The realest guide to navigating the London market

They say your university years are for making mistakes, falling in love, and discovering who you are. What they don’t tell you is that the summer after your first year often begins with frantically refreshing rightmove at 2 a.m., wondering if £350 per week for a shoebox with “ample natural light” is going to be your life for the next 2 years.

Last week, I finally secured a flat. Here it is: a student-to-student survival guide to private renting in London. Not the kind you’ll find in a UOL handbook, but the kind I wish I would’ve gotten when I first started looking.

1. Who are you living with (if anyone)?

Finding flatmates is like casting your own reality show. Childhood best friends, new friends, coursemates - the possibilities are endless. The truth is, you don’t necessarily need to be platonic soulmates but just compatible and communicative. London’s timeline for student renters is kinder than other UK cities, but it’s best to settle your flatmate lineup by February or March.

Ask yourselves:

• What’s our hard budget line and can we actually stick to it?.
• Is the person with the biggest room paying more, or are we splitting rent evenly?
  
• Do we have UK-based guarantors? 
  
•  When do we want to move in and for how long? 
  

Top tip: 2-3 people is the renting sweet spot. Anything more, and you might need a miracle (or an extra bathroom).

2. Flat or student accommodation?

The Flat Life

rightmove, zoopla, OpenRent, and onthemarket will become your best friends. Independence? Yes. Cheaper rent? Sometimes. The chance to hang fairy lights and host dinner parties? Absolutely. This is the road I went down with no regrets. 

Student Accommodation

Think convenience, safety, and someone else handling your clogged shower drain. It’s pricier, but ideal if you’re living alone or prioritising security. Explore places like iQ, Unite Students, and Vita Student. Some even allow you to request to be in the same flat as your friends.

3. Keep organised 

A colour-coded Google Sheet will save your friendships and your sanity (this is the template that I made). Track listings, prices, commute times, and whether the shower is suspiciously close to the fridge. Create a shared calendar for viewings. Bonus points for assigning someone “chief email responder” (every group needs one)

4. Call, call, call.

You might not like it, but flat-hunting means getting friendly with the phone app. Agents are busy, the market moves fast, and a missed call could be the difference between a charming flat in Clerkenwell or another week of refreshing listings from your bed.

When you call:

• Be polite. (It goes a long way.)
• Get their name. (It's professional and builds a relationship.
  
• Be responsive (Yes, even to unknown numbers - you can block them later)

The market is competitive. You snooze, you lose the flat to someone who called while you were drafting the perfect email.  

5. A viewing = An investigation. 

When you go to a viewing, bring your A-game and a list of questions. If you’re lucky, the current tenants will give you the best information (e.g. mould, heating issues, nearby supermarkets).

Ask:

• What's the average utility bill per month? 
• How responsive is the landlord? 
• Do you feel safe around the area at night? 

And please remember to film a video. You won’t remember if the second bedroom had a window or a wine rack when you’re comparing listings later.

Top tip: Some agents will pressure you to commit on the spot or bombard you with fast, large payments without a signed contract. Be firm and do your own research to prevent being put in a bad spot. 

6. Deal with flatmate drama.

This is your soft launch into adulthood. There will be disagreements over money, timing, effort. Don’t ghost, don’t bottle it up. Sit down, talk it out, and remember: if you can’t work through a viewing conflict, living together might be a future horror story.

7. Be open to considering different options. 

You won’t get everything. That beautiful brick kitchen and a ten-minute commute and a private back garden? Rare. You might pay rent from June even if you’re only moving in September. You might end up living next to a Pret instead of a park. It’s all part of the compromise.

Set boundaries. Know your limits. But don’t let the perfect flat be the enemy of the good one.

Aaaand that's it! Embrace the chaos and just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Trust me, it'll all be worth it when you finally walk through that door, keys in hand, and realise that you have found your own little corner of London.