Digital Nomad to London Resident: Navigating the Remote Work Transition

Are you a freelancer or an international remote worker, tired of moving every 3 months because it’s practically impossible to have a stable “base” in London without a rigid lease? Do you find it hard to tune out when your workspace and your home are one and the same? Is working from a cafe too exhausting and distracting, but you can’t justify paying £300+ a day for a working space? We have a solution for you

.With co-living spaces growing in popularity, co-working spaces with accommodation in London are becoming the hottest commodity with the UK digital nomad base. Coming fully furnished, with all bills included, premium-level amenities as part of the package and flexible leasing contracts, they are perfect for those embracing plug-and-play apartments in London.

Why Nomads in London Are Burnt Out?

The once-popular narrative of a digital nomad being someone working on their laptop at the beach has long since changed. With the modern world’s demands higher than ever, urban hotspots like London are more prioritised than ever. But with even long-term residents struggling to adjust to its rapid pace, frequent relocators face even more challenges. 

Consistency is the new luxury for digital nomads. From the friction of changing Airbnbs every few weeks to having to deal with patchy WiFi, the once sold image of the excitement from being able to work from different parts of the world every day is no more. Yesterday’s digital nomad is today’s aspiring London resident.

The Convenience of Co-Living

The hardest part of moving around isn’t about having to pack up all your belongings every few months. It’s about having to rebuild your life in the new location quickly. The constant need to research local grocery stores, gym memberships, and neighbourhoods gets tiring fast. Co-living, on the other hand, takes the need for it away. 

Affordable Luxury or Why Digital Nomads are Settling Down

To put it simply, the world is an unstable place at the moment. Domestic remote workers who relocate a lot are facing increased costs and rigid leases. Even with the new reform, flexible 6-month leases in London are still hard to find. International digital nomads also face a set of their own challenges, the most severe one being rigorous credit checks. Similar to short leases, mid-term rentals in London with no credit check are as rare as unicorns. But once again, co-living spaces come to the rescue. Asking for no deposits and no credit checks, they are more than happy to rent out spaces short-term. Some are even willing to waive guarantor fees. “Can I work remotely in the UK as a tourist?”, you ask? Why yes, in co-living spaces, that’s more than doable! 

Additionally, the inclusivity of bills in a rent means you won’t have to worry yourself with setting up utility accounts, calling broadband providers, dealing with council tax, and other gruelling tasks. And you certainly won’t have to calculate how much you’ll be needing to pay on top of your rent every month. Best places for remote workers to live in London (co-living) will have that taken care of for you.

Long-term Bases for Freelancers

We have briefly touched upon difficulties tuning out from work mode, cafes with unstable internet connections and unreasonable co-working prices. So, what makes co-living spaces perfect for freelancers? Simply put, they’re apartments with built-in co-working in London. You get to experience the city for as long (or short) as you want, save money on renting out an additional space, and you won’t compromise your work quality. 

For example, at The Rex Kingston, we cater to all kinds of professionals. Our top-notch co-working space comes with additional screens, meeting rooms and unlimited coffee. Sounds great, but what if you’re a creative? We still have you covered! From multiple spaces with great natural lighting to a specialised podcasting room, you can flourish professionally without leaving the house. Not to mention, the community aspect of co-living makes networking with fellow specialists just as easy. 

How to Meet People in London as a Freelancer

While London houses many freelancers, those having uprooted themselves here and those already looking for their next stop, it can still be challenging for them to connect. Being busier than 9-to-5 workers, digital nomads sometimes struggle making time for bonding with others, too. So, is there a solution?

Community is Built into Co-Living

Constant moving surely puts a damper on your relationships. As outgoing as you may be, it’s hard to make good friends when you don’t stay in one place for longer than 6 months. Whether it’s professional networking or bonding over similar interests and hobbies, finding communities in a big city is more challenging than it sounds. With how isolating remote jobs are, it’s crucial to find one. And there comes the next hurdle – because of how fast-paced urban life is, very often your new acquaintances are too busy to hang out. 

This poses two challenges: finding the community quickly and seeing your new acquaintances more than twice before you bounce to the next place. Given that community is one of the key aspects separating co-living from traditional rentals, consider it as your ‘soft launch’. What’s more, you’re in control of the experience you’re having. When you feel like mingling, you hit the social spaces and curated events. For your downtime, resting or when you’re just not feeling like being social, your studio is your sanctuary.

Networking at Your Doorstep

It’s time to move from group chats to real life. Slack channels, WhatsApp groups, digital nomad hubs and so on are great digital communities to connect with like-minded people, but we all need in-person interactions. And, as big and densely populated as metropolises like London are, living here can be a very isolating experience. Especially if you don’t have a pre-established network. 

Going out to seek out networking or to meet new people is a daunting experience for many, especially if you come from a different country and aren’t sure where to start. But at co-living spaces, you don’t need to go far – only to step out of your private studio. A variety of curated events, as well as meeting people organically in shared spaces, make it easy to forge new bonds without as much as going outside.

The ROI of “Plug-and-Play” vs. Furnishing

It’s no secret that furnishing even just a room is costly. Poorly furnished places, on the other hand, can affect your productivity and quality of work. But while this is all common knowledge, not many give it significance due to not putting numbers behind it. We did the maths for you.

Why Plug-and-Play Living is the Smartest Business Decision a Freelancer Can Make

Aside from the stress of moving, it’s also an expensive affair. Whether you choose to transport your belongings or purchase them on the spot, additional expenses that come with relocation are practically inevitable. And if you choose to buy new, how willing are you to leave it behind? Co-living, once again, saves the day here. 

Alternatively, the traditional London renting process is a massive drain on corporate momentum. You will be wasting time on waiting for an engineer to show up, assembling furniture and covering all the hidden fees. So, let’s do the maths here. Let’s presume your billable rate is £50 to £100+ an hour. Following the administrative friction of a traditional London move that takes approximately two weeks will cost your business thousands in lost revenue. Not to mention, your patience and sanity. Co-living eliminates the setup tax entirely, as your studio flat will be set up for you already. Professionally cleaned, furnished, supplied with key utilities: all you need is to unpack your personal belongings. At The Rex, we even went the extra mile of turning living in our co-living building into a luxury experience. Each unit is supplied with a 34-inch Samsung TV, a luxe separate bathroom and Smeg kitchen equipment. The same types of studios come in different sizes, which allows you to choose how much storage space you get without having to upgrade to the next tier. If you so wish, you can start working the day you move in – either from your flat or the co-working space.

Summary

The face of remote working has changed. It’s no longer a luxury to work on a beach on a remote island – it’s a luxury to live comfortably in a metropolis with conveniences and opportunities. Digital nomads are burnt out from the struggle of finding short-term leases, having to move between costly Airbnbs and adding to their costs by either paying for patchy cafe wifi with a side of coffee or overpriced co-working spaces. Freelancing or being an international remote worker in London is desirable, but not easy. 

Co-living in London is the fastest route from digital nomad to London resident. Even if your stay is as short as three months, co-living accelerates otherwise time-consuming processes such as finding a community and networking. On top of that, it will save you money by taking away the need to either move or purchase furniture, as well as the time it would take you to build it. While remote working no longer comes with the glamorous image, it doesn’t mean you need to change your occupation or lower your living standards. You can still keep it glam – by choosing the affordable and convenient life co-living offers

.Looking for your next place to live? Try co-living in The Rex.