Arranging relocation from Canada to UK

[gusz]

Hi everyone,

my family is considering move to UK, and me and my husband are spending crazy amount of time searching the web for more information.

Since many of you probably went through this before, I would need some advice on logistics of the move.
What would be the best for first couple of weeks:
1. staying in low budget hotel until finding a flat to rent
2. finding a short time rental through some agency before coming to uk
3. using some relocation service agency (any ideas how much that would cost)?

How hard is it to find a flat to rent? How long it could take? Are landlords hesitant on giving a place to people without a job (yet)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[oddball]

May i ask a somewhat inpertenant question?With the millions of true Brits exiting Merry Old England because of the prevailing conditions and cost of living , why on earth would you want to leave Canada which at this time is stable with lots of work and buisiness oportunities ? Just curious . Colin .

[gusz]

Right now I value advantages of living in Britain more than advantages of living in Canada, though that might change and I might come back in the future.

I would still appreciate any help on relocation question. Thanks.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by gusz

What would be the best for first couple of weeks:
1. staying in low budget hotel until finding a flat to rent
2. finding a short time rental through some agency before coming to uk
3. using some relocation service agency (any ideas how much that would cost)?

How hard is it to find a flat to rent? How long it could take? Are landlords hesitant on giving a place to people without a job (yet)?

As long as you have the visa issue sorted out, I'd recommend (from personal experience) staying in a hotel or "suites hotel" (i.e. a place with a kitchen unit so you don't have to eat in restaurants all the time) for the first few weeks until you find a longer term place. You really don't want to rent any place sight unseen cause no matter how it looks on the Internet, there are likely to be some "surprises."

Finding a rental without a job won't be easy, but if you're prepared, you can probably arrange to post a larger-than-normal deposit or prepay your rent for a period of time until you're likely to have a job. (At least if you have a visa that gives you working privileges, that's an indication you're eligible to work.)

How hard it is to find a flat depends on lots of factors - where you're looking, what amenities you want/need and how much rent you're prepared to pay.
Cheers,
Bev

[oddball]

Thank you Gusz for answering my silly question , but after reading so many dicouraging posts about the state of Merry Old England , i could not resist . Colin .

[gusz]

Colin, I was expecting that someone might ask that!

If somebody asked me two years ago, I would say - this is it; no way would I be moving anywhere. But somehow we feel now it's a good time to try if UK is for us.
Canada is fine, but some things just started bothering us. I'm talking from the west coast perspective, so things might be different elsewhere in Canada:
1. 15 days vacation (even 10 if you are not lucky);
2. Too far from anywhere to travel often (considering limited vacation and price!) unless you really enjoy spending all of our vacation on the outdoors trips, plenty of that around here!
3. Smaller job market
4. Culturally, there is close to nothing here

I am quite worried about the move, considering all the talk/rumors about how "ridiculous" life in UK has become, but at the same time it looks so attractive career and life wise.

Does anyone has an idea how hard is to find daycare/nursery in the greater London? From the research I've done, it looks like I can expect to pay 170-210 a week, but is it hard to get the space? I'm asking this because in Vancouver it's advisable to put your unborn child on the list as soon as you think you are pregnant, or else....

[jlms]

Originally Posted by oddball

May i ask a somewhat inpertenant question?With the millions of true Brits exiting Merry Old England because of the prevailing conditions and cost of living , why on earth would you want to leave Canada which at this time is stable with lots of work and buisiness oportunities ? Just curious . Colin .

The UK is one of the best places to live in the world. Brits don't appreciate this because they succumb to the tabloid media hysteria, which is all the best for us foreigners who can come here and enjoy the great country you have got.

Mild climate, stable political situation, good pro-business climate, flexible job market, ample opportunities for culture, low crime rate and in general more progressive than many other countries. Now even the Conservatives have embraced social values as part of their political agenda.

I have been in Canada several times (as a tourist I have to admit) and the weather can be *really* dreadful (unless you find temperatures of -30C agreeable), it is really boring (not much quality culture, not much quality sports and so on) and if you are not the outdoors type you are frankly out of luck, add to that the enormous distances between major towns (i.e. you rarely can live for a long weekend anywhere) and life in Canada begins to look less appealing.

Canadian people are some of the friendliest people I have to say, but that is not enough to change the balance.

[jlms]

Originally Posted by gusz

Hi everyone,

my family is considering move to UK, and me and my husband are spending crazy amount of time searching the web for more information.

Since many of you probably went through this before, I would need some advice on logistics of the move.
What would be the best for first couple of weeks:
1. staying in low budget hotel until finding a flat to rent
2. finding a short time rental through some agency before coming to uk
3. using some relocation service agency (any ideas how much that would cost)?

How hard is it to find a flat to rent? How long it could take? Are landlords hesitant on giving a place to people without a job (yet)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello,

I would avoid the relocation agency, I really think it is not necessary, specially if one of you is not working at the beginning.

My preference would be for renting something short term, this would mean you have a proper place to live where you can cook and do pretty much as you please, in a hotel room you have less freedom to do things, and if you have to stay for a couple of months the price of food will quickly make up for the savings of staying there.

Having a job would make renting easier since some landlords want some kind of reference to make sure you are trustworthy, nothing puts their mind at ease as much as a permanent job.

Something you have to inquire about is bank accounts. This may be a major obstacle and it is a chicken-egg situation which could be eased if you are renting instead of living in a hotel, this is something else to ponder.

Good luck.

[MichelleAlison]

Originally Posted by gusz

Hi everyone,

my family is considering move to UK, and me and my husband are spending crazy amount of time searching the web for more information.

Since many of you probably went through this before, I would need some advice on logistics of the move.
What would be the best for first couple of weeks:
1. staying in low budget hotel until finding a flat to rent
2. finding a short time rental through some agency before coming to uk
3. using some relocation service agency (any ideas how much that would cost)?

How hard is it to find a flat to rent? How long it could take? Are landlords hesitant on giving a place to people without a job (yet)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

This website will give you a good idea of rental costs in the whole of the UK Rightmove - UK's number one property website for properties for sale and to rent.

Michelle

[gusz]

Thank you Bev, Jlms and Michelle for your input and information.

Looks like there is still plenty of homework to be done!