Comments on: Advice for Moving to London from the US

By: Palo Alto Movers

Palo Alto Movers — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 09:02:40 +0000

Thanks for sharing advice regarding move to London from USA. It would be quite helpful for those, who are looking to move over there.

Keep Sharing!!!

By: Moving To London Blogs - Moving To London

Moving To London Blogs - Moving To London — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 08:21:57 +0000

[…] How to find a flat, move internationally, get a bank account, find American products and many more tips. Read here […]

By: Thomas Mulrooney

Thomas Mulrooney — Fri, 20 May 2016 09:42:35 +0000

In reply to Krista.

Very strange! It may be the internal policy of companies like BT, I’m not sure. Legally, it may be something they’re not supposed to be doing, I’ll have to look into that. Obviously, we shouldn’t be held responsible for another person’s debts, and if they are doing that then it’s not really fair. But I do wonder if companies are doing this because the landlord hasn’t informed them of a change in tenancy and provided meter readings at the end of the previous tenancy.

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 20 May 2016 09:04:23 +0000

In reply to Thomas Mulrooney (Hilden).

Interesting! Granted my info is a few years old, but I had a few American friends who moved into flats where the previous tenants hadn’t paid their BT bills and electricity bills and thus my friends had to pay huge deposits upfront in order to get service, even though they had nothing to do with the previous occupants!

By: Thomas Mulrooney (Hilden)

Thomas Mulrooney (Hilden) — Wed, 18 May 2016 08:07:50 +0000

Great guide! There’s definitely lots of useful information here. However, I do need to point something out.

“UK credit checks are based on address, which is a bit weird. If you end up living in a flat that had a “runner” before you — that’s someone who has skipped out on all their bills — you’re kinda screwed and you will find it difficult to get a credit card or, in fact, any utilities without putting down a large deposit.”

This is actually a myth, and lenders shouldn’t take previous occupants into account when it comes to credit decisions. You are only financially connected if the previous occupant had a joint account or joint credit with you. It may have been the case in the past, but it’s not something you need to worry about anymore. Lenders are now only concerned with your financial history and that of anyone you are financially linked to (through joint accounts/joint credit). If you get post for a previous occupant, just write ‘no longer at this address – return to sender’ on the post and pop it back in the postbox.

Hope that helps!

By: LJ

LJ — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 21:22:45 +0000

More tips!

1. You can negotiate the rent in London, which I have never been able to do in the U.S. successfully. Offer at least 15% below the asking price.

2. You forgot that you can order form John Lewis online and they will deliver to your local Waitrose and you can pick it up there, if you don’t have a doorman or an office to ship things to. I find the Click n Collect options in the Uk to be far superior to the U.S.

3. The Professional Declutters & Organisers will come to your house and unpack you and sort you out: http://www.apdo-uk.co.uk/

By: Krista

Krista — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 15:09:38 +0000

In reply to Chris.

I do love Spotify, but I think I may listen to it too much because I feel like I often get the same songs. Or maybe I just listen to too many similar stations? It’s weird!! I have mostly ditched iTunes but you know…if you’re on a plane without wifi and want to listen to music and don’t like the in-flight entertainment stations, you need your own tunes!

By: Krista

Krista — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 15:07:35 +0000

In reply to Laura @ Me & Mr Jones.

Thanks for the kind words!!

By: Laura @ Me & Mr Jones

Laura @ Me & Mr Jones — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 14:53:06 +0000

REALLY great tips! I moved back to England 15 years ago from the States (I was born in England but lived in the US for 10 years) and wish I had these tips to hand!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 10:32:35 +0000

Great write-up, Krista! I’ll second the suggestion about Citibank. It made the process a piece of cake for me. Perhaps if one is relocating to the UK from the US, it’s a good idea to open a basic US account at Citi or HSBC a few months beforehand solely for the purpose of speeding account opening in London. There are also #fintech startups like Monese, but so far they only speed the process for EEU migrants, not Americans.
Also, for mobile phones, for me it was worth re-wiring my brain about mobile carriers and pay-as-you-go. Most PAYG deals in the US are back-burner options that the carriers put out there for low-income customers that wouldn’t pass a credit check, perhaps only because they have to. The plans suffer from neglect and features deprecate frequently. However, Europeans have been conditioned to demand the PAYG model so much that it predominates consumer choice: you’ll get a good deal! Plus, the EU long ago passed regulation requiring no roaming charges by 2015…but good old-fashioned corporate greed and lobbying managed to permanently stall it. So there may be travel pack deals here and there, but the best way to save (a lot of) money when spending time in different EU countries is to have an unlocked phone and get local PAYG SIM cards – even for just a week or a few days at a time.
As for iTunes – ditch it! And go with Spotify. 🙂

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 08:44:17 +0000

In reply to kaszeta.

Sounds like he needs a condenser dryer!!

By: kaszeta

kaszeta — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:51:38 +0000

Laughing, since I continue to taunt my expat brother about his lack of a dryer, and how nice, warm and dry everything is when he comes to visit. And taunt him by bringing him dryer sheets (which baffled my UK SIL)