When we relocated to London the second time it was with some very different needs than the first time around. I had prior lived in London when I was around twenty years old and then it was only me and what I needed to feel at home in a London flat (which wasn’t much I tell you). This time we went when I was pregnant with our first child, plus we had two dogs tagging along as well – and oh dear, what a challenge it was to find something fitting!
I spent two to three weeks viewing flats and I must have seen somewhere between 50 and 60. It was mad. The main problem was the estate agents kept saying it wasn’t really a problem to be allowed pets – this was not true and it was a huge problem. The estate agents had a system that helped them keep track of what flats they had showed to whom. However, I was brought to see the same flat that I had already seen before on two different occasions! I mean, come on! How unprofessional can you be. Moreover, I was baffled by the level of hokum that estate agents seemed to be capable of. Shortly before going on this finding-a-flat-in-London-quest we had completely renovated our summerhouse in Denmark because of a mistake in the construction of the house leading to fungus and therefore I knew rather much about indoor climate and technical building stuff. The claims that the estate agents would pose about obvious mold in corners of flats, dampness, leaks in windows and doors and moist in walls left my head spinning.
All of the time (and subsequently money) wasted going for viewings not getting us anywhere close to solving our living situation – it was frustrating. However! Something very good came out of all this because this was when I first started thinking how I would go about creating a relocation company. I was lucky because I had a flexible job, no kids yet and amazing friends in a nearby London neighbourhood that I could stay with while trawling through one flat after another. It was still an expensive task, taking time off, flying over to London from Denmark a couple of times and all the expenses that just follow when traveling.
This specific relocation to London gave me a great insight in all the things needed to feel at home and comfortable when relocating because personal experience is key to truly understanding the details needed to be in order. I think one of the reasons I was extra aware was because of the new family member on the way and the two dogs tagging along – it just made it more complex and there were more things to consider. I learned so much from it, though and I am really pleased I have the knowledge that consequently led me to where I am today.
