For International Students
YOUR FIRST LONDON HOME. BEFORE YOU EVEN ARRIVE.
YOU'RE MOVING COUNTRY.
YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO LEARN THE LONDON PROPERTY MARKET FIRST.
Moving to London for university is a major step.
A new city. A new university. New people. A new home.
Renov8 helps make the property side of that move simpler.
We can help you understand where to live, search for suitable London homes, attend viewings while you remain overseas, help you compare the options and negotiate the property you want.
Depending on the level of service you choose, we can also remain involved through the application, tenancy, arrival and your first weeks living in London.
You make the decisions.
We provide the London knowledge and local presence to help you make them with confidence.
Your First Move to London
A NEW COUNTRY IS ENOUGH TO THINK ABOUT.
Before university begins, there are already dozens of practical decisions to make.
One of the biggest is where you are going to live.
If you have never lived in London, even knowing where to begin can be difficult.
- 01Which neighbourhood?
- 02How long is the journey to university?
- 03Does the building suit you?
- 04Does the street feel right?
- 05Do the photographs tell the full story?
- 06Is the rent reasonable for what you are getting?
- 07What happens after you decide you want the property?
You do not need to arrive in London already knowing the answers.
That is where Renov8 comes in.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BECOME A LONDON PROPERTY EXPERT BEFORE YOU ARRIVE.
Choosing Your London
WE DON'T JUST ASK WHERE YOU'RE STUDYING. WE ASK HOW YOU WANT TO LIVE.
Your university matters.
But so does the life around it.
Renov8 helps you think about the bigger picture before narrowing the search.
Depending on your priorities, we can consider:
- How you want to travel to university
- Maximum journey time
- Living alone or sharing
- Modern development or period property
- Quiet residential street or lively neighbourhood
- Concierge
- Gym
- Outside space
- Restaurants and cafés
- Shopping
- Parks
- Tube access
- Nightlife
- Building style
- Security features offered by the building
- Storage
- Furnished or unfurnished preferences
- Budget
- The overall feel you want from your first London home
THE RIGHT ADDRESS IS NOT JUST THE ONE CLOSEST TO CAMPUS.
The Real Journey
YOUR HOME HAS TO WORK ON MONDAY MORNING TOO.
A beautiful property is only part of the decision.
The journey you make every day matters too.
Renov8 can help you compare potential homes based on the practical route to university, not simply the straight-line distance shown on a map.
We can consider:
- Walking time
- Nearest station
- Likely changes
- Practical journey time
- Different transport options
- How the location works for the rest of your London life
YOUR UNIVERSITY IS ONE DESTINATION.
YOUR LIFE IN LONDON IS BIGGER THAN YOUR CAMPUS.
Be There Without Being Here
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE A HOME FROM PHOTOGRAPHS.
Property photographs are designed to show a home at its best.
They cannot replace actually walking through it.
When you cannot attend a viewing in person, Renov8 can attend on your behalf.
Join us live from wherever you are in the world.
Ask us to
- Return to a room
- Show the storage
- Open wardrobes where appropriate
- Show how the rooms connect
- Look from the windows
- Walk through communal areas
- Show the entrance
- Step outside onto the street
- Answer practical questions as we go
Recorded property tours can also allow you and your family to review a property again afterwards.
YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
WE WALK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR.
More Than the Photographs
A BEAUTIFUL LISTING ISN'T ALWAYS A GREAT HOME.
If you are renting for the first time, it is easy to focus on the things that look impressive online.
Renov8 can help you consider the practical details too.
Things such as:
- Layout
- Storage
- Natural light
- Overall presentation
- Communal areas
- The building itself
- The immediate street
- Practical access
- Journey to university
- How well the property matches your actual lifestyle
Our role is not to perform a building survey or professional property inspection.
Our role is to give you practical property feedback from the perspective of experienced London residential professionals.
A GREAT PHOTO CAN CATCH YOUR ATTENTION.
A GREAT HOME HAS TO WORK WHEN YOU LIVE THERE.
Your Representative in London
WE WORK FOR YOU.
YOU ARE OUR CLIENT.
When you contact the letting agent advertising a property, that agent will ordinarily have been instructed by the landlord to market and let that home.
Renov8 has a different role.
You instruct us to search for a property for you.
We consider your requirements.
We compare the options from your perspective.
And if a property does not make sense for you, our role is not to persuade you to take it.
We can keep searching.
THE LETTING AGENT HAS A PROPERTY TO LET.
WE HAVE A CLIENT TO REPRESENT.
When You Find the One
NEVER MADE AN OFFER ON A LONDON HOME? THAT'S FINE.
You do not need to arrive already knowing how London rental negotiations work.
When you decide which property you want to pursue, Renov8 can discuss the proposed offer strategy with you and negotiate under your authority.
Depending on the property and your requirements, this may include:
- Proposed rent
- Tenancy length
- Move-in date
- Furnishing requests
- Reasonable property-specific requests
- Other proposed tenancy terms
We manage the communication and back-and-forth with the relevant landlord or letting agent and keep you informed as the position develops.
You retain control of the important decisions.
The Next Steps
FOUND THE HOME. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
YOU CHOOSE
You decide which property you want to pursue.
WE NEGOTIATE
Renov8 presents and negotiates your authorised proposed terms.
THE APPLICATION
Depending on your package, we can help coordinate the application and the information being requested.
THE TENANCY PROCESS
We can help you understand what stage the process has reached and what is required from you.
PREPARE FOR LONDON
Depending on your service, practical pre-arrival arrangements can be coordinated before you travel.
YOU ARRIVE
With Signature Relocation, Renov8 can still be there when your flight lands.
While You Are Still Overseas
EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING IN LONDON. YOU'RE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
International property searches do not always happen conveniently.
Agents may be working while you are asleep.
Documents may be requested while you are in class.
Your parents may be in another country again.
Different people may be asking for different information.
And if this is your first private tenancy, you may not know which request is routine and which question needs clarification.
Renov8 can provide one consistent London point of contact throughout the stages covered by your chosen service.
You should not have to work out the entire process alone from another time zone.
Your First Tenancy
NEVER RENTED A HOME BEFORE? YOU DON'T NEED TO PRETEND YOU HAVE.
Many international students arrive in London having never rented a property privately before.
That means some of the terminology and processes may be completely new.
- Referencing
- Guarantors
- Tenancy terms
- Furnished or unfurnished
- Property management
- Move-in arrangements
If something connected with your relocation process is unclear, ask us. Where we can explain the practical process, we will.
Where something requires legal, financial, immigration or another specialist form of advice, we will make clear that it falls outside Renov8's role rather than pretending otherwise.
YOU DON'T NEED TO SPEAK “LONDON PROPERTY”.
Your Move. Your Decision.
YOUR FAMILY CAN STILL BE PART OF IT.
Moving overseas is an important step towards independence.
That does not mean your family has to be excluded from the property search.
Where you want them involved and with your authority, parents or family members can:
- Join discussions
- Review property options
- Participate in live viewings
- Receive appropriate progress updates
- Understand where the relocation process stands
You remain at the centre of the decisions.
Your family can remain informed.
Renov8 provides the physical London presence connecting everything together.
Your Home
WE ADVISE.
YOU DECIDE.
Renov8 can give you our perspective.
We can compare properties.
We can explain compromises.
We can provide local context.
We can discuss an offer strategy.
We can negotiate under your authority.
BUT THIS IS YOUR HOME.
THE FINAL DECISION BELONGS TO YOU.
A Fair Question
YES, YOU CAN SEARCH ONLINE YOURSELF.
Property portals are useful.
They are also only one part of the process.
- A property portal cannot tell you which of two London neighbourhoods better suits your life.
- It cannot walk through a property live with you.
- It cannot look beyond the photographs.
- It cannot discuss your offer strategy.
- It cannot negotiate from your side of the transaction.
- It cannot coordinate your move.
- And it cannot personally meet you when your flight lands.
WE DON'T REPLACE THE PROPERTY MARKET.
WE GIVE YOU SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO NAVIGATE IT.
When London Becomes Real
YOUR FIRST DAY IN LONDON DOESN'T HAVE TO BEGIN ALONE.
For many international students, the most daunting part of the move is not choosing the property.
It is the moment the plane lands.
You may be arriving in London alone for the first time, carrying your luggage, tired after a long journey and travelling towards a home you have never previously entered yourself.
With Renov8 Signature Relocation, a Renov8 representative can personally meet you at the airport.
We arrange the standard chauffeur-driven transfer.
Your Renov8 representative travels with you.
And we accompany you to your new London home.
WE DON'T SIMPLY ARRANGE YOUR AIRPORT TRANSFER.
WE MEET YOU THERE.
University / Workplace Journey Orientation
YOUR FIRST JOURNEY TO UNIVERSITY — TOGETHER.
You may already have checked the route online.
But your first real journey can still feel completely different.
If you would like the support, a Renov8 representative can travel with you from your new home to your university and show you the route in person.
Depending on the journey, this can help you understand practical details such as:
- Which station or stop to use
- The route from your front door
- Where a change may be required
- Useful station entrances or exits
- The final walk to your university
- Practical landmarks along the way
YOUR HOME → YOUR UNIVERSITY → TOGETHER.
University / Workplace Journey Orientation is included within Signature Relocation and can be added separately to other Renov8 packages where available.
£295
Settling In
THE FIRST 72 HOURS FEEL EASIER WHEN SOMEONE HAS ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT THE PRACTICALITIES.
Opening the door to your first London home is only the beginning.
You still need to understand how your new neighbourhood works.
Depending on your package, Renov8 can help with practical arrival and orientation support so that London begins to feel familiar more quickly.
- Where is the nearest supermarket?
- Which pharmacy is nearby?
- How do you get to university?
- Who is the relevant property contact?
- What home arrangements still need to be completed?
- Where are the useful local services?
More Than the Keys
A HOME IS MORE THAN A SET OF KEYS.
Your tenancy may be agreed before you travel, but there are still practical things that can make a new property feel ready to live in.
Signature Relocation can include support with areas such as:
- Utility-account transfer and setup support
- Broadband setup support
- Council-tax or student-status administration support where applicable
- Move-in essentials coordination
- Grocery / fridge-stocking coordination
- Household-service sourcing
- Furniture and home-setup coordination
- Weekly professional cleaning for the first eight weeks
Where third-party purchases, subscriptions or household bills are required, those costs remain separate unless expressly stated otherwise.
THE GOAL IS SIMPLE:
OPEN THE DOOR. START SETTLING IN.
Your New Life
THE FIRST WEEK FEELS DIFFERENT WHEN HOME IS ALREADY SORTED.
Your first days in London should be about beginning university life.
- Orientation
- Meeting new people
- Exploring your neighbourhood
- Working out the Tube
- Finding your favourite café
- Understanding your campus
- Beginning to feel at home
Not searching property portals
Not spending your first week arranging viewings
Not trying to negotiate a tenancy while classes are beginning
The earlier the property side of the move is organised, the more space you have to focus on why you came to London in the first place.
More Than an Address
THIS ISN'T JUST WHERE YOU WILL SLEEP.
This may be the place where you wake up before your first lecture.
Where new friends visit.
Where you study late at night.
Where you call home.
Where you FaceTime your family.
Where a city that once felt completely unfamiliar gradually becomes yours.
Finding the right home matters.
How We Can Help
BUILD THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT AROUND YOUR MOVE
PROPERTY SEARCH & SOURCING
We search for suitable London homes around your university, lifestyle, budget and priorities.
Learn moreLIVE & RECORDED VIEWINGS
Join us live from overseas while we walk through properties on your behalf.
Learn moreOFFER STRATEGY & NEGOTIATION
Once you choose the property you want, Renov8 can negotiate authorised proposed terms from your side of the transaction.
Learn moreREMOTE APPLICATION & TENANCY SUPPORT
Continued support through the stages that follow once your preferred property has been chosen.
Learn morePERSONAL AIRPORT WELCOME & ACCOMPANIED ARRIVAL
With Signature Relocation, a Renov8 representative can personally meet you when you land and travel with you to your London home.
Learn moreUNIVERSITY / WORKPLACE JOURNEY ORIENTATION
If you would like, we can travel from your new home to university with you and show you the real door-to-door route.
Learn moreOur Goal for Your Move
ARRIVE IN LONDON READY TO START YOUR LIFE HERE.
NOT READY TO START YOUR PROPERTY SEARCH.
By the time your flight lands, the goal is simple.
You know where you are going.
You understand your move.
Your London home is arranged.
And, depending on the service you choose, you may already have someone here who knows your property, your relocation and what happens next.
YOUR UNIVERSITY IS WAITING.
YOUR NEW CITY IS WAITING.
YOUR HOME SHOULD BE TOO.
Questions
STUDENT QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Your First London Home
WELCOME TO LONDON.
LET'S GET YOU HOME.
Tell us where you will be studying, when you expect to arrive and what you want from your first London home.
We can help you understand the market, build the search around your priorities and discuss how much of your relocation you would like Renov8 to handle.