Finding long-term rental accommodation in London for a large family

We have been living in the UK for four years. My husband has a successful business with prospects for growth. Mohammed's income is enough to fully support our family. We are gradually building up a good credit history. But recently, the landlord said he did not want to renew the lease. And it is difficult to find good accommodation in London.

Nazira, 37 years old

Mohammed's wife

Clients’ names and photos have been changed

Mohammed and Nazira are from the Middle East and have been living in the UK for over four years. Our clients are used to being independent and are not prepared to build a life in the UK based on state benefits. In addition, the family has six children, and the parents want to ensure a decent future for each of them. This means a good private school, a prestigious university, and advanced language courses.

Therefore, immediately after moving, Mohammed started his own IT business. At first, the income was small, but the company gradually built up a reputation, gained regular customers, and released several successful products that attracted considerable interest from buyers.

Mohammed and Nazira’s family is well-off, but they have few financial reserves — all their money is invested in the development of the business. The main expense is housing. They currently rent a large and spacious flat in a good neighbourhood. They plan to buy their own home in a few years, when the business is finally established.

However, the landlord recently announced that he does not intend to renew the lease. How can this problem be solved? Mohammed is busy with his business and has no free time at all, as he has to provide for his family. Nazira is a housewife; she takes care of the children, keeps the home and knows little about finding and selecting rental options.

Mohammed and Nazira turned to the specialists at Imperial & Legal for help. The task was difficult, and there were no easy solutions in sight. The main problems were the need to stay in the same area (the children had to continue attending the same nursery and school), strict requirements for the technical condition of the flat, and potential difficulties with passing the mandatory checks (referencing).

Our specialists, fulfilling the client’s request, had to not only find a good long-term rental option, but also prepare a package of documents, check the flat for full compliance with the client’s requirements, and organise the move. We worked with virtually no involvement from Mohammed or Nazira, discussing only the most important issues with them.

One of these was an offer made by a property owner who was leaving the UK for a long time. He lived in a spacious and cosy house in the same area. The terms were extremely attractive, the technical condition of the property was impeccable, and no problems with the paperwork were expected. However, the rental costs were slightly higher, and there were additional organisational difficulties that required a quick solution.

Our client

Mohammed and Nazira, citizens of a Middle Eastern country who have been living in the UK for several years.

The task set for our specialists

To find a good long-term rental option for a large family with children in a specific area.

Challenging but doable

Mohammed and Nazira’s case was quite complex. Finding suitable accommodation in the UK that meets specific requirements is no easy task. But our clients’ case was unusual, which created additional risks.

The main difficulties were

• a limited budget, which could be slightly exceeded (which ultimately happened), but only if the clients received specific benefits that were important to them;
• the time factor severely limited the possibilities for finding a suitable option;
• the flat or house had to be in the same area where Mohammed and Nazira had previously lived;
• a family with six children who had asked their parents several times to buy them a dog;
• The clients had absolutely no free time, so the inevitable difficulties of moving had to be resolved without the personal involvement of Mohammed or Nazira.

Solution

For the initial search, our experts used public real estate databases and their own sources. At the same time, we prepared for the move — transport, movers, builders (in case repairs were needed). Most of the options that might interest the clients were reviewed remotely, using video conferencing. For some properties, our experts organised personal visits, taking into account Mohammed and Nazira’s severe lack of time. When necessary, an experienced nanny was invited to look after the children.

When the option of a private house became available, our clients inspected the property themselves and accepted the offer. Immediately afterwards, Imperial & Legal’s lawyers initiated the referencing procedure. As a result, Mohammed and Nazira’s personal involvement in all the preparatory work was kept to a minimum.

We then carefully checked the documents for the house and organised the move. Everything went smoothly and calmly. Mohammed and Nazira are already settling into their new home, and their children are attending nursery and school. The couple thanked us and asked if we would be willing to take care of all the paperwork again when the family is ready to buy their own home. We gladly agreed.

It is worth noting the approach our experts use to find suitable properties. They do not limit themselves to publicly available property catalogues, information boards and open online sources. The most important source of information is direct contact with agents. After all, “hot” offers are often “snapped up” before they even make it into public databases. But before that happened, we had already received information about them and were able to offer the properties to our clients.

How we worked on Mohammed and Nazira’s case

Conclusions

Mohammed and Nazira’s family contacted us and were able to quickly move into a spacious and comfortable home. Our specialists took all of the clients’ requirements into account, and experts from Imperial & Legal and third-party contractors (executors) whom we trust completely were involved in resolving organisational and legal issues. Mohammed and Nazira’s involvement was minimised, and they were able to avoid significant time commitments.

The client-focused, all-inclusive approach we use allows us to quickly solve the client’s problem. It works well in complex cases where time is limited and there are a set of strict, often mutually exclusive requirements. The final solution takes into account all of the client’s wishes, ensuring a special level of trust in Imperial & Legal, of which we are proud.