london.md

• Safe & Secure: secure building, gated neighborhood, concierge, security, etc. This is our primary concern. We stayed in a basement flat (Airbnb) in Holland Park area over Christmas with a door directly to the street we did not feel very safe. No basement flats.
• Natural Light & bright: Coming from a similar gray and rainy northern climate in Portland, Oregon we are familiar with SAD, etc. No basement flats please.
• Modern & Nice: Not exactly sure how to define this, but we know it when we see it. A nice kitchen and common area (family room in US-speak) are important. We aren’t expecting a 6-star flat, but no dumps either, we aren’t fresh out of college J. At home we spend most of our time together in the kitchen, so that is probably our most important room.
• 3 bedrooms: We are a family of 5. Cheri and I need a room, our youngest son Jackson is 16 years old and will be spending the year with us in 11th grade. He will need a bedroom. Our older kids are in university but will be staying with us over the summer in London, then visiting regularly, so they need a room.
• Furnished
• Walking distance to things: We won’t have a car, so need to be close to the tube, groceries, shopping, parks, people, restaurants, culture, etc. Isolation is a big concern and key factor in happiness and success. We don’t care about parking.
• 30 minutes or less commute: Our office is at 2 London bridge and our clients will likely be in the city.
• Proximity to schools: We are applying to Halcyon, ACS-Hillingdon, and Southbank International school. The schools have transportation options, but we would rather not have our son spending hours commuting to school.
• (optional) Pets: There is a chance we will bring our dog Max. Probably only a 25% chance at this point but it would be good to know what the impact to cost will be.