Impossible to find a flat in London

[lohree]

Looking for a one bed flat in central-ish London. Budget of about £2,000 a month.

Cannot even get to the stage of applying for things. Viewings seem to take place the day after listing at say 2pm when I'm in work or at super short notice. Have even attempted to apply for a flat without viewing it, merely hours after it was listed, but got no where!

How should I approach this? Shall I email/telephone agents? We can probably pay for 6/12 months up front. We currently rent so should have a good ref if needed. We have good jobs.

What sites are you looking on, what part of London do you need, there are loads on Rightmove.

Try the new development at Lewisham tube. £2k p/m for 2 bed flat - got one last week!! Got it same day.

Looking anywhere from Clapham to Hampstead. Lots of flats don't have move in dates near to when we need it, or I feel are overpriced. The overpriced stuff stays online but decently priced stuff flies off the shelves.

Have you tried looking at the over priced ones and asking the agent if they would take a lesser offer? Worked last year for DD and she is about to try the same.

Thats a wide area, when do you need to be in by, do you need to be near work or a tube.

Need to be in by the very start of September.

Good suggestion about looking for somewhere and under offering- altho not quite sure it will work in this market. Some estate agents don't even respond to enquiries!

Is it normal anymore to email agents and say "We are looking for X in Y budget- please let us know first if anything comes up" or do they all first list on rightmove etc?

I've found that there are so many applicants per property now unless you're on the phone every day or calling as soon as it's listed you won't even get a viewing. It's utter madness out there

£2k a month? Iesu mawr. Fancy lodging with me for £1k a month all in and a guaranteed seat, direct line to London in 3 hrs.
Fuck a duck,
struggling to pay my £700 pm mortgage here!

Iesu Mawr 😂

You might have to widen your search to Zones 2/3. Lots of flats in places like Woolwich by the new Crossrail for much less than that for example.

@Labradooor 😆
that's tame isn't it 😜

Try Brixton. Zone 2.

I wouldn’t under offer in the current market, places are flying off at OVER the asking price. Friend of mine went to see a place advertised at £1400, and it went for £1800!

After many years of renting in London, there's not much lead time. If you're moving in Sept, its too early to look

Book 2 days off work and fill up your diary with viewings

And yes! Email agents with your requirements and tell them to contact you when suitable properties come on the market

By the time they get to rightmove, they've gone

Rental properties are flying off the market right now and rent is rocketing. I was just talking to my estate manager this morning (I'm a Board Director for a development of 110 flats in central/east London, just on the border of zone 1/2) and we couldn't believe it. Rent for a 1 bed in our building is currently £1600+/month and 2 beds £2500+/month and still rising. Flats are being snapped up. Even the landlord-owners in my building are shocked.

Make it clear that you can pay upfront - as a landlord I find this very attractive as it provides certainty and a reassurance that if my tenant were to eg lose their job or do a runner then I’m not out of pocket!