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Accomodation

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LA spans a vast area, and there are thousands of neighborhood choices. You need to know how the areas differ and what to look out for when viewing homes.

More Information:

  • Hostels and cheap hotels

    These may be an initial temporary solution, if you do not have anyone with whom you can stay. There are many cheap hotels around and some fairly smart hostels. Internet search engines can be useful.

  • Serviced/corporate apartments

    These tend to be favored by the short term renters or those on paid expenses. More homey than a hotel but with all the benefits of a hotel. They usually come fully furnished and have well kept amenities such as swimming pools and gyms. They can work out to be quite expensive, so watch the costs if you are considering this.

    With these options you may require a storage facility for your belongings until you find somewhere permanent. LA has many storage areas and further information can be found at;

  • Finding a room mate

    Should you wish to share with someone there are many resources available. There are newspapers such as the LA Weekly free newspaper (which also lists what is happening in LA) and websites;

  • Renting a home

    As well as the resources listed above you can also look on;

    Many properties will not allow animals, so if you have a pet you may wish to look on;

  • Property checklist
    1. If you are sharing it is a good idea to try and have your name added to the lease. This will enable you to prove rental history when you decide to move on and will make your living arrangements more formal.
    2. You may find a landlord will not accept your application if you have no credit or prior rental history. NOTE: Check what documents the landlord will require to accompany your application, and some insist you earn a certain amount before they consider your application.
    3. Rental agreements are for six to twelve months. Landlords may offer a month by month contract, but these can be more expensive.
    4. Some properties are under "Rent Control". These are buildings constructed during certain years, and this means the landlords can raise the rental price only by a certain (small) percentage each year.
    5. Check to make sure a fridge/freezer is included, as often they are not.
    6. Check to make sure laundry facilities are available.
    7. Check to make sure parking facilities are available.
    8. Ideally, you want air conditioning, as it can get hot at night and if you have to open your windows, you will likely hear outside noise. Some apartment buildings are constructed close together so you will be listening to your neighbors television, or, louder still, their parties! Beach towns tend to have lower temperatures so this is not such an issue.
    9. Take into account monthly estimated utilities costs; gas at about $15 and electricity/water at about $30 (for a two bedroom apartment). You may find if you have no credit history a supplier may not agree to a contract, or they may require a security deposit. Where have I heard that before?!
    10. Monthly phone line rental costs about $20 (suppliers include SBC, Sprint AT&T). Cheap rate international calls can be accessed by talking to your provider.
    11. Television costs about $70 for basic cable. HBO and Showtime are additional (suppliers include Comcast and Cox Cable). Dish Network is one satellite service provider. Should you opt out of cable or satellite, your television may pick up about four channels, with bad reception.
  • Furniture

    It's likely that most of you will arrive in LA with just the clothes in your suitcase. You may find a furnished place to live, you may not.

    There are many second hand furniture stores located across LA. An internet search will give you more information.

    One local tradition is the 'Yard Sale' advertised by hand written notices stuck on trees and lamp posts. This is where people moving, sell their belongings. It is not uncommon to see these possessions spread out over the sidewalk. The sales almost always take place on the weekend and driving around residential areas you will usually find at least one. These are great opportunities to buy anything from furniture to kitchen items to clothes. You will find some advertised on http://losangeles.craigslist.org/gms/

    Not surprisingly you will find Ikea in LA, selling the expected array of affordable household items. www.ikea.com

    Should you have furniture to dispose of you can try calling the Salvation Army at 1-800-725-2769. They will usually only accept clean and recent items. If they do not want your goods, the local Department of Sanitation will collect it, via a phone booking, 1-800-773-2489. The Dept. will ask your address and expect you to leave the item at an agreed point on the sidewalk so their truck can collect early the next day. This is why you may see items of furniture lying on the sidewalk. Ensure they have your correct address, and confirmed collection, otherwise the item will be left on the street. I had a bed that sat outside for a week, as they had written my address incorrectly!

  • Storage

    You may require a storage facility for your furniture. LA has many storage areas and further information can be found at;

  • Telephone area codes

    As anywhere in the world, LA has different phone codes known as "area codes". If you are dialing a number which has different first three digits to the number you are dialing from, then you need to dial 1 before dialing the new phone code and number. A 1-800 number is a free phone number. Calls to these numbers from overseas are not free, and it's possible that your phone will not connect you.

  • Cellular phones

    Costing from $50 per month packages will include an agreed amount of free minutes. Many deals feature "Unlimited night times and weekends", during when calls are free.

    NOTE: Check the time of night suppliers refer to as "night times". Some offer free calls to other cell phones using the same network, any time of day known as "friends and family". Texting is fairly new to LA and most people don't. You need good credit history to buy a phone and some suppliers require a Social Security number. Remember that you pay to make and receive calls.

    Some of the biggest brands are;

    Pay as You Go deals are relatively new to LA, I always recommend people to have a local cell phone if they are here on business even if it is for a short period. You should make yourself easily contactable and ensure a voice mail is set up. Though you should check if you are able to keep the number in the long term.

    Virgin Megastores offer these phones as well as most of the larger suppliers as mentioned above. www.virginmobileusa.com