# USA to UK move advice



## herschey (Jun 2, 2010)

Hi all,

I'm leaving on Sept 20 for the UK for a two year (minimum) work assignment in London and was hoping for some advice:
1. My wife and I are looking for rental accommodation in southwest London (Fulham or Putney mainly). We are shipping over our belongings as storage costs would match or exceed the shipping costs. However, it seems like most everything is furnished. Are we making a big mistake sending our furniture or are we just looking in the wrong area?

2. If anyone out there knows particularly good real estate brokers/agents (and isn't just advertising themselves) that serve southwest London that would help

3. Any advice on opening a bank account? I've got a letter from my employer but it seems like some banks charge monthly fees and sometimes take a bit of time to open the account. I'd love advice on any particular banks that are easier to deal with in terms of no service charges and ease of opening an account. I don't get paid until I have an account.

Thanks all.


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## Mix (Jul 18, 2010)

Unfurnished accommodation is generally available, though if you use the agents recommended by your employer they may be focussed on the expensive corporate rentals more appropriate for short-term assignees. You could have a look on the Rightmove website. After you search, you can filter by "part-furnished" or "unfurnished" properties.

Depending who you currently bank with, your current bank may be able to facilitate opening a UK account. Citi and HSBC both have US and UK high-street presence and claim to be able to help with international transfers (depending on your profitability as a customer, of course).

Metro Bank can usually set up an account and give you your bank card within 30 minutes if you go into a branch. You may need to open a "basic" bank account initially if you do not have proof of address, but that should be enough to get paid. The best UK bank for customer service is currently First Direct - if you have complex international transfers, questions about UK banking conventions, etc. it can be worth going with a bank that has a helpful attitude. Metro Bank is quite new so not yet rated in customer service surveys, but in my experience it will come out well.


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## london717 (Dec 29, 2010)

herschey said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm leaving on Sept 20 for the UK for a two year (minimum) work assignment in London and was hoping for some advice:
> 1. My wife and I are looking for rental accommodation in southwest London (Fulham or Putney mainly). We are shipping over our belongings as storage costs would match or exceed the shipping costs. However, it seems like most everything is furnished. Are we making a big mistake sending our furniture or are we just looking in the wrong area?
> ...


Hi there,
My husband and I are moving from New Jersey to London in early 2011. We are looking in Fulham/Putney as well and have the same questions about shipping furniture and dealing with furnished apartments. Could you let us know what you ended up doing and how it worked for you?

Thank you!


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## herschey (Jun 2, 2010)

*Update on Move*



london717 said:


> Hi there,
> My husband and I are moving from New Jersey to London in early 2011. We are looking in Fulham/Putney as well and have the same questions about shipping furniture and dealing with furnished apartments. Could you let us know what you ended up doing and how it worked for you?
> 
> Thank you!


Thought I'd reply to my own post a an update in case it's useful to others. First off, we used New York International Shipping. Overall I was satisfied. Can't say they were the most efficient packers, but given that they had to pack most of our possessions I can't fault them too severely, though I definitely recommend pointing out fragile items. I also recommend using a US-based shipper as you will be priced in dollars instead of pounds and save lots.

We started off looking in Fulham and quickly deduced we'd get more bang for the buck in other areas, so we looked in Putney and Battersea/Clapham. We really liked the area around Northcote Road ("Nappy Valley") which is where we live now. 

In terms of agents, unlinke NYC where brokers fees are 15% of one year's rent or similar, here you just pay agency fees which amounted to something like £200 or less. Not nothing but alot less than NYC. If you are being relocated and company is covering a more full service resettling service take advantage, else it's not worth the fees.

We used Douglas and Gordon but also had a good impression of Hamptons and Chesterton Humberts. Generally speaking, don't be monogamous. Go to the main street of whatever neighborhood you like and go to every broker and see as much as you can. They all have different listings and the rental market is tight so see as much as you can. Also, here the agreements are somewhat custom, so think of any particular conditions, like things needing to be fixed before you move in or something to that effect.

As for furniture, unquestionably furnished apartments are the norm. That's good in terms of appliances being provided that you don't have to pay, but bad in that you might hate the furniture. In our case, it was mostly furnished but we ended up paying for putting two couches and a mattress in storage. Extra expense for us so we added it into the rent in terms of budgeting. Some landlords will do it for you if they have a place to store.

I'm giving a bit of a brain dump here so perhaps can post more at another point. Good luck to all making the move.


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## london717 (Dec 29, 2010)

herschey said:


> Thought I'd reply to my own post a an update in case it's useful to others. First off, we used New York International Shipping. Overall I was satisfied. Can't say they were the most efficient packers, but given that they had to pack most of our possessions I can't fault them too severely, though I definitely recommend pointing out fragile items. I also recommend using a US-based shipper as you will be priced in dollars instead of pounds and save lots.
> 
> We started off looking in Fulham and quickly deduced we'd get more bang for the buck in other areas, so we looked in Putney and Battersea/Clapham. We really liked the area around Northcote Road ("Nappy Valley") which is where we live now.
> 
> ...


Hi,
Thank you for the response, it was very helpful! Could you give me an idea of how much per month it costs you to store the landlord's furniture? Did the landlord remove the furniture or were you responsible for that? In your opinion was the cost to ship your furniture from the US worth it? We are wondering if it makes more sense to ship our furniture or just buy a new couch/mattress (or anything else we hate in the furnished apartment) once we get there. 

Thanks so much!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Try this link,

UK's number one property website for properties for sale and to rent


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

herschey said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm leaving on Sept 20 for the UK for a two year (minimum) work assignment in London and was hoping for some advice:
> 
> ...


1. You should be able to find unfurnished accommodation in Fulham, etc. But the economic downturn and foreclosures have increased demand for rental properties, raised rents, and made finding a suitable property rather difficult. Rents went up over 9% last year; that compares with zero the year before. (We rent out a flat in Chelsea through Douglas & Gordon; they are quite good. They charge us 10% + VAT, the tenant pays nothing extra).

3. Bank accounts currently bear no fees unless you are sucked into a Premier account (£25 a month at Barclays) which probably will do you no good. Try Nationwide Building Society or, as someone else mentioned, Metro Bank. If you have an American Express card they will serve (as will your employer) to recommend you. And you can move an Amex card to the UK and thus get quick credit history on the UK credit bureaus (which are the same ones that are in the USA, like Experian).


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## modzy78 (Jan 15, 2010)

Punktlich2 said:


> 3. Bank accounts currently bear no fees unless you are sucked into a Premier account (£25 a month at Barclays) which probably will do you no good. Try Nationwide Building Society or, as someone else mentioned, Metro Bank. If you have an American Express card they will serve (as will your employer) to recommend you. And you can move an Amex card to the UK and thus get quick credit history on the UK credit bureaus (which are the same ones that are in the USA, like Experian).


Nationwide might not be the best option. I tried to open an account through them, and they told me they require proof of address in the UK for the last 3 years. So if you're a new arrival, that would not work for you.

And be prepared to give one or two forms of proof of address before being able to open an account. I've been here nearly 2 months, and I still haven't been able to open my own account. Maybe it's easier if you have an employer or school helping you set it up. Good luck!


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

modzy78 said:


> Nationwide might not be the best option. I tried to open an account through them, and they told me they require proof of address in the UK for the last 3 years. So if you're a new arrival, that would not work for you.
> 
> And be prepared to give one or two forms of proof of address before being able to open an account. I've been here nearly 2 months, and I still haven't been able to open my own account. Maybe it's easier if you have an employer or school helping you set it up. Good luck!


You absolutely, positively, do not need to have lived in the UK for three (3) years before opening an account. Do not expect perfect knowledge on the part of a bank clerk. There are workarounds (beyond calling the bank's head office). I got approval from Barclays for an account opening by my Russian tenant who didn't even yet have his "sole representative" visa. We sweet-talked the Russian country officer from Barclays Wealth (near Harrods) and she came over to the London branch where we were waiting and where I have my own account, looked over the company documents (in Russian) and the account was opened. After having been firmly refused.

For Nationwide or any other bank or building society you need proof of identity and residence. For Nationwide, start here: 
http://www.nationwide.co.uk/pdf/current_account/P112_Flex_Guide.pdf
If a bank officer demands something not shown in the Guide, speak to his or her supervisor or ring the head office. We have accounts with Nationwide and were never asked for such proofs; indeed my only complaint with them is that we can't make an online BACS or SWIFT transfer for more than £10,000 to a single payee outside Nationwide in a single day.

Since the Truck Acts have been abrogated and most employers now pay be BACS (wire) transmission of payroll, you can't be denied an account. Ask your employer for help. Or, in extremis, the bank regulators or the Financial Ombudsman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_Acts
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/


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## modzy78 (Jan 15, 2010)

Punktlich2 said:


> You absolutely, positively, do not need to have lived in the UK for three (3) years before opening an account. Do not expect perfect knowledge on the part of a bank clerk. There are workarounds (beyond calling the bank's head office).
> 
> For Nationwide or any other bank or building society you need proof of identity and residence. For Nationwide, start here:
> http://www.nationwide.co.uk/pdf/current_account/P112_Flex_Guide.pdf
> ...


Thanks for the clarification! I guess the employee I talked to was a bit confused about my situation. I'll try again.


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