Cheap Flats In London

The Eurostar train is a travel experience. It whisks you in supreme comfort and near silence from the heart of Paris to the heart of London in a shade over two and a half hours. In November 2007, it will be even faster. Read on to discover the pleasures of 21st century European rail travel.
Following lunch at a little bistro in Paris and a leisurely stroll along the Seine, we arrived at Gare Du Nord for the late afternoon train to London. It is advisable to arrive an hour before departure, even though check in time is usually only 10 minutes. The check in and departure lounge are on the first floor, and once through customs, you take your boarding pass and all luggage, to the train. If your carriage is at the front of the 400 metre train, you may need to take a trolley.
Exactly on time, and without announcement or clamour, Eurostar glides slowly out of its Gare Du Nord platform and gently gathers speed for its 495 km journey north to London. The train soon reaches its maximum 300km/hour as the flat French countryside and Charles de Gaulle airport flash by. Strangely, there is no real perception of speed. More a feeling of serenity, quietness and isolation from the outside world. Vehicles on the high speed motorway alongside the line appear to be almost motionless.
We asked the conductor whether Eurostar is more popular than the airlines. “The key reason why people choose Eurostar over the airlines is that it is quicker city centre to city centre even though flight time is around 50 minutes. The big problem with airlines is check in time, traveling time between the airport and the city and waiting at the carousel for your luggage,” he said.
He was too courteous to mention weather delays for airlines and that Eurostar carries more passengers between Paris and London than all airlines combined. Overall airline traveling time from city centre to city centre is close to 4 hours.
Approaching Lille, it was time for an early dinner. “Would madame and monsieur care for an aperitif?” We certainly would thank you. Outside, the sun is still illuminating a mid spring afternoon as the flat countryside of northern France flashes by. The menus arrive. For our main course we chose chicken breast in herb salad. It was fresh and delicious, complemented particularly well with a “fresh, crisp, dry” chardonnay.
The young woman at the next table has no time for the views. She’s working on a business report to present to a meeting when she returns to London. She took time off from her laptop to enjoy the meal and coffee. We engaged her in polite conversation and discovered that she makes the London to Paris round trip twice a month. “It is convenient and easy,” she said. “I have 2 solid hours each way to go through business plans and within 10 minutes of arrival at Gare Du Nord, I am in my client’s office. I also don’t have to worry about meals.”
We are impressed with the quality and speed of the service as we approach Calais and the 50 km Channel Tunnel. Farmhouses are silhouetted in the late afternoon sun as our wine is replenished and apricot tartlet arrives. Instant blackness heralds our 20 minute ride under the English Channel.
The high speed run continues well into England and then the train slows. Time to appreciate the hedgerows, tiny villages and pretty rolling countryside of south east England. The head chef points out the infrastructure for the new high speed line north of the Thames as he pours our second cup of coffee. “In November 2007, we will have a new London terminal at St Pancras”, he said. “It will be 300 km/hour all the way and our journey time will be reduced to 2 hours 15 minutes.”
I asked him how the catering staff will handle the reduced times. “That will be our biggest challenge, we will just have to speed up things,” he replied, with a look of resignation.
Our business friend overheard this conversation and as we approached London in the gathering dusk, summed up the dilemma of the catering staff. “They’ll be busier than a one legged tap dancer”. she laughed.
I wish them luck!
Leaving the train at Waterloo, we reflected on the journey. My wife was impressed with how easy, seamless and quick it was. I appreciated the courtesy and efficiency of the catering staff and how the train appeared to waft along in near silence without any real impression of speed. The spacious reclining seats provided a high degree of comfort. Above all, we loved the hassle free convenience. Within minutes of arriving at Waterloo, we were on a tube train heading for our accommodation in Bayswater.
It was no surprise to discover that Eurostar has won the title of “World’s leading rail service” for the last 8 years at the annual World Travel Awards.
Booking is essential on Eurostar and to save money, purchase your ticket before you leave for Europe. A number of ticket options are available for first and second class passengers. Visit the links below for the fare structure most suitable to your needs. Premium first class tickets include a complimentary meal served at your table. A buffet service is provided for other passengers.

Do you ever come to London working on project assignments? Or do you send teams of staff to the UK for training etc? Are you often looking for a cost-effective accommodation solution? You may find that renting a centrally located serviced apartment will be the best idea to consider.

Serviced apartments are usually located just a short distance away from the London underground, as well as the many restaurants, bars and nightlife of the city. Serviced accommodation offers the best of both worlds – most serviced apartments are larger than the average hotel room and they all have a separate kitchen and bathroom. In your apartment, you will have plenty of space to work and entertain friends or clients. Most serviced apartments offer broadband internet access for occupants. You will be able to enjoy hotel services such as cleaning whilst enjoying the privacy and freedom of your own apartment, your own base in London. Most serviced apartments are available from one night upwards.

Just off London’s famous Trafalgar Square you can enjoy staying at Citadines which has a large breakfast area where you can enjoy coffee and croissants in the morning. Embankment and Charing Cross stations are close by. You will be near the West End of London with Regent Street and Piccadilly just 15 minutes walk away. You will be able to enjoy walking down the busy bustling streets and browsing in the shops and take in a West End theatre show, being just steps away from theatreland where you can enjoy London’s vibrant nightlife.

The contemporary accommodation available is superb, much of which nestles behind the magnificent traditional facades of old Victorian buildings in areas such as Knightsbridge, South Kensington and Clerkenwell.

For the corporate traveller, London has a lot to offer. See www.gocityapartments.com  for details of over 1,000 London serviced apartments from budget studios to luxury penthouses.

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House prices in London have been much higher than in the rest of the UK, and have to an extent buoyed the property market across the whole of the country in the last nine months or so. This can make reading property prices across the UK quite tricky, as there are so many regional variations.

Many people will enlist the services of a London mortgage broker to help them get the all-important funding for their purchase. London mortgage brokers should be able to provide completely independent mortgage advice, searching the UK mortgage market to find the most competitive deal, one that matches the client’s needs and circumstances.

The average price of a Greater London property was £354,529 in August 2007. However, even that figure hides a multitude of detail behind it. For example, the average for detached houses was £718,096; for semi-detached the average was £387,176; for terraced properties it was £374,655; and for flats the average price was £301,884.

The last quarter has seen an overall 3.9% rise in Greater London, and the last year has seen an 11.6% rise. Sales in the last quarter were 35,171.

There are wide regional variations even within London itself. At the top of the pile is Kensington and Chelsea, where the average price of a property has topped the million, at £1,004,480. There was no rise in the last quarter, but the last year has seen an amazing 24.2% rise in prices. This really is super-prime London. Here, London mortgage brokers will be dealing with super-rich clients – many from overseas – with mortgages starting at £750,000 being the norm.

Next on the list is the City of Westminster, but it’s way down compared to the leader, with prices averaging £683,742. Although it’s got a lot of catching up to do, it is making ground, with a 7.9% rise in the quarter, though only a 12.9% increase in the last year.

Beyond these top two are Camden (£538,321), Hammersmith and Fulham (£536,402) and Richmond upon Thames (£498,862).

Not all of London and surrounds is for the mega-rich, though. In Barking and Dagenham, the average property price is £189,415, the annual rise in this region being 8.9%. Detached properties here average £236,750, but the average for a flat is only £136,048. That’s the lowest anywhere in the London area, and with the 0% stamp duty threshold ending at £125,000 it shows that – with averages at least – there is nowhere in London that you could buy a property and avoid stamp duty. The second cheapest area is Bexley, where properties are selling for an average of £226,135, but the annual rate of inflation was lower at 7.1%. It’s not all super-prime in London, but it depends where you would like to live.

When you’re looking for your next mortgage in London, it is probably best to use a London mortgage broker as they can usually find a better deal than is available on the High Street. In these days of high interest rates, high mortgage fees, and a large number of applications being turned down due to the credit crunch, it is vital to get the best advice you possibly can.

However, there is nothing like visiting London and being able to rent a house or an apartment for your stay, which will afford much more space and privacy than a traditional London hotel room ever would. The ultimate decision of which type of London accommodation you want is going to be up to you in the end, but you should at least explore your options before you commit to one type of London rentals over another. London vacation rentals aren’t always more expensive than hotel rooms. Depending on where you want to stay and the size of the rental that you choose, you can even sometimes get better deals on London rentals than you would on hotels. For people who have a budget in mind for their trip, this can be a great thing to know. After all, not everyone can afford to pay top dollar for London rentals just because they are nicer than the hotel rooms. If you take the time to check around, you’ll realize that you can afford different accommodations and possibly even better rentals than you might have thought. Impersonal automated travel services are great for finding deals, but you should check with a qualified agent to see what kind of deals you could get on rentals that aren’t the typical London hotels. If you aren’t shopping on a budget necessarily, and are just looking for the best London vacation rentals that you can find, getting a house, condo, or flat for your stay can often offer a much better experience. Many of the homes and rentals in London even come complete with maid services, food delivery, and the same amenities as any hotel suite would offer. However, some London vacation rentals will be self-service, meaning that you’ll need to cook, clean, and do laundry for yourself during your stay. Choosing which of these options works best will depend on your needs. Some people prefer the no-frills nature of having people to clean up and take care of them on their vacation, while others don’t mind having London rentals that they take care of on their own. There is so much to see and do in London that there’s a good chance that you won’t spend a lot of time in your rental or hotel room. Therefore, you should find a nice place to stay, but don’t rent something that is so lavish that you would never want to leave. If you’re going to London and don’t plan on going out a lot, of course, you could get a lavish room to enjoy relaxing in for the week or two weeks that you’re there. That’s another thing to consider when it comes to London vacation rentals. How long you are staying might dictate which types of London hotels or rentals are right for you. For example, if you stay for less than a week, a hotel room might be more suiting, whereas if you stay for longer than a week or up to a month, you might find a flat, condo, or house rental to be more suiting to your needs. It all comes down to figuring out what you want and need, based on what’s available and what you can afford.

Review

“Timely, considering the dramatic slump in the American housing market and the global credit crunch.”  —Planning magazine

Niagara of Capital: How Global Capital has Transformed Housing and Real Estate Markets, explains how the record flow of financial capital into the real estate markets over the last decade stimulated a world-wide explosion in housing production and prices, resulting in a dramatic change in the basic structure of household wealth in most nations, including the United States. Author, Anthony Downs provides a step-by-step analysis of the role easy capital played in generating this rise in household wealth, and examines how the availability of cheap money led to the proliferation of poorly underwritten and risky loans, leading to the collapse of the subprime market and the subsequent credit crunch and stock market decline. Along with the disintegration of the subprime market, Downs outlines other scenarios that could t (more…)

We have a comprehensive and extensive list of flats in Highbury to rent and you can take advantage of our unparalleled local knowledge by calling us today. However, if you are looking to buy flats in Highbury, you can also take advantage of our expertise. Hotblack Desiato was formed nearly thirty years ago to offer a standard of excellence previously unseen in North London’s property industry.We expanded from our Islington office to a second office in Camden town, covering an extensive area from Primrose Hill to Hackney. To celebrate our third decade as North London’s primary residential sales and lettings agent, we recently opened yet another office to deal with properties from Stoke Newington and Highbury Corner to Finsbury Park. As the only well-established estate agent in the area that operates from three local offices, we have a wealth of local knowledge at our fingertips and can use this to help source the residential or rental property that best suits your needs. It is this knowledge and our unwavering professionalism that has earned us the reputation as an efficient and expert firm of property specialists. Our website allows you to begin your search with us from the comfort of your own home, using our ’search filter’ facility. It works by filtering out properties that do not match your criteria and leaving you with a list of strong possibilities. To discuss your rental, sales or purchase needs further, London Property Search Agent, Property Search North London, all Hotblack Desiato today.

Buying property in London can be a challenging business because London is a huge metropolis, comprising distinct areas, each with a different character. Perhaps more importantly, house prices are high. The economics behind this is simple â?? demand for housing is massive and supply is limited. But this shouldnâ??t mean the end of your ambitions to own your own home â?? and it can even work in your favour, if you catch the market at the right time and invest in the â??rightâ?? property.

It isnâ??t easy to know exactly what the â??rightâ?? property is, but to get value for money most buyers tend to look for up-and-coming areas â?? places with slightly restricted transport links, potential for improvement, or areas where regeneration schemes are planned or in progress. If youâ??re a Saudi millionaire or a Spice Girl then tried-and-tested properties in Kensington may seem a good bet, but mere mortals might wish to look for less grandiose properties in East London, which in any case offers a more interesting and diverse environment.

If youâ??re planning to buy a property to live in then East London is a particularly good option if you like cutting edge places, where you are just as likely to find a Bangladeshi restaurant on one street, an artistâ??s studio on another and bric-a-brac being sold just around the corner. Spitalfields and Brick Lane are typical East London areas, with their network of traders, modern creatives and original cockneys. The Spitalfields regeneration project has greatly improved this already much-loved area, adding two new public areas and a tradersâ?? market; Hackney has seen an influx of trendy young artists.

East London property is increasingly popular with people keen to get a foot on the property ladder. Green Street in East London is a riot of colour, because it is the home of Asian fashion. Vibrant reds, greens and blues, as well as the glitter of gold, entice the shopper â?? and flat hunters.

For a very different experience, you could always look for property in Canary Wharf. One of the most cosmopolitan places in London, it is famous for its exciting urban architecture, including the skyscraper One Canada Square, which is the tallest building in London. The wharf is also home to over two hundred designer, independent and high street stores, housed in three malls. Built to a Canadian model, these are underground and therefore perfect for winter shopping. Also on the water, Greenwichâ??s maritime history makes it a favourite with anyone who loves history, the sea or authentic local pubs.

To buy property in East London, simply decide what kind of lifestyle and property you would like and start hunting. There are flats and houses for sale in East London to suit all kinds of budgets and with the 2012 Olympics set to pour more money into East London, your investment might work out even better than expected.

With the current economic scenario, tenants have more choice when they are in search of London flats for home rentals. This is because there is an increased availability of rental apartments London as most landlords in London are opting for rent out option rather than going for direct sell of property London. According to research studies it has been further confirmed that dramatic fall in the real estate prices in the current market scenario has fuelled further increase in the supply of London flat for the purpose of rent.

As a potential renter or landowner in London, it is better to take help of letting agents London as they are not all more informed but also has the experience of dealing with property management nuances.

There are several property management companies that basically bring under one roof –the landowners, tenants as well as the letting agents. In this way, the gap between demand and supply of homes rental and property London is best handled. The letting agents London will ease your pressure to a great extent by providing with services such as inspection of the property meeting standard regulations, preparing rental agreements as well as negotiating the deal for mutual benefit.

Another aspect that needs careful understanding and knowing by the tenants is that the landlord is in a position to pay the installments if the rental apartments London is under mortgage. The best way to do is to find out a credible letting agent in London who would be able to check back on the landlord’s capability of covering mortgage payment so that you do not stand to become homeless even if the landowners London fail to pay the mortgage. However, this may not be possible for every prospective tenant to be. Nonetheless, companies that seek rental properties to make as their company service apartments or holiday homes or guesthouses can afford a little fee to be paid for this service.

Again, Landlords property mortgage agreement should be carefully studied so that there is no law breaking if the landowner shares a room in the same premise where the tenant moves in to stay. There exist Association of Residential Letting agents in London and they would be able to take care of all these areas.

Again, if potential landowners are unable to sell their property they can rent out to companies for short stay of their employees. The companies are in the spree of cost cut to meet with financial crisis and they would prefer to pay rent rather than exorbitant luxurious hotel charges. Landlords London can make great business by transforming rental apartments in London to affordable business apartments with some additional amenities.

A few weeks ago a secretary telephoned me in absolute desperation. She was desperately searching for accommodation in central London for some VIPs from abroad. She stumbled onto my website, not really understanding what the service was about. I think the words ‘free service’, ‘apartments’ just helped her to figure out that Quality London Apartments had something to do with accommodation. Apologies for my long opening, but it is a prime example of how little travelers in the UK and Europe know about the serviced apartment industry. After explaining the concept of serviced apartments and helping her find an apartment, I realized that I needed to share this knowledge further afield. Thus, this article is my contribution to open up this elusive industry and offer tips to travelers.
What is a serviced apartment?
A serviced apartment is a flat in a block, which has a separate bedroom, sitting room/lounge, fully equipped kitchen, your own private keys to own door. Serviced apartments can be in the form of a studio flat (all in one room with a kitchenette), one, two or three bedrooms.
All apartments enjoy maid service, utilities and a management team to help….just like a hotel. Guests only pay for a nightly rate and can live in a flat with everything they would have in their own home.
Pros: Serviced London Apartment vs Hotels
 More value for money and cheaper. In a hotel, no matter which star rating, you pay per night for one room which will have a TV, bathroom, sofa and a bed. This is similar to a studio apartment! In an apartment there is a separate bedroom, kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and dining table (exception is studio)
 Pay per apartment and not per person. An example would be paying £250 per night for a two bedroom apartment, which could accommodate up to 4 people, that works out at £62.50 per person.
 Freedom and privacy. An apartment is like being in your own home and there is plenty of space. You have your own keys to your own door.
 Booking is easy, just like hotels. The majority of apartments require a credit card to guarantee, pre-payment before you arrive and that’s it. No deposits, no tenants’ contracts.
Cons: Serviced London Apartment vs Hotels
 Apartments lacks the buzz and services of a hotel such as restaurants and Room Service. Albeit some apartments are owned by hotels and offer you the use of their restaurants and other services.
 No 24-hour service around the clock. The apartments are ran by a small team who work Monday to Friday 9:00am – 6:00pm, so you are on your own during the weekend. There are emergency numbers to call should you suffer an electric cut, but no 24-hours hotel Duty Manager to run to your room.
 No pool, massages, saunas like hotels
What to look out for when booking a serviced London apartment?
1. Quality of the apartment – make sure you find out if they are clean, well furnished and well maintained. How? Check the photos, and ask if you can book an appointment to view the apartment. This is very important if you are staying over a long period of time.
2. Do they have a friendly and efficient management team? If you need the comfort of a welcoming face to greet you on arrival, then ask for an apartment with a reception. Some apartments provide key boxes, so you can arrive any time, but there is no-one to meet you. A friendly and small team will be able to give you a very personal touch.
3. Opening time of the apartments office – doesn’t sound important? Well it is because the majority of apartments’ operations team open Monday to Friday 9:00am to 6:00pm. If you arrive at your apartment during office open hours, then fine, but any other time and weekends will mean that you will need to pick up the keys from a different location.
4. Key delivery by car at the airport? – If you are flying from abroad to London, and do not fancy traipsing throughout London at night to pick up keys, the majority of apartments will hire a taxi to deliver your keys to the airport upon your arrival. Convenient for a small charge.
5. Payment procedure and cancellation policy – every apartment vary in their guest terms and conditions. All will accept a credit card as a guarantee of reservation, some will ask for 100% pre-payment at least 7 days prior to arrival and cancellation can range from 12:00pm on the day of arrival to 28 days. So, before you confirm the reservation, be very clear about the terms and conditions. Ask your apartment agents to explain the procedure to you and read the terms and conditions on your confirmation emails. It will save you a great deal of trouble and headache later.
6. Apartments are always allocated on arrival. This policy is the same as any hotel, so unless you are a regular guest to a specific apartment, apartments are on allocations. In the same breath, some apartments only have a small number of flats, so if you are reserving the only 3 bedrooms penthouse in their collection, then you are guaranteed that specific apartment.
7. Rates become more competitive the longer you stay. In this, we mean you have more bargaining power if you are staying for one month or longer. This is when your apartment agent can really help you by negotiating with a variety of apartments to get you the best deal.
8. Using an apartment agent will also save you time searching, but most importantly they will work with your budget and negotiate a great deal for you. Of course, you also need to be realistic about what you can book, don’t expect to spend £80 per night for a luxury apartment. For example, one of our clients had £300 budget per night for a two bedroom apartment and he wanted something luxury. For those readers who know London well, also understands that this budget is actually very small. Despite that, we booked him and 3 friends into the Victoria Park Plaza luxury apartment (£150 per night less than the usual price) for £300 per night with free breakfast, gym and access to the executive lounge. Any apartment agent worth their salt can and will move mountains to help you.
What if I don’t like the apartment when I get there?
If you really feel that you have been hard done by, tell the apartment management team and ask to be moved to another apartment. All of the apartments that we work with are very customer focussed and try to help guests enjoy their stay. If this does not work, talk to your apartment agent, if that is how you booked. Best advice though, is to ask all the right questions before you book an apartment.
Your appetite for apartments is now whetted – how do you find London apartments?
1. As already explained, you can choose a free search and book service of an apartment agent or go direct to a specific apartment that you know. Both methods are absolutely fine, dependent of your knowledge of London apartments. Using an agent will mean that they will search far across their portfolio and present you with a variety of choices…all within 10-15 minutes. Agents are impartial and will only (good agents anyway) recommend the quality apartments for your needs.
2. You can use search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN to find apartments. Type in keywords like ‘London serviced apartments’ or ‘quality London apartments’ and so on.
3. Stating the obvious but, ask for a recommendation from friends and acquaintances.
4. Check on Tripadvisor and other customer review websites.
Summary
If you have read this far, then thank you for your time. I have tried to make this article clear and as helpful as possible, but I welcome your comments and any further information that you feel is very important.