Finding Our Perfect Apartment Escape

Our Dream Apartment

Hello to everyone who’s just joined us! Here’s a little update—my husband and I have decided that after a year in London, we’re ready to move into a new apartment. Sounds easy enough, except we have three pets!

Today, we had an amazing viewing of a place that our realtor invited us to check out. They had just gotten the keys, so the apartment hadn’t even been listed yet.

It’s often the case that blind viewings can be disappointing, leaving you wondering why you wasted your time. But since this one was only a 15-minute walk from our current place, we figured it was worth a look.

All we knew was that it was a spacious one-bedroom apartment (70 square meters) in a typical English terraced house, complete with its own garden. The owners lived there themselves and are planning to rent it out starting in April.

To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

The apartment is bright and airy, with a huge kitchen and ceilings over three meters high. Describing the living room is a challenge; it feels like two large rooms divided by double doors. Both rooms even have non-functional fireplaces. The only downside is a carpet in the bedroom, but they're replacing it with a new one.

As a bonus, there's a beautiful, well-maintained garden and even a shared cellar with the neighbors.

You can tell that the owners took care of this home; there’s plenty of storage, and everything is set up with love.

I absolutely loved that they preserved many historical elements: the ceilings, doors, shutters, and fireplaces. The glass blocks in the bathroom? That’s my dream!

By the way, I finally asked the realtor about the fireplaces. In London, there’s a Smoke Control Order. Technically, it doesn’t ban using a fireplace, but it imposes restrictions: you can’t emit smoke from the flue, you can only use certain types of fuel, and so on. Many people just prefer not to deal with the hassle.

So, we’ve applied for the apartment! According to the realtor, the owners will be carefully considering potential tenants—they really love their place and are renting it out for the first time.

With our family presentation featuring photos, hobbies, facts about us and our pets, I think we stand a good chance!