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Here are some tips on how to get the best price...

 
Exchange rate to sterling - 25% down already!! If you are paying in US dollars or Euro, remember your exchange rate has improved recently by about 25%. The pound has declined significantly making London a lot cheaper for people coming from abroad than last year.

  
Book closer to arrival date Apartment owners reduce prices for specific reasons - one reason is late or last minute availability. You are more likely to be able to negotiate an offer if your stay is commencing shortly. Don't expect discounts for very short stays commencing in a few months time, especially if you are targeting public holidays like Easter etc. However, it is no harm to ask, this is just general advice.

  
Fill the gap If your stay fills a gap in availability nicely, eg with a private owner - refer to calendar of availability - the cost of vacancy will be a lot less for the owner and so you may be able to get a better price. In fact, the owner may offer a better price automatically to try to get the booking.

  
Stay longer Short stays are more expensive for the owner in two ways, they increase the cost of vacancy periods and they are more expensive on cleaning. You will often find the cost of 6 nights is similar to the cost of a week's stay.

  
Book through this site Book through this site. If you find a better price elsewhere, email me (john@shortstay-london.com) with the proper web site details and I may be able to get an even better rate. But I do need the full contact details for your offer, not just a vague reference to a better offer elsewhere, and I need to know exactly what flat you are trying to book.

  
Book twice If you booked here before, ask whether our Recommend a Friend or Returning Guest scheme applies to your booking. You could qualify for a cash back of up to 20% of the commission we receive.

  
Understand VAT VAT is Value Added Tax and varies from 0% to 17.5%. It depends on the accommodation provider's turnover and the service element in the accommodation. Your business can recover VAT only if it is VAT registered in the EU - it is not repayable just because you return abroad.

  
Recommend a friend or Returning Guest Recommend a friend to book through us, or return to Book again through us, and qualify for 20% cash back on our commission (applies to most apartments, not in conjunction with any other offer)

  
New locations London's new locations include Limehouse, Stratford, Canary Wharf, as well as areas which have been popular for more than 5 years now like London Bridge and South Bank. You can get some great prices and modern flats in these locations. Just understand the transport and you are all set! (You will pay more in areas like Mayfair, but there is reasonable value in Bayswater. The major difference in London is whether the parks and the department stores on Oxford Street are within walking distance. North of Oxford Street is Marylebone, which a lot of people ask for. We have a good provider in Marylebone, you need to ask me specifically. If you have children or want a more relaxing area, Little Venice is a nice location, just north of Paddington.) What you get in new locations is modern apartments and good prices with good transport links eg London Bridge is 10 minutes from Green Park and most apartments are just a few minutes walk. London Bridge is the most residential of the South Bank locations now, and the South Bank could not be more of a tourist magnet.

  
Share the space Obviously, the price per person decreases if there are more people per apartment. However, while it is sometimes OK to have 6 persons in a two bedroom apartment, it gets more difficult to have 7 persons and you will then need a three bedroom apartment. There are fewer three bedroom apartments available.

  
Appreciate existing reductions There are some great prices already on this site though it is difficult to keep them all up to date. If you don't get an offer for a reduction, it may be that the price is already good!

  
Be polite. Not grumpy. If you're feeling frustrated with web sites, reflect that (a) it may be partly your fault and (b) there are humans on the other side who are dealing with a lot of people. Solution is to be politely persistent. This may take some organisation on your part. Do not: fail to communicate or give up communicating. Do not only communicate by one means eg telephone or email or internet - you need to use all of these if there seems to be a problem. Always be positive, because your communication is only a small part of the other persons life, so if you are annoying they will dismiss you, but if you are persistent AND reasonable they may help you.

  
Ask for help, don't demand it. If you have not paid for anything, you cannot demand anything. Being prepared to buy is not the same as having a right, either to buy or to anything else. Be polite, persistent and reasonable. Self-explanatory, I hope. But quite important.

  
For availability, avoid end of June and July. There may be many events like Wimbledon (starts end of June) etc which cause end of June and July to be booked up. There is a limited number of apartments in London and volume is not as flexible as hotels. Especially for larger apartments, aas families and groups travel at this period. The timing of the beginning of Ramadan will also affect availability, Muslims may be going back home by the time this starts - the earlier it starts the earlier they need to have their holidays, so there is more availabiltiy before or after this period.

 
   
 

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