South and Southeast of England

[Huntington]

Howdy. I'm thinking of moving to the south or southeast of England--those being the warmest areas of the UK, from what I hear.

I want to rent a flat with a separate bedroom, not a studio. What should I know? Are there specific towns you'd recommend or areas to avoid?

Are there any expat communities?

Thanks much!

[Elphaba]

The area ymention is very large and includes London, major suburbs, big and small towns, villages and countryside. I think you are going to have to be a little more specific .

The rental costs vary hugely too. For example a place in say a small town in Hampshire is going to be way cheaper than in Central London.

Are you going to be working? If so, where? I suggest you get a good UK map to get an idea of just how big and variable the area is.

Expat areas? You will find a bigger mix of nationalities in the larger towns and cities.

-

[Big Pete]

Originally Posted by Huntington

Howdy. I'm thinking of moving to the south or southeast of England--those being the warmest areas of the UK, from what I hear.

I want to rent a flat with a separate bedroom, not a studio. What should I know? Are there specific towns you'd recommend or areas to avoid?

Are there any expat communities?

Thanks much!

Hi and welcome Huntingdon

I am in the South East in Kent , yep we have it the warmest we also have a few reasonable sea front towns ..

what you mean expat areas ? where you from then ? Howdy is american i assume ?

let me know the requirements you seek , and i can give you my top choices .

what you mean expat areas ? where you from then ? Howdy is american i assume ?

[Huntington]

Big Pete,

Thanks for your information and questions. I'm retired (60), with my adult daughter in London for another year or so. We're from California, hence my interest in the south of England. I would like to be in England for 12 months.

Although some type of paid job would be nice, it's not essential. I would like to be involved with a community--through volunteer work perhaps--which is why I ask about American expat groups or organizations. A church would not work for me. I might also like to take college-level courses.

I don't know the towns at all, so I don't have preferences. Having contacted one rental agency in England, I have found that in addition to rent, one also pays Council taxes; for the small flat about which I inquired, the cost was about $2,000 annually. Is that standard practice for rental units? My budget is tight, so I have to be economical. However, I do want a safe and attractive area.

When you refer to "reasonable" towns, do you have any idea about rental costs?

Thanks much for your help.

[Huntington]

Big Pete,

A completely different option would be to do a house exchange for a year. That would be ideal, but I think difficult to work out.

[Big Pete]

Originally Posted by Huntington

Big Pete,

Thanks for your information and questions. I'm retired (60), with my adult daughter in London for another year or so. We're from California, hence my interest in the south of England. I would like to be in England for 12 months.

Although some type of paid job would be nice, it's not essential. I would like to be involved with a community--through volunteer work perhaps--which is why I ask about American expat groups or organizations. A church would not work for me. I might also like to take college-level courses.

I don't know the towns at all, so I don't have preferences. Having contacted one rental agency in England, I have found that in addition to rent, one also pays Council taxes; for the small flat about which I inquired, the cost was about $2,000 annually. Is that standard practice for rental units? My budget is tight, so I have to be economical. However, I do want a safe and attractive area.

When you refer to "reasonable" towns, do you have any idea about rental costs?

Thanks much for your help.

Rental costs depends on what you want here is link to the popular Kent paper which lists rentals throughout.
Kent Homes property search - search for rented properties in Kent and houses fro sale in Kent

I like all the coastal towns , except Margate not impressed with that one ,

for safety and attractiveness i would choose one of the following ,

Hythe
Deal
Sandwich
Tenterdon not near the sea but country setting.

Rental costs are cheaper away from London in general and as you will see are good value down along the coasts.

Hope this is useful .

You wont find US expats around here as we are all going the other way and apart from holidays dont get them wanting to settle .

If you could get a swap that would be good but you wouldnt get them to give it back i bet

[Bevdeforges]

Your mention of a paid job sent up warning signals. Have you looked into the matter of getting a visa to live in the UK for 12 months? You will need to have a visa if you're planning on staying for more than 90 days - and you may need one in order to rent a flat. It can be very difficult to get a visa if you're planning on working while you're there. (Generally, they want you to have the job lined up before you arrive.)

For American expat groups, contact the US Embassy in London website - haven't checked recently, but they usually include a list of expat groups buried somewhere on the site. There are quite a few groups in and around London - which might indicate you should look for towns along the main transit lines to make access easier.

Council tax is one of those inescapable nuisances of life - and I guess in the UK these days they are levying it on the occupants rather than the building owners. (When I lived there, they were changing from one system to another and I can't remember what it was we paid and to whom.)
Cheers,
Bev

[Huntington]

Bev and Big Pete,

Thanks to you both. Your comments are really helpful.

Hunt

[FoodWineGuy]

Do you know of any agencies that arrange house exchanges? That sounds like an interesting idea. I have an interview in England next month and will have to sell my house in Atlanta if it works out. The challenge is that the real estate market is very bad in the states. It would be very helpful if I could put off selling for a year (or two).

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Huntington

Big Pete,

A completely different option would be to do a house exchange for a year. That would be ideal, but I think difficult to work out.

[Huntington]

FWG,

There are a lot of sites that support house exchanges, but they are oriented toward short-term vacations. There is one possibility that I am pursuing: house exchange with seniors. The site is seniorshomeexchange.com. Younger persons often can't move for just one year, but a retired couple has more flexibility. Right now, they're having a $49 special.

Have you considered renting your house? There are lots of complexities: storage for your items; tax implications; property manager; etc. But you might find a way to make it work.

Good Luck.