Moving to London for work? Don't sign a lease in week one

Take a furnished apartment for the first one to three months of a corporate relocation, and hold off on a long lease until everyone in the family has spent at least a week in London. That gap buys you time to learn the city, visit schools and rent knowing what you're doing. Corporate relocation companies can take on most of the legwork, but the order of play below holds whether you use one or not.

Corporate relocation companies are usually hired by the employer rather than the family. Depending on the package they'll cover area orientation, home finding, school searches and settling-in help, and some arrange immigration paperwork through partner firms. If your employer hasn't appointed anyone, the Association of Relocation Professionals is the UK trade body and a sensible place to start. What they often don't sort is the temporary housing, which tends to land on the employee or an assistant with a budget and a start date attached, so get it done early.

The first month: room for everyone

If the family is arriving together, book for all of you from day one, because two adults and two children in a one-bedroom for a month is how relocations go sour. Bigger places aren't scarce: about half the residences we list do three-bedroom apartments, and a fair few go to four or more. If you have pets, raise them before anything else, as only a minority of residences say they take them.

Plenty of executives go ahead alone, with the family following at half-term or the end of the school year. In that case book a one-bedroom for the first stretch and ask the residence straight away whether a larger apartment could be free from the family's arrival date, since moving within one building is far less hassle than moving across London. Send one request covering the whole expected period with a note that the dates may stretch, and ask about long-stay rates and whether you can extend month by month; on a relocation that flexibility is worth more than a small saving on price.

Schools and neighbourhoods

Schools set the timeline for everything else. For state schools, a place during the school year goes through the local council's in-year admissions process, and every borough runs its own. Most want an address, so ask the council whether a temporary one counts and what proof it needs, and have a second and third choice ready because some year groups at popular central London primaries are full.

Independent schools run their own admissions and assessments, and many keep waiting lists. Get in touch the week the move is confirmed, even if you can't visit for a month, as this is the stage where a relocation consultant who knows schools is worth paying for.

Use the temporary months to test what a viewing never shows you, from the Tube at 8am to the Saturday shop, the walk to the park and the noise on a Friday night. Families who start out in Kensington or Marylebone often discover that where they want to rent long term is further out, and a month of weekends is the cheapest way to find out where. Do the journeys at the times you'd really make them, because a 25-minute commute on the map can turn into 40 at rush hour with a change.

Renting long term under the new rules

Private renting in England changed on 1 May 2026, when the main parts of the Renters' Rights Act came into force. New private tenancies are rolling periodic ones rather than fixed terms, landlords can't ask for more than a month's rent in advance, and agents can't invite bids above the advertised rent. The old trick of offering six months upfront to win a flat is gone, so references and speed count for more.

Before any tenancy starts, the landlord or letting agent will do a Right to Rent check, so have passports and any Home Office share code ready. If the lease will be in the company's name rather than yours, ask your relocation company or a solicitor how the new rules apply.

Avoid moving in and starting the job on the same Monday. Arrive a few days before your first day in the office, and let the apartment booking overlap the start of the long lease by at least a week, because furniture turns up late and broadband installs slip, and a week of overlap costs less than a family living out of suitcases in an empty house.