The UK has been grappling the housing crisis for decades when housebuilding failed to keep pace with demand. When I was looking for a place to live in London in autumn 2022, I though the problem is a Russian invasion and lots of dislocated Ukrainians are happened to be in the British capital, looking for a home. Little did I knew back then about thorny housing problems. London, a leading hub for a wide range of industries, has been attracting professionals from around the globe, naturally suffered the most - the demand to rent a flat or even a bedroom is insane. That’s said, landlords don’t have to throw money at upkeep - there’s always somebody ready to snap it up as soon as it’s available on the market. Hence the condition can be poor. Over the recent decades, newbuilds have been introduced in the capital. Some areas are particularly appealing to residents from overseas who are used to living in apartment blocks; this demand shapes architectural choices and traditional terrace houses are gradually getting replaced with 5+ storey blocks with quiet shared gardens, tucked away from the busy city life.
New Builds in Elephant and Castle
Even with so much development happening, statistics show that London still has a serious housing shortage. High demand is pushing rental prices up significantly.
Websites and apps for renting
- RightMove - long-term lets starting from 6 months, come furnished or unfurnished and usually managed by agencies - you won’t be in contact with an owner directly
- OpenRent - long-term lets managed by owners - might be more fairly prices as owners do not have to include an agency fee on top
- SpareRoom - common for flat/house share, where you rent a room. You can apply filter to find a whole property but it is less common. Most of the time the ads are posted by housemates who live there so upon coming for the viewing you would meet your potential housemates. Some people sublet their rooms and you may find a short-term options available.
If it’s your first time in London and you don’t know the city well, I would recommend staying in AirBnb or similar short-term stay to familiarise yourself with an area. You could argue that hotels/AirBnbs are more expensive, but the temporary inconvenience can later pay off. If you’re moving for work and you need to come to the office on a regular basis, you need to make sure you're happy with your commute. It might be counterintuitive at first, but even living in Zone 5 next to a train might get you to work in Zone 1 faster than living in Zone 2. Which leads us to the next important topic.
Boroughs and Zones
When I was looking for a place to rent, I made the mistake of not committing to any particular area and ended up doing viewings all across London (well, half London). I thought constraining myself to “above the river” would suffice, but I soon found myself viewing flats in N4, W9, and later that same day in E14. Each trip took about an hour, and I quickly regretted not having a better sense of London’s geography, transport links, or local communities. Choosing a more specific area will help you do your viewings more efficiently. You will soon realise that it applies not only to where to live but to other areas of life - London simply has too much to offer and you need to prioritise.
Postcodes
You can roughly tell where a place is based on its postcode. Think of central London as the centre of a compass — N for North, W for West and so on and then you can join letters together, like SW - South West. The heart of London is covered by adding a letter C, e.g. WC - Western Central and “EC” - Eastern Central postcode districts. WC covers centric areas so loved by tourists like Bloomsbury, Holborn, and Covent Garden. British Museum resides at WC postcode. (Fun fact, there are no NC or SC postcodes). From the center, the other postcodes - N, S, E, W, NW, SW, SE - radiate outward like points on a compass. It is considered prestigious to live in the certain areas of central London, as Orwell put it, "precisely as a social snob will live in a mews in Mayfair for the sake of the 'W1' on his notepaper".
Transportation and London Zones
London is divided into nine travel zones, with Zone 1 being the central area and higher numbers extending to the outer city’s suburbs. Fares for tube are based on the zones you travel to or through. Bus travel is not affected by zone and it’s usually cheaper traveling by bus compared to tube, however, in most cases, slower and if you think being on the second deck is a joy - think twice - the bus often makes to many turns and have too many tourists with excited kids on that level. As of 2025, bus fare is £1.75 whereas the cheapest single journey by tube is £2.80.
Overground
Overground (which confusingly partially runs underground) is a high frequency metro-style train service and belongs to TFL. Since it’s a train, it shares the lines with other trains that would take you out of London. It’s probably one of my favorite lines on par with Elizabeth line, as it is quiet enough so you can chat to a person sitting next to you without shouting; it has aircons that are so pleasant in summer during heatwaves.
Last but not least recommendation: If you’re looking for a low-key and better quality and affordability, consider areas outside of London with fast commute. For example, Greater Anglia trains are efficient enough to run you to Liverpool street Station under 30 mins from Ponders End - Brimsdown (Zone 5), whereas you can make it from St Albans to Farringdon under the same time. Choose wiser.