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Inside
London
Chapter 4 - Setting up House
4.1
Temporary
accommodation after arrival
4.2
Police registration
4.3
Housing
4.4
Settling into your
new home
4.1.
Temporary
Accommodation after Arrival
The Company will if necessary provide you with either
hotel accommodation (bed & breakfast) or serviced
accommodation (with catering facilities). Your HR
advisor will book this prior to your arrival.
4.2.
Police Registration
The British Government requires that certain Foreign
Nationals aged 16 years or over from non- EEA countries
and non-Commonwealth countries need to register with the
Police. When you come to the UK, British immigration
will stamp your passport to tell you if you need to
register with the Police. If you are given such a stamp
you must register with the police station nearest where
you’re staying within 7 days. Please contact Outpost
London for more information.
4.3.
Housing
Your Housing Advisor will advise you on the available
Company owned property and if applicable the open market
rental process. Your HR advisor will let you know who
your housing advisor will be. Make sure you inform them
if you intend bringing an animal with you so this may be
taken into account when arranging a house hunt.
Central London
offers a variety of different options in housing. Each
borough (suburb or neighbourhood) has its own vibe or
lifestyle and it is important to do some research before
you decide where to live. Key considerations for housing
when living in central London are proximity to public
transport, work, school, high street, park and security
and parking.
www.livinginlondon.net
will give you a full description of the postcode area
including
information on location, transport, housing, people,
nightlife, leisure and shops.
The most popular areas for Shell expatriates to live
are:
SW1 – Westminster, Victoria, Belgravia, St James,
Pimblico
Very prestigious area to live due to its proximity to
government buildings, civil service departments and
foreign embassies. Housing consist of tall white houses
and trust dwellings. Ideally located for all parts of
central London, with a tube station never far away, the
area stretches south from Piccadilly and Knightsbridge
down to the River Thames.
SW3 – Chelsea
A cosmopolitan area with expensive Victorian houses and
mansion blocks in narrow streets. Popular with foreign
executives and diplomats and their families. It has a
wide variety of facilities from restaurants and museums
to shops (Kings Road).
SW7 – Knightsbridge
The area has a mixture of relatively small houses in
quiet streets and large stucco-fronted Victorian
terraces as well as expensive mansion block flats.
Knightsbridge is famous for its fashionable shops,
trendy restaurants and museums. The West End is within
walking distance.
W2 – Paddington, Bayswater
This area has many elegant streets and squares with
houses and apartments.
The previously neglected Paddington area is attracting
new business resulting in investment in new homes.
Public transport is very good.
Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are both in W2.
W8 – Kensington, Holland Park
Holland Park has many expensive Georgian and Victorian
houses in a quaint atmosphere. Kensington offers
spacious mansion blocks of flats and has popular
shopping centres. W8 attracts foreign executives and
diplomats with their families. Kensington Gardens and
Hyde Park are nearby.
NW1 – Regent’s Park, Camden Town, Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill has a village atmosphere whilst Regent’s
Park is tranquil with elegant pre-Victorian houses;
Camden Town is vibrant full of bars, pubs and
restaurants. Regent’s Park has a boating lake, playing
fields and plenty of bird life.
NW3 – Hampstead, Belsize Park
Hampstead offers high quality housing from Victorian to
modern in a village type atmosphere. Hampstead heath is
very popular with woods, ponds and pleasant walks.
Public transport is excellent.
NW8 – St. John’s Wood
St. John’s Wood High Street is lined with expensive
boutiques, select delicatessens and exclusive
restaurants. There is a wide range of property available
from Victorian to modern, popular with American families
(close to the American school).
SE1 – Waterloo
SE1 covers a large area south of the river Thames in
central London. There is a great deal of culture with
concert halls, theatres and galleries (South Bank).
Housing varies from council estates to riverside
docklands apartments to County Hall, a development
popular with Shell employees.
TW10 – Richmond
Richmond is a suburban village with large houses and
gardens. Richmond shopping centre offers an enticing
mix, bringing together top designer names with small
specialist and antiques shops.
Richmond has a variety of restaurants, wine bars and
cafes, either by the river or on Richmond Green –
London’s largest town centre open space.
SW19 – Wimbledon
Wimbledon lies sixteen kilometres southwest of central
London and has a residential area where town and suburbs
meet. There are plenty cultural, shopping and
recreational amenities with Wimbledon tennis centre the
most famous.
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Surrey
www.surrey-online.co.uk is the equivalent site to livinginlondon but focusing on
Surrey.
The most popular villages for Shell expatriates to live
are:
Kingston, Walton, Cobham, Oxshott, Esher, West Byfleet,
Leatherhead, Weybridge and Woking.
All
villages have good public transportation into London.
The A3 and London Orbital (M25) are never far away.
Every village has its own character with many quaint
pubs and lovely restaurants. The High Street is
traditionally the main street running through the centre
of town where you can find shops, banks, a library,
take-away restaurants and a post office. The advantage
of living in Surrey is the open fields and green
surroundings whilst the houses are large with big
gardens. The American Community Schools – International,
TASIS – the American School in England, and Marymount
International Schools are all located in Surrey. There
are very good English curriculum private primary and
secondary schools around Surrey.
If you would like to get an idea of the London market,
have a look at the following websites
www.findaproperty.com,
www.primelocation.com and
www.shortlettings.co.uk
Please note that if you are letting a house, the agent
needs to be a member of ARLA (Association of Residential
Letting Agents) before the Company may approve a rental
contract.
4.4.
Settling in your new
Home
4.4.1. Furnishing
Once you have found a place, you are eager to make it
your home. When your shipment has arrived and you find
you want more furniture for your new home you can either
decide to rent:
www.rentfurnitureuk.com (020 76226223)
www.roomservicegroup.com (020 83979344) or buy
additional furniture.
For new items we can recommend the following stores:
John
Lewis
or
Peter Jones
large department stores in several locations selling
fabrics, appliances, lighting, furniture and more.
www.johnlewis.co.uk
phone 08456 049049 and
www.peterjones.co.uk
phone 020 77303434
Harrods luxury department store for linens, appliances,
crockery, furniture and more.
www.harrods.com phone 020 77301234.
Selfridges & Co for appliances, housewares
www.selfridges.com phone 08708 377377
IKEA for furniture, lighting, linens etc in several
locations
www.ikea.co.uk
Habitat and Heals for contemporary furniture at
reasonable prices and quality in several locations.
www.habitat.co.uk phone 020 74281771 and
www.heals.co.uk
Argos for appliances, sporting goods, kitchen, bathroom
and toys in several locations. Stores don’t have goods
on display, you can purchase online or go to the store
and pick the items from a catalogue.
www.argos.co.uk
Robert Dyas for hardware, kitchen items and electrical
converters in several locations.
www.robertdyas.co.uk
PC World for your entire computer needs in several
locations.
www.pcworld.co.uk
Second-hand items:
www.gumtree.com online website used for e.g. buying
and selling goods
www.loot.com online website for buying and selling
goods
Outpost London Items for Sale list, second-hand items
for sale from Shell expatriates
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4.4.2. Utilities
Electricity and Gas
There are many suppliers with a wide range of prices and
service. It is recommended to set up utility accounts in
both names if applicable, so that both individuals can
request help to deal with problems. The consultant
dealing with your tenancy agreement will assist with
connecting the services.
Several websites provide comparisons of prices in your
area:
www.saveonyourbills.co.uk
www.uswitch.com
Transformers are needed to decrease the voltage from
UK’s 240V to North America’s 120V appliances. It does
not change the cycles per second (Hertz). Most American
and Canadian electrical equipment and appliances can be
used in the UK with the proper transformer. Read the
label to ensure the voltage and the cycles per second
are correct before you test it on your equipment. Look
in the Yellow Pages under Electronic Components for your
nearest dealer in transformers. Coming from Europe you
will generally only need a three-prong adaptors for
plugs.
Water
You are unable to
choose your water company, which have a monopoly in
their area. Water companies include an annual standing
charge of around £50 (for both water and sewerage),
which is the same for all properties, plus a variable
charge based on the rateable value of your property if
you don’t have a water meter. If you have a water meter
installed, water is charged by the cubic metre. Bills
are sent out annually and can be paid in a number of
ways, all explained on the back of your bill. Thames
Water is the supplier covering much of London whilst
Sutton and East Surrey Water supplies in Surrey.
For more information
on the quality of your water the Drinking Water
Inspectorate
www.dwi.gov.uk
Television
To legally operate a television in the UK, you must
purchase a licence. Licence fees, valid for one year,
change every year (£135.50 in 2007). Fines for not
having a licence can be as high as £1000. One licence
covers all the television sets at the registered
address. Yearly renewal notices come in the post.
For more information and to apply for a licence go to
www.tvlicensing.co.uk or phone 0870 2416468.
The broadcast format in the UK is the PAL-I system. This
system is different from most EU countries as well as
the US and Canada.
VCRs purchased outside the UK will not play British
videos unless it is a multi system VCR.
DVDs are coded differently for different regions of the
world. (US is zone 1, UK/Europe is zone 2)
In addition to the five channels available with your
licence: BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, cable
or satellite television may be available in your area.
Different cable companies service individual geographic
regions. Go to
www.digitalchoices.co.uk to compare rates.
Some options could be:
Sky
www.sky.com phone 08705800874
NTL
www.ntl.com phone 0845 0450019
Telewest
www.telewest.co.uk
phone 0845 1420220
Tiscali www.homechoice.co.uk
phone 0845 6783333
Digital television is becoming increasingly available;
visit
www.dtg.org.uk/consumer
for more information about digital television.
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Telephone
Before you decide on a
telephone service, shop around to compare rates to save
money.
Consider bundling telephone services with cable
television or Internet service providers to take
advantage of discounts.
The major companies that provide telephones and
infrastructure are British Telecom (BT), Telewest,
Kingston and NTL. Consult
www.uswitch.com to establish which company offer you
the best deal. Some companies are only active in certain
parts of the country.
Most households still rent their phone line from BT but
many additionally use indirect services for specific
purposes, such as making international calls. BT scores
highly in reliability and quickly fixing something that
goes wrong.
For free international calls through your computer, try
Skype
www.skype.com
Mobile Phone
Mobile phones can be purchased at the many phone shops
around London. These stores can be found on most of the
major high streets in the area. Stores include Carphone
Warehouse, Link, Orange, O2, Vodaphone etc. Mobile
phone contracts can be purchased on a monthly or “pay as
you go” basis. Until you have established credit, mobile
phone providers do not let you take annual contracts.
UK mobile phones operate on the GSM network. Dual band
mobile phones work in the UK and Europe. Triband phones
work in the UK, Europe and the US. Quadband works on
many GSM systems around the world including South
America and Japan subject to operator roaming
agreements.
Internet
The UK has many Internet Service Providers (ISP). Many
ISPs offer a variety of packages like ‘metered’ access,
pay-as-you-go and broadband services. The broadband
service has the advantage that it keeps your telephone
line free and it has a faster connection. Broadband can
take up to two months to get set up in your household.
You can call one of the services below and sign up for a
dial up service while you wait for broadband to be set
up. Please note: when you are using the dial up service
you will not only pay the monthly fee (sometimes free
the first month) but you will pay the local phone rate
as well. Another option is to try one of the many
internet cafes in the London area or ask at your local
library (you will need a utility bill as proof of
address).
Broadband services include:
AOL
www.aol.co.uk
0870 320 2020
British Telecom
www.BT.com
0800 800 150
ClaraNet
www.clara.net
0845 355 1000
Tiscali
www.homechoice.co.uk
0800 072 4454
Telewest
www.telewest.co.uk
0845 142 0220
Wanadoo
www.wanadoo.co.uk
0870 909 0666
Zen Internet
www.zen.co.uk
0845 058 9000
Make sure you look into different packages on offer for
telephone/broadband and cable/satellite systems.
If you want to use the Internet before you have a
connection at home, please visit Outpost London to use
one of our PCs. Alternatively, visit an Internet cafe or
your local library.
If you need help with your computer, including
data transfer and technical help, visit
www.geeks-on-wheels.com phone 0800 1074110. A London
IT consultancy firm is called Magic Box Systems
www.mboxs.com phone 079 58716876.
4.4.3. Newspapers
London newspapers do
not operate delivery services. Please visit your local
newsagent for your preferred newspaper and to ask for
home delivery possibilities. The Evening Standard has a
supplement on Thursdays with listings of events around
town.
4.4.4. Council Tax
Your local government
levies council tax against your residence for public
services. Even if you are renting (from a private
landlord) you are responsible for paying this. The
amount paid will be based on the value of the dwelling.
Single occupants receive a 25% discount on council tax.
To find out in which council your property is valued and
to calculate your tax go to
www.voa.gov.uk and click on council tax. Ask your HR
Advisor for reimbursement details.
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4.4.5. Insurance
Household Insurance
The Company accepts insurance charges on personal and
household effects in the UK only whilst they are in
transit. Insurance charges are for personal account when
the effects are in storage or in the home. The building
structure will be insured by the landlord, but check
your lease contract to see what you might be responsible
for beyond the structure. Your insurance premium cost
will depend on the location and size of the property as
well as any security you may have for it; burglar alarm,
high security locks, window bars, smoke detectors, etc.
Jewellery is covered under your household policy. When
making an application discuss the details to ensure
appropriate coverage. Also, ask about a deductible
(excess) to reduce your premium.
Two options for coverage of personal belongings are:
-
Insurance for full content of house, exempting the
furnishings as provided by the landlord. A list of
excluded items is required.
-
Insurance specifically for personal goods. A
complete list of covered items is required. Every
time a purchase is made the list must be updated.
Liability Insurance
The liability insurance covers a third party/visitor who
injures himself while in your home. It is often included
in your content insurance.
Shell Staff Insurance Service administered by Sutton
Winson has been specifically designed for Shell
employees and pensioners. Substantial saving in premium
can often be made. For more information call Freephone
0800 783 3723 or email
shellscheme@swib.co.uk
Other competitive household insurers are:
First Direct 0845 6100 101
www.firstdirect.com
,
www.natwest.co.uk
Norwich Union 0800 404 7373
www.norwichuniondirect.com
4.4.6 Domestic Help
The best
way to acquire reliable help will be through personal
recommendation. Alternatively, advertise through the
local press or on the notice board at your local post
office, newsagent or school. Rates vary according to
area but is usually around £8 an hour. The landlord may
arrange a gardener for you. Please contact Outpost
London for recently recommended domestic help.
4.4.7. Electoral
Registration
At the beginning of
October every household receives a letter from their
local council to register for the electoral role. The
letter with accompanied leaflet will explain your
eligibility and what to do. To find out more about the
duties of the council visit
www.elmbridge.gov.uk/council.
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Although every effort has
been made to ensure accuracy, Outpost London cannot assume responsibility for errors in the
information included in this guide.
All rights reserved,
including the right to translate or to reproduce this
guide or any part of it in any form or by any
techniques, without the written permission of Outpost
London.
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