Rhiannon Curry

You know the drill: that scrabble to secure a room in a slightly mouldy flat, where you hope your prospective flatmates don’t have a penchant for doom metal, keep exotic pets or have an extremely high tolerance of dirt. Renting is one of the great inevitabilities of life in our heaving metropolis. But advances in tech, ambitious London-based start-ups and changes in consumer demand are altering the process of renting to such an extent that it could be entirely different in ten years’ time. Here are just some of the changes in motion which are set to shift the way we live.  Virtual estate agents ‘I think we will see change at every single point in the process, particularly as the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread,’ says Alex Sullivan, an entrepreneur who has founded Ems, a property-finding app. In the future, virtual estate agents will use more intelligent search functions to show renters options that they might not have considered. Perhaps you’ve started your search in Brixton, because you like the area, its bars, restaurants, entertainment options and general vibe, and it’s on the Victoria line? Property search engines of the future will show you houses in, say, Walthamstow too. Essentially, it will know what you want before you do. Sounds futuristic? It’s not. ‘Netflix and Spotify can make suggestions about what I want to watch or listen to, Instagram uses an algorithm to show me the things I’m most interested in. It’s quite subtle but it makes a massiv

Buying your first home is a fairly big thing to get your head around. But deciding on where you’ll live is the fun part. Having said that, many first-time buyers in London can find themselves limited by their budget and swelling property prices in central London. If you’re keen to live in a part of London that’s not going to cost you the earth but that's also got a bit of a buzz about it, take a look at our guide to the most up-and-coming areas to consider putting roots down in.  RECOMMENDED: Find more great places to live in London

Go off-limits this weekend as buildings across London throw open their doors for a celebration of the capital’s best architecture. Every year, Open House London offers a free poke around offices, churches, theatres and tube stations, with more than 800 buildings, walks, talks and tours to get stuck into. But instead of joining the queues outside The Gherkin, Londoners can tap into their inner nosey neighbour by visiting people’s actual homes. It’s not all about seeing how the other half live. Open House is an opportunity to explore renovations of domestic spaces across town that demonstrate the impact of a bit of canny planning – not just mega-dollar mansions, but cutting-edge architectural projects. See how designers have made tricky buildings into functional homes, or study clever uses of space and material. And even if transformations like these are beyond your budget, they could signify the future of London living. Get ready for some serious house goals, the kind that would make even Kevin McCloud weep.