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In the following please find some important informations which will answer the questions you might have:
- All about the room
Please find below some informations about our long term accomodation:
- Towels and bedding are furnished by the host without extra charge and are changed weekly.
- There is no room-service and you "have to" do your bed on your own.
- The host cleans your tidied room once a week.
- Breakfast is left in most homes on a self-service basis at your disposal in the kitchen (Please
refer to the detailed descriptions).
- In most homes you have light use of the kitchen. This means you can use the fridge and prepare
sandwiches or salads or cook pasta/rice. In some families you can use the microwave and/or
oven or cooker. Sometimes the times for kitchen use have to be discussed with your host.
Please refer to the detailed descriptions of each home for more information.
In short: "You can prepare small dishes but not occupy the kitchen for hours to prepare a
3 course dinner".  It goes without saying that you have to leave the kitchen tidy.
- Allergies
Please let us know if you suffer from allergies (domestic animals, food, acarians,...) so we will be able to help you to find the appropriate long term accomodation.
- Bathroom
Some of our long term homes offer a single room with own bathroom. This does not necessarily mean that the bathroom is ensuite in the room, it can also be next to the room or on the landing. For room with own bathroom or bathroom ensuite the price is accordingly more expensive.
In some long term accomodations 2 rooms share one bathroom, sometimes the host family also shares this bathroom and sometimes there are 2 or 3 bathrooms in the house which are shared by the guest rooms and the host family.
Please be aware that the bathroom standards are not the same in England than in Germany. The bathrooms are clean but often not very big and do not have a mixer tap and the water pressure in the shower is less than what you might be used to. Other possible case: There is no separate shower but a handshower or overhead shower in the tub. Please refer to the exact bathroom equipment in the details of each long term home. There are also NO sockets in English bathrooms at this is not allowed by law.
- Booking
Please note that the minium stay for our long term homes in London is 4 weeks. Shorter stays of 2 - 3 weeks are on request and depend on availability.
Generally a prolongation of your stay is possible but depends on availability.
- Breakfast and breakfast times
A continental self serve breakfast is mostly included in the price (please refer to the detailed house description where we always mention whether breakfast is inclusive or not). Self serve breakfast means that you prepare your breakfast on your own. Please do not expect a large breakfast offer! Here it is the same: Other countries, other manners. A normal breakfast in England is not very substantial like in other countries (there are no cold meat and no cheese) and in general you will have toast, jam, cereals, tea and coffee at your disposal.
- Charges
The indicated rates apply for students or trainees. If you are a business man, please send an enquiry and we will be glad to send you an offer.
The rates are between 200-270 Euro per person per week plus a unique 20 Euro booking fee. The rates depend on the length of your stay, the location of the home, bathroom situation (own or shared) and the equipment of the house. For a stay of more than 3 months we are glad to work out a special offer for you.
Our rates include:
- A continental self serve breakfast is included most of the times (please refer to the detailed house
descriptions to learn whether it is included or not)
- Electricity
- Towels and bedding
- In most homes you can use the washing machine (please refer to the detailed house
descriptions)
- In most homes you have internet connection (please refer to the detailed house descriptions)
- Distances to the centre of London / City of London
London is divided in the travel zones 1-6. Most of our homes are in zone 2 and 3 and you can reach the centre and City of London almost that quickly from zone 3 than from zone 2. You can calculate the journey times on Transport for London.
- Hosts
Please be aware that your hosts mostly have also another profession than "only" beeing a long term host and that they are therefore not always at home. Sometimes there are also children in the household and the hosts
attach importance on having also their privacy. Please respect this and do not enter into their private rooms.
This access is not included in the package we offer.
The bathrooms are regularly cleaned by the host.
When guests stay for a longer period and get used to the routine in the house / of the host family, then the host can go away for a week-end or on holidays upon prior arrangement. In this case, the guest has to buy fresh food like milk and bread on his own (will be refunded by the host - please keep the bills). But you will always have a person to contact in case you need to.
- Internet acces
In most families there is a wireless internet connection which you can use when you bring your own laptop. In all descriptions we mention whether there is wireless internet connection, if it is inclusive or charged separately or if you can use the family computer.
This internet access is only for "normal" website research, sending Emails but not for the use of websites with costs or downloading films or music.
No responsibility is taken in case the internet connection cannot be used on site as some laptops are not compatibel with English modems.
- Keys
On arrival your hosts will give you the keys of the house, sometimes against a deposit. Please look after them!
- Location
Inner London is huge and it takes about 45 min by underground to travel from one end to the other! Therefore it is important for us to know where you are going to work / do a language course in London to find the appropriate accomodation for you with a good connection to your destination.
All homes have a good connection (20-45 min by underground, train or bus) to the centre of London / City of London. Important tube stations in the "City": Liverpool Street, Bank / Monument, Old Street, Tower Hill, Moorgate, St. Paul´s.
From our experience we know that other parts of London where lots of students study or do a training are Embankment, Oxford Street, West End or the western part of inner London (Knightsbridge, or Kensington). It takes about 20-45 min by underground, train or bus to get from most of our homes to these destinations. As long as your budget and our availability permit we will look for the bed & breakfast with the best connection possible.
If you want to see where the accomodations you like are located or which is the closest to your destination, please click on our London map. Due to the coordinates you can see where the accomodation is exactly situated.
- Long term guidelines
- Map of London
This map is divided grid squares. To see where our long term homes are located, you can find on each description of our homes the corresponding coordinates.
- Monthly travelcards
There are cheap monthly travelcards available in London. Do not forget a passport photograph. You will find more information like rates,... on London Underground.
- Occuring problems
In case you have problems with your host which you cannot solve or do not want to discuss with him on your own, please do not hesitate to contact us via Email at info@bblondon.com or via telephone under +49 (0) 6251 702822. Our partner for long term homes lives in London and we will arrange an appointment with her.
- Overnight visitors
„My girl- or boyfriend or my spouse would like to come to see me in London. Is this possible in my host family, how much does it cost?”
This depends entirely on your host. In most host families you can have overnight visitors, naturally within certain limits. For example one visitor for 2-3 nights once a month. If your room is equipped with a single bed, you will be given a mattress or a fold-up bed for your overnight visitor. The rate is about 20 £ per night incl. breakfast (exact rate per family, please refer to the detailed descriptions of each home) which you will pay directly to your host. Please let us know in your inquiry or at the latest on booking if you would like to receive a visitor during your stay in London and inform your host family on time about it (at least severeal days before arrival of your visitor).
Your parents would like to come to see you? Would you like to spend a romantic week-end in another surrounding with your darling? Then we will be pleased to help you to find a lovely bed & breakfast in London for you. Please just call us or have a look in our bed & breakfast offer on this website.
- Telephone
You should not use the telephone of your host family for outgoing calls. It goes without saying that upon arrangement with your hosts you
can make individual arrangements. In London you find at the newsagents telephone cards for cheap calls with a PIN number to other countries
at your charge. For urgent calls your hosts do certainly not mind that you receive a phone call on their private phone. But as a lot of
families also use their telephone for professional purposes you should not block their telephone too long. Alternative: You can buy
an English SIM card for your mobile phone in London.
- Washing of clothes / Laundry
As a rule you have one use of the washing machine per week in most long term homes free, all extra machine use costs 2,50 £ per washing load. Please refer to the detailed information on each home. Sometimes you will be asked to do your washing in a laundry.
In some homes the host does the washing for you. In this case guests should sort and give to host their washing clearly labelled whether delicate, coloureds or white wash. Hosts are not liable for any damage, shrinkage, loss of colour,...
- What can I do if I do not get along with my host?
As you will be staying with your host family for a longer period of time, there should be a nice atmosphere for both parties so that nobody is unsatisfied or unhappy. In case you do not feel comfortable for personal reasons, we will be prepared to look for an alternative accomodation while respecting a reasonable cancellation period and availability.
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