Families from the Middle East, the United States, China and Turkey are now the main buyers of prime London homes, Spear’s reported in January 2026. Most of them are moving to London with children, a fixed school calendar and no local network.

The first month goes well or badly depending on the order in which things are done. Some tasks take a day. Others take two years. Start with the slow ones.

Before you land: schools decide everything else

Independent schools in England take pupils at fixed entry points: 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+. Registration closes long before the start date. For 11+ entry families usually register in Year 5, about two years ahead. For 13+ it is two to three years ahead.

A family moving to London at shorter notice relies on occasional places. These are the places that appear when a pupil leaves a school. Keystone Tutors notes three things about them:

They appear most often between January and Easter, because most schools require a term’s notice from a family that is leaving.
The school sets its own tests, asks for reports and references, and interviews the child.
A place in Year 11 or Year 13, in the middle of exam courses, is highly unlikely.

So the school comes first and the address second. The school run sets the area, and the area sets the house. Families who buy the house first often spend the next year in a car.

Week 1: the house works on the day you walk in

Utilities and internet switched on and tested
The house cleaned and the keys cut
Staff briefed before the family arrives, not after
One list of who to call for what, held by one person

Week 1: doctors

Everyone in England can register with an NHS GP surgery. The NHS states that you do not need proof of address, identification or immigration status. Registration is free, the online form takes about 15 minutes per person, and it is usually complete within five days.

Most families also want private clinicians: a paediatrician, a dentist, a specialist for anything ongoing. Book these in the first week, before somebody is ill.

Week 2: cars and licences

The rules for driving on a foreign licence depend on the country that issued it. For holders of licences from designated countries, GOV.UK states that a new resident can drive for 12 months from the day they became resident and has five years to exchange the licence. Check your own country on GOV.UK before you rely on this.

Until that is settled, a regular chauffeur covers the school run and the airport. A standing arrangement repeats each week without being asked for again.

Weeks 2 and 3: household staff

Do not hire in the first days. A housekeeper, a nanny or a driver taken on in a hurry is a mistake that is hard to undo. Staff should be sourced, vetted and supervised by someone who has done it before. Tutors should have references, DBS checks and a trial session before they meet your child.

Weeks 3 and 4: one calendar

Lessons, sport, music, tutors and family time go into one calendar that everyone works from: parents, staff, school and tutors. Uniform, kit and school forms have their own deadlines. A term has about a hundred of them.

Three common mistakes

House before school. The commute is then fixed for years.
Staff hired in a hurry. Replacing them costs more time than waiting two weeks.
Two half-lists. Each parent holds part of the plan, and nobody holds all of it.

How ELVIT runs a family’s first month

It starts with one conversation about how you live. That becomes the brief. One named person owns it, and you see the status of every task in a private tracker.

The first month usually goes like this. On day one, the conversation. In week one, the backlog goes first. In week two, your tracker fills with statuses. By week four, a request takes one message.

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Sources

This article is general information. School, medical and licensing rules change: check the source for your own case.

Moving to London with a Family: The First 30 Days, in Order