Contract work in the London area – accommodation advice
Discussion
Morning all,
I’m thinking about taking on some contract work in the London area later this year and I am considering my accommodation options.
Option 1
Stay in a B&B during the week and commute back and forward to my permanent home in Scotland at the weekends. The plan would be to catch the red eye flight from Edinburgh to London on Monday morning and finish early on Friday and fly back home. The advantage of this option is that I get to spend some time at home and see friends and family. The disadvantages include the cost of the flights and having to live out of a suitcase during the week.
Option 2
Rent a 1 bed flat on a short term lease (6 months). I would still probably come home now and again but certainly not every week. This may be cheaper than option 1, although I would have to pay council tax and utility bills and I could use the weekends to explore London. On the downside I would still be living away from home.
I would appreciate any advice on the relative costs of staying in a B&B for 4 nights a week vs renting a flat for 6 months. The difficult bit is that I don’t know where in the London area I could potentially be working and I know that prices will vary significantly. With regards to transport I would probably buy a cheap runabout rather than drive my own car down from Scotland unless I could find accommodation with good public transport links to work and the city centre – I would hate to be stuck in one place without some way of getting around.
All the best.
Martin.
I’m thinking about taking on some contract work in the London area later this year and I am considering my accommodation options.
Option 1
Stay in a B&B during the week and commute back and forward to my permanent home in Scotland at the weekends. The plan would be to catch the red eye flight from Edinburgh to London on Monday morning and finish early on Friday and fly back home. The advantage of this option is that I get to spend some time at home and see friends and family. The disadvantages include the cost of the flights and having to live out of a suitcase during the week.
Option 2
Rent a 1 bed flat on a short term lease (6 months). I would still probably come home now and again but certainly not every week. This may be cheaper than option 1, although I would have to pay council tax and utility bills and I could use the weekends to explore London. On the downside I would still be living away from home.
I would appreciate any advice on the relative costs of staying in a B&B for 4 nights a week vs renting a flat for 6 months. The difficult bit is that I don’t know where in the London area I could potentially be working and I know that prices will vary significantly. With regards to transport I would probably buy a cheap runabout rather than drive my own car down from Scotland unless I could find accommodation with good public transport links to work and the city centre – I would hate to be stuck in one place without some way of getting around.
All the best.
Martin.
A room in a shared house/flat would be cheaper and it needn't be a party house of 20-somethings, plenty of people have spare rooms and want some help with the mortgage. Usually much more flexible over length of stay, and kitchen facilities mean not spending a fortune eating out too. I used to run a shared house and a couple of times had people who just wanted a place to stay in the week for work in the short to mid term.
moveflat.com, gumtree.com, or mondaytofriday.com if you just want a room during the week.
If you're in Zone 2 it shouldn't cost too much and have an easy commute on the tube. Streetcar does nicely for occasional car needs at £6/hour inc fuel - especially as anywhere near a tube station will need a parking permit and usually you need to transfer your V5 address before you apply.
Does "family" mean a partner and kids, etc? I've seen colleagues do similar, plan to be back every weekend, then get a bit too comfy and start skipping weekends, get lonely and end up with a bit on the side and end up with a marriage in tatters. It can be very hard after a busy week to make the effort to go home and be faced with a house of screaming kids and a stroppy wife!
moveflat.com, gumtree.com, or mondaytofriday.com if you just want a room during the week.
If you're in Zone 2 it shouldn't cost too much and have an easy commute on the tube. Streetcar does nicely for occasional car needs at £6/hour inc fuel - especially as anywhere near a tube station will need a parking permit and usually you need to transfer your V5 address before you apply.
Does "family" mean a partner and kids, etc? I've seen colleagues do similar, plan to be back every weekend, then get a bit too comfy and start skipping weekends, get lonely and end up with a bit on the side and end up with a marriage in tatters. It can be very hard after a busy week to make the effort to go home and be faced with a house of screaming kids and a stroppy wife!
Started contracting in France 6 yerars ago.Initially stayed in a hotel for 6 months and came back to UK every other weekend. Sounds a long way but in reality only a one and a half hour flight so I'd get up on Monday at 5:30, 7:30 flight from Stansted and in my office for 10:30 so much the same travel plan as you, just a different location.
i found that living in a hotel long term was dead boring. There's nothing to do and it's difficult even making a cuppa or trying to keep beer or wine cold without a fridge. Then the weekeknds I went home what do I do with all my stuff? Check out of the hotel and what? Bring it all back home every time and pay the excess baggage? So rented a flat for about 75% of the cost of the hotel and it's a much more comfortable existence. Also if you rent a flat there's more chance you'll make some new friends and then maybe the lure of having to go back home every week will lose it's glamour.
I'm still sort of doing it, I now work in Hamburg and have a flat there but only work 3 days so home every Wed eve and it works really well. Definitley wouldn;t live in a hotel long term.
Must admit though the lodger idea already mentioned is a good one and worth trying first off before you're definite as to where you want to be.
And whatever you do DON'T get a car in London. Congestion charge if nothing else will kill you.
i found that living in a hotel long term was dead boring. There's nothing to do and it's difficult even making a cuppa or trying to keep beer or wine cold without a fridge. Then the weekeknds I went home what do I do with all my stuff? Check out of the hotel and what? Bring it all back home every time and pay the excess baggage? So rented a flat for about 75% of the cost of the hotel and it's a much more comfortable existence. Also if you rent a flat there's more chance you'll make some new friends and then maybe the lure of having to go back home every week will lose it's glamour.
I'm still sort of doing it, I now work in Hamburg and have a flat there but only work 3 days so home every Wed eve and it works really well. Definitley wouldn;t live in a hotel long term.
Must admit though the lodger idea already mentioned is a good one and worth trying first off before you're definite as to where you want to be.
And whatever you do DON'T get a car in London. Congestion charge if nothing else will kill you.
I did something similar last year although only returning to Leeds on a weekend.
First couple months stayed in the britannia hotel in canary wharf breakfast and dinner £99 per week (4 nights). Did that for a couple of months then got a house share for about £400 per month. As living in a hotel you have to cart your stuff back and each week.
First couple months stayed in the britannia hotel in canary wharf breakfast and dinner £99 per week (4 nights). Did that for a couple of months then got a house share for about £400 per month. As living in a hotel you have to cart your stuff back and each week.
Edited by Si 330 on Saturday 26th February 16:34
A chap I work with in Canary Wharf commutes from Glasgow. He works from home on a Monday, gets the Monday evening flight then stays over in a roomto Friday and gets the flight home Friday night. Will find out what costs he has, I'm not sure if he's renting a whole place or just a room.
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