Flat Hunting in London | viewings, prices and tips for renting in London on a budget

Hello guys, it has been a stressful month property hunting, but I thought I would share this journey with you! We are talking all things from prices, locations, viewings and tips and tricks to take on the London rental market x
Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
02:16 The London renting market, tips and prices
09:05 My renting journey
14:20 Viewings and prices
20:31 Summary and outro
My notion as a template (completely FREE) with some guidance on how to use it! Just click the link below, then click ‘duplicate’ in the top right hand corner- you can then edit the page as your own! Enjoy 🫶🏼
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Who am I?
Hello, my name is Abbey, I'm 23 and have just graduated from the University of Cambridge after 4 years of studying Chemical Engineering. Join me as I navigate grad life, move to London and start my first corporate role.
Find me on:
Instagram: abbeyrobinss
TikTok: abbeyrobins

[@alexc5613]

Worth noting you aren’t getting more for your money if you flat share, you actually get less (less space, time, sharing everything) but I’m bias because I live alone and don’t think I could ever go back

[@keys6]

I agree and seriously diminshed privacy.

[@wintersnowowen2254]

I live alone and don’t think sharing is worth it, either. To share where I am would be £400 less, so not massively cheaper. Would personally only share with close relatives/friends.

[@suyasuman]

It's a great alternative to those who can't afford to live alone. It of course won't be the same level of privacy, comfort, or freedom, but when (as was in my case) you are being paid shit and live in a somewhat expensive area, it can be lifesaver. One thing I'm completely against though is sharing with a live in landlord. I WOULD NOT want to do that again lmfao

[@alexc5613]

@@suyasuman that’s fair enough! I would never share with a landlord either, they’re bad enough not in your space 😅

[@lazyhunk2]

Finding affordable Housing and biking to work helped me financially and healthwise over the years.

[@Cat8395]

Congrats on finding your new home! Massively disagree on the South being more expensive, nicer. I’d say it’s the COMPLETE opposite in my opinion - property north of the river is much more desirable than south of the river. I would hazard a guess that you think it’s nicer because you can afford NICER flats in your price range in the South and because you have your social life in the South (many people from the uni I went to moved to Clapham post uni). Takes more money to afford nice property in the North. I would suggest you’re a bit younger than I am (me being in my late twenties) and people who are younger seem to gravitate (oddly in my opinion) to Clapham but as they get older want to live in the Islington/Hoxton/Stoke Newington area. I think it’s because there are bigger house shares in Clapham etc whereas 1-2 bed flats are the only real option in the areas described above. PS: When I’m talking of the South/North above - I’m referring to Zones 1-3. If you move out of London and into the counties around London, the reasoning flips - eg Surrey/Kent is GENERALLY considered (broad brush) nicer/more “posh” than Hertfordshire/Essex/Buckinghamshire (though this depends MASSIVELY on the then individual towns).

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Thank you!! That’s so interesting, I agree the north has some really nice areas but yeah I think it’s that they are much more family homes/ places to settle down. I guess it depends what areas within north and south you look at!

[@isntitj]

gotta disagree with you there, south of the river over north any day of the week

[@cheche2181]

People saying the south is nicer clearly have never been more than one place. Personally I think there are stunning places on both. I’m in the Yorkshire dales and it’s a very special place.

[@pennyrodie34]

​@@cheche2181 I think they're specifically referring to South London v North London, not south and north of the whole country

[@Barbara-yj5tl]

@@cheche2181She’s referring to North/South London not North/South England

[@Jadearole]

You definitely do not get more value for money in the north! South London is known to be cheaper and slightly less nice overall! Other than that, great video xx

[@jennam8401]

100% agree, north is more expensive. I've lived in the north for the past 5 years and recently looked at the south and was shocked at how much more you can get for the money!

[@ME-fo7si]

This was really fascinating as my son who at the moment lives on the river Thames in a 1 bedroom. He’s got to move out because the landlord now is selling. It’s quite daunting as all addresses have to be changed. He’s paying 2000 on his own for a 1 bed. Maybe looking into sharing would be a good idea. He loves his abode and doesn’t want to leave. Heartbreaking for you lovely young people, hope where you are now brings lots of fun and happiness.

[@jduncan4637]

You really don't get better value in north unless you move much further out, like Edmonton or parts of Harringay that are far from the tube

[@AbbeyRobinss]

I am so surprised by this view, a lot of my friends who live in north seem to pay less for really nice places, but I guess it depends on the different areas in the north

[@freza12345]

Mad prices to live in those areas! I lived in Barnes between 2018-2022 and paid £1400 for a 2 bed flat so 700 each. The market is CRAZY now.

[@Thoughtsbyme-ts4jz]

Times have changed in London, we are fighting for our lives

[@katerose8393]

Mmm in East we now have the Lizzy line….i can be at Tottenham Court Rd in 20 clean, quiet, air conditioned minutes even from Manor Park.

[@scoreimp232-tm6fs]

Hi Abbey, I enjoy your videos a lot and always looking forward to see your upcoming contents.💖💖💖

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Thanks so much that’s so kind! xx

[@MashoodSabir]

Ahh loved it abbey and your videos are awesome and really informative :)

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Thank you!

[@MashoodSabir]

@@AbbeyRobinss 🥰❤ happy easter abbey :)

[@katelewis3608]

Such a helpful video, thank you!! 😄

[@temitayoogunbayo6174]

East London has loads of tube connections. Unfortunately where I am (south east) is the one really lacking. South London is also generally considered cheaper than North, although thats probably not true for south west london anymore 😭

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Yeah the east isn’t awful but as soon as you go south east there’s nothing, there are so many nice properties with rubbish connections! And I think prices are massively increasing in sw london sadly :(

[@ephraimjosiahotto4066]

this soo funny to me cause just got an internship in London over the summer and if not for my friends whose got family houses in south London ild deffo be living in cambridge or smoother city and commuting cause it'll be way cheaper than paying London rent

[@hansanaik3835]

I am not sure if you know the KZbinr - Paige Yallop. She studied at Cambridge too. She now works in London. She bought a house last year in Cambridge and she commutes to London twice a week for work. So I think it is better to buy your own property outside of London if you are working from home most of the time. That's a much better investment than renting in London.

[@jupitermoon8671]

Cambridge is also crazy expensive like London to buy!

[@Billy33753]

Happy Easter!

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Happy Easter! 🐣

[@fear_not]

North is so much more expensive than South and there is so many cool areas, also everything in North is close to the tube station. In the South only Clapham is nice and expensive. Everything else is so much cheaper.

[@imprsk6729]

Crazy prices!!! So glad both my children bought their homes... rents are crazy..

[@melissareyes2497]

Thanks for the info 😊

[@avi.is.editing]

Great Video, Just wanted to ask you if you are looking for someone to outsource your video editing ?

[@alexp8924]

South was destroyed during WW2 and north is massively nicer and more expensive in general. Overground to Canary wharf from North London is also way nicer than tube.

[@natashamilanov2055]

Hi Abbey! Thanks for the informative video. I'm moving to London soon and wanted to ask if it's even possible to find a studio for up to 1.5k (with bills) in zones 2/3? I see some of those on Zoopla/Right move, but I'm not sure if those are just clickbait considering this horrendous situation on the market. 😅

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Hey, no problem! So I’ve not looked massively into studios but that does sound reasonable, especially zone 2/3- you might struggle to get that including bills however. It’s definitely worth viewing some properties to get a feel for it, SpareRoom is also great to use if you’re renting alone, you could get a nice room for much less if you’re okay sharing with 1/2 other people x

[@natashamilanov2055]

Thanks again! ☺ I'll definitely take a look there too, I wouldn't mind sharing if I find some nice flatmates. Also, please let me know if you're interested in meeting a new friend (that would be me, lol), I'd love to connect and I heard that London can be pretty lonely at times. 😅

[@Miss2ndEdition]

We considered moving to the south as prices are cheaper there 😅

[@fraser1237]

4200 is mental

[@stefftj3493]

im shocked im disgusted by the price you should have fun and enjoy life bless yougreat work good luck x

[@Lena12421]

Stratford is the best. You have 3 tube lines plus overground and tfl plus the Westfield

[@wildheartxxx135]

Kent is good place and is not that far from London

[@MariadeLourdesAniesSanch-ze7hf]

this question I like the new job

[@Ptr98]

I really liked the video. Wandsworth does not have overground , it’s Clapham junction that has train and overground station 😊. Wandsworth common has over million pound houses so depends the area it’s not cheap at all. Clapham junction is not cheap at all 🙈.

[@Misspastryface]

Sorry but your reaction to having to walk 15mins is hilarious, its not far at all 💀

[@AbbeyRobinss]

It feels a lot more when the tube is your main mode of transport so you have to add 15 minutes onto every journey you take!

[@leeperks9058]

That Tooting Bec place, OMG! I am guessing they were only charing that price due to location, and it was close to Balham. No way because they felt the house was in good condition......

[@AbbeyRobinss]

I know!! It was awful, yeah to be fair the location was good and very near the tube - but definitely not the one for us

[@teainortakoy]

I used to live in Erith, DA8, a really run down scruffy area on the ugliest stretch of the Thames. They advertised a flat there as a beach view apartment with a sea view!! There's no sea or beaches in Erith- it was laughable and when I called they tried to justify it and insisted that the bit of mud/litter by the river was a beach!!! 🤣

[@NaomiCramer]

Your views on private Landlords v licensed estate agents would be appreciated

[@AbbeyRobinss]

So I have had both and I think so far I do prefer a private landlord just because it feels a lot more personal e.g. they might care about the house a little more, you can have communication with them via text so things can be sorted quickly, however it does depend on whether you get a good private landlord (which is a bit of a gamble), whereas licensed estate agents can provide an extra layer of security e.g. they can't just ghost you or try to twist the rules

[@wintersnowowen2254]

I live alone in zone 2, SE London. Renting here alone I pay £1,600 for an apartment with a concierge and garden. To share in a 2 bed is £1,200, so I would only save an extra £400 which doesn’t seem worth it.

[@AbbeyRobinss]

That's a great price to also include a concierge and a garden! £400 a month extra seems like a lot to me but I guess that depends on your financial situation, £400 may not seem like a lot to everyone

[@Mdmti]

Girl where? I’ve been looking for so long and only found dumps for 1,500

[@wintersnowowen2254]

@@AbbeyRobinss yes it’s a good price for London (though obviously crazy in reality) so I definitely realise that. In my mind it’s worth it as I get peace and quiet.

[@wintersnowowen2254]

@@Mdmti Hi, I live in a residential area near Canada Water, so it’s quiet and more family based.

[@extensionsorbit7727]

Is St Albans good for commuting?

[@fear_not]

Good as it's quick by train but it would be very expensive to commute daily to London, plus St Albans is very expensive itself. So instead of commuting, it's actually put this money towards more expensive rent in London in my opinion.

[@extensionsorbit7727]

@@fear_not Thanks for this

[@steven2046]

How could north is cheaper than the south? 😂

[@rayray117]

It’s not mission impossible if you have money.

[@shailapatel5137]

can you please share the Facebook site please

[@AbbeyRobinss]

It was called 'Gals Who Rent', if you search that up I think you have to request to join and then you should be accepted pretty quickly after that

[@keys6]

I encouraged both my children NEVER to rent. Both stayed home as long as possible allowing them to save a deposit to buy their own home. Gen Z cant always do this which is reality.

[@radunorth1744]

bruhhhh, they eyes

[@juliar2462]

Ah yes 4k/month like this isnt 150% of a good salary in the UK

[@AnaViolinViola]

Nope…North is more expensive. Yep…South is nicer😊

[@Itsnottheirs]

Its expensive

[@AbbeyRobinss]

very!

[@Itsnottheirs]

Dead money

[@FreelancerRaselHossain]

Hello mam I am a digital marketer and SEO expert I checked your youtube channel and I found out that there are many problems in your youtube channel videos due to which you can't expect anything good from your youtube channel so if you want to improve your youtube channel on a good level If you want to take it, you need to SEO each of the videos.

[@Ali-gb7mf]

London is overrated.

[@lenamrk]

Hi Abbey! Thanks for the informative video. 🫶🏼 My boyfriend and I are moving to London in the summer and are currently researching the best way to rent an apartment. Can you give me any tips on the best way to find agents? Do they charge commission if they offer you an apartment that isn't on the market yet? :) Best wishes

[@AbbeyRobinss]

Hey! Yes so if you know roughly the area you are looking to move to I would suggest calling up all of the estate agents in that area and they will add your details / what you are looking for into their system and then they will start contacting you about properties. They don't charge for this (even if they show you things not yet on the market) because I assume they get commission from the landlord when they get the house rented out quickly, so having you on their system helps them out!