settled in a day or two. It really needs to be.

There are some very interesting things about flats in London. Most properties are converted 'somethings'. We've looked into converted schools, warehouses, churches, pubs, bakeries, and soccer stadiums. The majority are converted Victorian era homes. These are like 3-5 story townhouses chopped up into numerous flats. The bottom floor, called 'lower ground', usually has private access to the garden (yard). Some of these gardens are cement or otherwise paved, some nicely landscaped, some grassy with trees and plants...quite a mix. They are almost always walled in or fenced, sometimes with walls that stretch up several floors, making them feel like you're not entirely outside.

Another issue is space. Not uncommon in large cities at all, apartments can have very small rooms. There may be bedrooms that couldn't fit a double bed, or if they could, no other furniture whatsoever. Sinks in bathrooms may be smaller than a dinner plate. Strange floor plans may include rooms that you can't fully stand up in. We've seen very creative uses of space, like storage areas that you have to get down on you hands and knees to access; or above beds requiring you to stand on the bed to reach. Many kitchens have the washer/drier combo. This is one machine that does both, neither that well, especially the drying. They aren't vented to the outside, so it can take hours to dry a load consisting of 3 towels. And they're often next to the kitchen sink, mini fridge, or dishwasher (if you're lucky).

But it isn't all bad either. Some have tremendous charm, or at least once did. Views usually aren't much, but we saw one the other day with a very Dickensian view over rooftops and chimneys. Many appear very grand and elegant, at least outside. But all that we've seen are very different from suburban America, whatever your thoughts are about that. The most important thing is just to get one locked in, so we can feel some sense of permanence. Hopefully we'll have lots of pictures soon.