Moving to London

Are you thinking of moving to London? Thanks to our many years of experience and good collaboration with our local partners, moving to London is a totally hassle-free process.

Whether you want to move to central London, Brixton, Clapham or any other district in London. Atlas Movers will take all your worries off your hands and offer you personal support when relocating London.

Like any other relocation, moving to London is a major event. But also very exciting, London offers a high standard of living. Also this British city has a rich culture with open-minded people, a perfect place for expats. Do you have any questions? Our experts would be happy to help!

What does it take?

Moving to a new place is probably one of the things we have to do once in a while. It could be because of a chance to school in London, a new job posting for you or your partner, or just a desire to experience life in another city.

Moving comes with so many expenses which when well managed, can be reasonable. To avoid any unnecessary costs or hiccups, it is best that you do your research well so that you are fully prepared. Your research should help you figure out what the new city, and in this case London is like, what you need to be allowed in and to be on the right side of the law, and eventually the cost of living.

This article is going to help you answer some of the questions you have about moving to London.

Is moving to London a good idea?

Good in this case is relative. Moving is an adventure on its own and experiencing life in a new place is another. How good a place is depends on the culture of the people, how kind and accommodating the people are, and how affordable the place is. With the right outlook of life, London may be the best place you may have relocated to.

However, how you like London entirely depends on your liking of the place, which of course you know once you relocate there. To help you make a conscious decision of whether London is worth moving to, consider the cost of living as seen below.

London life

One of the things many people love about London is the lifestyle. London is a big city, yet many districts feel like a smaller cozy village. You can travel through London’s great tube system and find yourself in a completely different type of area by just going to the next tube station.

There is of course the historical city centre, but you can also visit the hip and up and coming area of Brixton. Are you a foodie? No worries, get yourself to Camden Town and find yourself in a street food Valhalla.

There is something for everything for London. The city is very multicultural and has many things to offer. Have a drink in many of the great pubs or watch a game of football at one of the 17 professional football clubs. Yes, you heard that right. There are 17 professional football clubs in London.

Interested in culture? A great benefit in London are the free museums. There are many art galleries that you can visit for free. One of the most famous museums is the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square.

The city of London is overal very safe and the British people are usually known as polite. This will help you settling into the London life. After a couple of months you might just find yourself never wanting to leave again.

How much money do I need to move to London?

To get an estimate of how much money you need when moving to London, that is the whole process from your own country. There are so many aspects you need to consider. As you set money aside consider:

Shipping Costs

If you are moving from a city within the United Kingdom, the shipping fee is much lower because of proximity and little to no taxes charged. Moving to London from abroad is quite different.

If you are a student, you can comfortably move with less than £2,000 because you barely have much belongings on you. If you are relocating with a family, you are going to need a lot more.

You will be paying Customs Duty for shipping in household items whose rates depend on the type of goods and where they came from, Value Added Tax(VAT) on the total value of goods; 20% VAT on any good, and 0% to 5% for children items and food. The shipping cost, insurance, and any duty you owe.

You may want to factor in storage costs if your belongings reach London earlier. For you to get a comprehensive estimate of shipping, get a quote from moving companies like Atlas International Movers.

Flight/travel cost

The average costs of a flight to the UK depends on where you are located.The rates start as little as £115 to as high as £900 during peak season. It will definitely cost you more if you have kids and a partner.

Bringing your pet to London

If you want to relocate with your furry friend, its going to come with an additional cost. The UK laws require that your pet gets a :

• Microchip (implanted and scanned prior to the administration of a rabies vaccine)
• Rabies Vaccination and Certificate (must be at least 21 days old prior to the final vet visit)
• Rabies Antibody Titer Test (if you’re coming from an “unlisted country”)
• EU Health Certificate (Annex IV)
• Tapeworm Treatment (for dogs only)
• Endorsement of Paperwork
• The amount charged for the relocation is going to depend on :
• The number of pets you’re relocating
• The type of pet (cat, dog, bird, ferret, Guinea pig etc.)
• the type of breed
• Where you are moving them from
• The destination
• Type of transportation; whether its air or land transport
• Size of the pet

An example of a pet relocating agency is PetRelocation whose estimate is £2,150 for internationals relocations and £430 for domestic relocations. This is exclusive of veterinary fees and the pet’s document processing fees which you have to cover.

Document Processing costs

If you are not a UK citizen, a visa will be required of you. For you to get a visa, you need to meet a few requirements.

The types of visas offered areas follows: work visas, transit visas, settlement visas, study visas, visitor visas, and family visas. For almost all visas that allow a stay of longer than six months, a minimum bank balance is required. You will also need to open a UK bank account to make the transactions easy.

If you are moving to London to study, you need a study visa that goes for £348 if applying from outside the UK. An additional cost of getting an English test from an approved institution to prove proficiency if you come from a non-English speaking country.

If you are a professional moving to the UK for work, a working visa is required. The standard application fee ranges from £625 to £1,423 depending on your circumstances, a healthcare surcharge which is usually £624 per year that will allow you access to the national health service, and a bank balance of at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt).

If you are planning to live in London for a lifetime, you must get a settlement visa or a Permanent Residence Visa. This will enable you work, study and live in the UK as long as you want. This visa costs a total of £1, 523

Proof of financial capability

According to Gov.uk, if you are coming to the UK, you’ll need to prove you have enough money to support yourself and any dependants in the UK.

As an international student you must have at least £1,265 per month and £1,015 per month if studying outside London. If you have dependants, you need approximately £800 per month for each of them. Again, if you are unable to give a bank statement, an alternative could be proof that your sponsor will confirm that they have agreed to financially support you on the certificate of sponsorship you submit in your application.

For a work visa, You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK. You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa.

If the first requirements are not met, the employer must provide evidence that they can cater for your costs during the first month of your stay in the UK. If you have a partner and children ,they must prove they can support themselves with a minimum balance of £285 for your partner, £315 for one child, and £200 for each additional child to their names.

Can I move to London without a job?

We would like to believe that up to this point you realize that having a job beforehand is a vantage point. Unless you are a student or are on a visit, some instances insist on proof of work.

What the immigration department wants is proof that you can fend for yourself. If you intend to stay in London, given the cost of living, having a job in advance will be an added advantage. You can however apply for jobs on the move.

Again, the reason why a job is necessary is that you being a non citizen means that you cannot get assistance such as unemployment funds (JSA) when things go south. If you cannot reach the required bank balance, your employer can stand in for you.

Is it hard to move to London?

Moving is strenuous in nature. Moving to London is no different. It can be tougher where school-going children and pets are involved. However, once you have the necessary documents, a reliable shipping company like Atlas International Movers, and a house already rented, expect a smooth landing.

All you need to do is visit our website , get a quote and leave it all in our hands. As for settling, in a month or two you should have settled well.

How much salary do you need to move to London?

How much salary you need when moving to London depends on so many things like whether you have a family or not, your lifestyle and if you’re looking to save money. There is however a threshold for migrants within the working age bracket. As from 2011, the minimum wage for a migrant was £35,800. Recently, the UK government has reduced the earlier required minimum salary threshold of £35,800 for migrants to settle in the UK by 30%. That equals £20,480.

Now lets break these figures down.

Rent

A studio apartment in London ranges from £688 on the lower side to £1,427 on the higher side. A one-bedroom apartment ranges from £854 on the lower side to £2,062 on the higher side.

A two bedroom apartment ranges from £1.364 to £2,920 while a three bedroom ranges from £1,649 to £4,152. Houses bigger than this within Central London will attract a fee of up to £8,000.

If you are considering buying a home, have a budget of £500,000 on the higher side.

Utilities

Aside from rent, there are utility bills which include electricity, water, waste management, heating, and council tax. Mind you, the amount you spend on utilities is dependent on the size of the household. For example the council tax increases with increase in the rent you pay, and the cost of heating for your home depends on the size of the house. As for the council tax, you will pay a minimum of £688 per year.

A unit of electricity in London goes for 18.9p/KWh. The bills vary with the households electricity needs.The cheapest one can pay with the dual fuel option is £829 per year.

Public transport expenses

London has an incredible transport infrastructure. You can either opt for public transport or private means. With public transport you can get around with the buses. The bus fare is £1.65 for adults and £0.86 for kids between 11 and 15 years old and a free ride for kid aged 10 and below for a one way trip.

You can opt for a river bus that goes through a number of zones. A ride through Central London costs £7.70. There is the public bike system, Santander Cycles. If your workplace is not far away, you can opt for this environment friendly means. You get to rent a bike for £2.00 for a 24 hour period.

You can also opt for the tube that costs £2.70 for a single trip around Central. This may total to £100 on transport alone, in a single month.

Gas prices

If you have a family, a car would be cheaper. However, keep in mind that cars come with additional expenses like motor tax, insurance, and maintenance which could be exorbitant in London. Gas in London goes for £5.79 per gallon, this may amount to about £49.50 per month on gas alone.

How much salary do you the need to live comfortably in London?

According to Manchester Evening News, a single person with no children living in inner-city London or central would need a yearly average pay of £35,286 (£508.18) to live comfortably compared to a salary of £20,383 per year giving a net income of £325.26 per week, for the same person living outside London.

To live comfortably, a family of more than two will require about £55,000 to£60,000 per year.

How expensive is rent in London?

London is one of the most expensive cities to live in in the world. It ranks at number four after Hong Kong, New York, and Geneva. Now, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the average Briton has experienced an increased cost of living of 9.1per cent. The standards of living is 58% more than other cities within the UK.

Average monthly rent

According to RentLondonFlat.com, the average annual cost of rent in London is currently £26,316, which is the most expensive rate in the UK and almost £3,000 per year on monthly expenses on utilities. The average rental prices in London have increased by 14.3 percent compared to last year’s rental market data alone.

There is no denying that London life is an expensive. However, you can find your away around saving some cash comfortably, with the little that you have.

Central London

The average rent in London is also highly dependent on which area you choose to live. Central London will obviously be much more expensive than South London. The average monthly rent will vary from 290 GBP per week to a stunning 18.000 GBP per week, in case you rent a large high end apartment.

If you want to live on a budget in London and save money, it might be wise to not even bother to look for an apartment in inner London.

Moving to London with your own relocation coordinator

If you have any questions during the entire process, please contact your personal relocation coordinator. This person can answer all your questions about the move. This way you can prepare for your life in London without any problems. Still not sure if we’re the right company for you? Check out the reviews our customers wrote, we’re very proud of our satisfied clients!

With our years of experience, we know exactly how to get your belongings safely from door to door. Well-trained and committed movers guarantee you a worry-free move! Our relocation consultant will visit you prior to your move to London.

Our advisor will discuss the move with you and ask about your wishes and expectations. Whether you want to move to Central London, South London or East London or one of the other beautiful areas in London, with Atlas International Movers your belongings will arrive safely at their destination.

Click here for more information about inventory storage at Atlas. If you want to know more about Atlas International Movers, read more about our moving company here! If you are moving to London and you want to make an appointment with us or one of our partners, please feel free to contact us or view our website!