Renting vacation flats in London--recommendations?

I've stayed here and it's an excellent location with good transportation links: http://www.vrbo.com/360217#

Recommend researching Airbnb. Found a lovely London flat 4 years ago and have stayed there twice. Not available for rental at the moment though. My rules for renting an Airbnb property is to be certain the owner's picture is on the website, not their dog or cat, that they reply within in a 12 hour time span, that they have no problem is telling you the exact address so you can use Google Maps satellite and street view to see the property and the surrounding neighborhood, that they actually live on the property or nearby and that they have at least a dozen positive reviews. Has helped me secure great places in various parts of the world. I prefer to get to know the owner and engage with them during my stays. Makes it easier on the next trip to return to a familiar area. Lastly, remember that wherever you book your accommodation to stay within the Underground zones 1 & 2. Happy travels.

I highly recommend, as have other posters, researching Airbnb. My niece was very pleased with her apartment in St. Petersburg a year ago. I have rented a flat for mid-June through them. I found the prices lower, and closer to my budget, than vrbo and homeaway. My budget for 4 adult women was $300/night. We determined we could survive with 1 bathroom .... which helped to keep the price lower. Good luck!

We used Home Away and are renting this apartment in a little over two weeks...http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/central-london-zone-1/591209
Since we haven't actually stayed there yet I can only say that the owner has been VERY responsive to any questions that I've had & answered within 24 hours (or less). I chose this one because I liked both the apartment and the central location plus I thought the price was great. Good luck!

I rented the London flat we will be staying in on airbnb. It wouldn't meet your criteria, but there are many to choose from. I have mostly used VRBO and Homeaway for apartment rentals. Some places will list on multiple sites. The place I'm renting in Amboise was on airbnb and VRBO. I did the math and it was less expensive renting on VRBO.

We stayed in a two bedroom at Castletown House furnished apartments three years ago. It was big, spotless, and well-furnished. We paid $227 per night, but I just checked their website and it appears that a two bedroom would be 210 pounds per night in October. Here's a link to their website- http://www.castletownhouse.co.uk/.

We stayed here a few years ago, and the recent reviews are fantastic. http://www.vrbo.com/52647 A 3 minute walk from/to the Archway tube station and is located in a great neighborhood. The tube ride is quick into Central London. I highly recommend it! Be aware of the many stairs to get to the apartment (top floor), but the view from the apartment is well worth it!!!

We were in London a few weeks ago and stayed in the Balham neighborhood in an apartment on Fernlea Road. 3 min walk to tube & train. It was the perfect location, Balham is a quiet and friendly residential neighborhood, 3-4 min walk to train, tube, grocery store, bakeries, pharmacy, restaurants, cute little shops, post office, and a big park. Balham Station has train & tube service into London, about a 10 minute ride, and one came through Balham about every 3-5 minutes. We preferred the train to Victoria station then walked straight out the train station to the red double decker buses out front for our transportation to sightseeing locations. It was a great way to see the city.
We rented our apartment from Julie Madison at HolidayRentalsLondon.com (a.k.a. London Short Let Solutions). She has multiple apartments in Balham, you should check out her website to find one that fits your needs. She's an excellent hostess, very nice and attentive, she will meet you when you arrive or you can do self check-in. The apartments are very nice and reasonable for London. Comfy beds, washer/dryer, and free Wi-Fi.
Have a great trip!
Cheri

We used http://gowithit.co.uk/ on a previous trip a couple of years ago, and everything was great. We are heading back this summer and booked with Mary again. We told Mary about our family group and what we were looking for and her recommendation was excellent. We are expecting the same result this time.