Short term apartment or flat rentals are an attractive option for many travelers to London. There are many agencies offering them, almost all of them nowadays through the internet. Because of its popularity there are unfortunately fraudsters who set up websites offering London rentals at cheap prices, but after you have paid they disappear. You should therefore take good care with whom you book your short term apartment, and only deal with those that accept confirmations via credit card.

London has many hostels, many offer breakfast as well as kitchens for self catering, so hostels can be a very cost effective option. If you want to stay at one of the four YHA hostels in central London and you are a foreign visitor, remember that the YHA hostels require to see a form of ID with your picture on it, and a valid membership card from a local YHI (Youth Hostelling International) recognized Youth Hostel association. Apart from the YHA hostels, there are a number of other, independent hostels through the city. In the summer season, many of the colleges and universities in central London open up their student Halls of Residence as hotels during vacations, usually at much lower rates than proper hotels, but with very basic facilities and no catering.

Some apartment hotels offer good value accommodation especially for those travelling in a group, and often better quality than many hotels, but at cheaper individual rate per person.