Serviced apartments & extended stays

The rate. It is banded by length of stay: one to thirty nights, one to three months, three to six months, and six months and over. A short let is the first two of those bands, an extended stay the last two. The longer the commitment, the lower the rate.

The apartments themselves are often the same ones. What changes is how long you have it and what it costs you to be there. Tell us your dates and we will quote the band they fall into.

One night. Short lets run from a single night up to three months, and extended stays from three months to twelve. Some apartments take a one-night booking, others start at a week or a month, depending on the building and on what else is booked. Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what will and will not work.

Length of stay is a planning question as much as a commercial one. An ordinary residential flat in much of London may only be let for under ninety nights a year in total, so a genuinely short stay is not something that can be offered from one. We place guests only with operators who run the building themselves, under a lease or a management contract, rather than with whoever has listed a flat for the week.

Across the portfolio the rate typically covers all utilities, council tax, high-speed Wi-Fi, weekly housekeeping, linen and towels, a fully equipped kitchen and VAT. In other words, one figure and one invoice.

Extras are arranged on request and billed separately: additional cleaning, grocery stocking, airport transfers, a car, flowers, childcare, a trainer. What is included varies a little between buildings, and the rate we quote you will spell it out.

Yes. No utility accounts to open, no council tax registration, no broadband contract, no meter readings on the way out. That is the practical difference between a serviced apartment and an ordinary tenancy, and on any stay longer than a few nights it is usually the whole reason for choosing one.

Generally not. Most serviced stays are granted under a licence or a company let rather than an assured tenancy, which is why they can be flexible about dates and why the deposit and notice arrangements differ. We will set out exactly what you are signing before you commit, and you are always free to take your own advice on it.

A holding deposit secures the dates while the paperwork is prepared, and a security deposit is held for the stay itself. Amounts vary by apartment and by length of stay. Corporate bookings against a company account are often handled differently again. It will all be in writing before anything is paid.

Yes. A large part of what we do is corporate, covering relocations, secondments, projects and executive housing, and we are used to purchase orders, company lets, VAT invoices and finance departments that need the paperwork in a particular shape.

If something suitable is available, days rather than weeks. Referencing and paperwork on a serviced stay are lighter than on a tenancy, and the apartment arrives furnished, equipped and connected, so there is nothing to set up. Check-in is private, with details issued before arrival.

Usually not, and where they are it is by exception and by building. Ask before you book rather than after.