Relocating To London

[linux]

Hi everyone,

this is my first post so helloooo

I am relocating from liverpool to London and by looking on some websites such as rightmove, findaproperty, the prices in London are insane.

In here for £400-500 u can get a decent 1 bedroom flat which in London you can only get studio flat in not a very good areas.

So my questions are:

If you were me and relocating to work in EC3M, would u have rented a house in EC3M which is congestion charge zone and have paid crazy amounts such as £900 for a studio flat so u didn't have to travel to work (just roll out of the bed ) or would u rent a house in some surrounding areas such as highgate, southgate (N areas ) and then pay for underground or bus to go to work?

Secondly, if you suggest relocating to around the london and not the center, would u recommand south, east or north ? I used to live in north few years a go so pretty much know it, however I don't know about other places.

Any advice is greatly appreciated?

[Trampa501]

My advice is to find the train station(s) close to your place of work. Then find out the stops in zone 3,4,5,6 from that station (make a note of the fast trains). Then use a bus map to find residential areas 10-20 minutes from those stops. It's there, you'll find decent housing a lot cheaper than central London. And you'll still get to work more reliably and quicker than those who chose to live in Ealing, Clapham, Hampstead etc.

[Mr Smith]

Welcome. Rent in central London is quite high. Owning a car in the congestion zone isn't too bad, but driving in London every day? Madness. Take public transit, but not buses.

I think the previous poster offered good advice. Trains into london are quite good in zones 3 and 4. Faster than the tube, particularly during rush hour, and where I live (SE London) they run every 10 or 15 minutes.

West and North London are quite nice, but expensive and Highgate is actually quite a distance from central London. South of the river can be a little boring, but good value and quick into town.

Good luck with the letting agents. Practice engaging with them by flushing your money down the toilet and smacking yourself in the head with a ball peen hammer to simulate the aggrevation.

[Starla]

Hi Linux,

There is another angle if you can contemplate it, which is house or flat sharing. Everyone I know earning under 50k in London seems to do this now. E.g. I live in West London and pay £500 per month (plus share of bills) and live with 2 others. In my case I'm completely self contained in the loft extension, en-suite (could NEVER bathroom share) and have a really good set-up. Huge place, posh area, no chavs, 20 feet from the Thames, great flatmates, actually prefer it to the prospect of paying a fortune to live on my own.

Or course I'm probably very lucky at the moment and have shared with some psychopaths in the past so you take your chances.

Recommend Spareroom website.

[Van]

Uh, surely this is something only you can answer.

From the sounds of your situation, anything from a £300pcm houseshare to a £1000pcm 1br flat would be workable.

Depends what your priorities are. I would suggest trying to find a friendly houseshare- it's a good way to get to know some people which is important when relocating somewhere, and will keep costs down. It's also easier to move out of if you find you need/want somewhere bigger.

[tim123]

My advice is to find the train station(s) close to your place of work. Then find out the stops in zone 3,4,5,6 from that station (make a note of the fast trains). Then use a bus map to find residential areas 10-20 minutes from those stops. It's there, you'll find decent housing a lot cheaper than central London. And you'll still get to work more reliably and quicker than those who chose to live in Ealing, Clapham, Hampstead etc.

Sorry, having to catch a bus to the train station, will never every get you to work faster than people who live in Clapham or Hampstead.

If you want to live in the sticks andd still get to work in a reaonable time you have to live no more than a few minutes walk to the station.

[Superted187]

Don't go out beyond zone 3. It's that much hassle getting in and out of London at times (particularly after the last tube) that you'll wonder why you ever did it

[Trampa501]

Sorry, having to catch a bus to the train station, will never every get you to work faster than people who live in Clapham or Hampstead.

If you want to live in the sticks andd still get to work in a reaonable time you have to live no more than a few minutes walk to the station.

Disagree. I've lived in zone 4/5 and in Clapham/Stockwell before. A fast train can get you to central London in 15 minutes. Meanwhile the tube from Clapham changing onto the Northern Line often will leave you stranded around Kennington (not called the Misery Line for nothing), or have an incredibly squashed mid-London journey changing at Green Park etc. Clapham only really works well via the tube if you work at Victoria or Pimlico. Just my experience though - maybe the new Victoria Line trains will help things

As for catching the bus to the station - really easy and speedy in mornings, traffic isn't that bad. Worst time for london traffic is early evening, although tbf most times of the day there can be a hold-up.

[Trampa501]

Don't go out beyond zone 3. It's that much hassle getting in and out of London at times (particularly after the last tube) that you'll wonder why you ever did it

Train = fast and normally more comfortable ie chance of a seat. Quite possible to get into central london via a good train service in 15 minutes from Zone 4. Of course you will need to work out your options from your workplace. No good getting into London bridge in 15 minutes if you then have to travel to Hammersmith for your job.

Of course if you limit yourself to the tube, journeys take far longer for zone 3 and beyond. Tube fans tell me the tube has more regular trains - this may be true. However when you've spent 10 minutes going down stairs and escalators and then be held up by a points failure at Acton, this loses its appeal.

[tim123]

Disagree. I've lived in zone 4/5 and in Clapham/Stockwell before. A fast train can get you to central London in 15 minutes.

Plus the time taken to get to the station. Plus the 15 minute wait for the next train because your bus is 1 minute late

Meanwhile the tube from Clapham changing onto the Northern Line often will leave you stranded around Kennington (not called the Misery Line for nothing), or have an incredibly squashed mid-London journey changing at Green Park etc.

If your destination is central London you will still have to do this having arrived at Victoria.

[linux]

Thanks for all of the comments

I wasn't notified of the replies.

so if your were me and had to travel to EC3M, what part would u have gone? north , south? east or west?

as far as I know east is not a very good area( no offense to anyone, that is what i have heared that says it is full of gungs)

would u recommned outside the london such as feltham or essex?

The flat share is not an option for me, so if u were me and wanted a minimum of 1 bedroom in a relatively good area, where would u have gone? of course i am looking into £600-700 for 1 bedroom but don't know if it is possible or not. my mate lives in southgate(N22) and said u can get 1 bed for those sort of budget

thanks again to all

[chicker]

Thanks for all of the comments

I wasn't notified of the replies.

so if your were me and had to travel to EC3M, what part would u have gone? north , south? east or west?

as far as I know east is not a very good area( no offense to anyone, that is what i have heared that says it is full of gungs)

would u recommned outside the london such as feltham or essex?

The flat share is not an option for me, so if u were me and wanted a minimum of 1 bedroom in a relatively good area, where would u have gone? of course i am looking into £600-700 for 1 bedroom but don't know if it is possible or not. my mate lives in southgate(N22) and said u can get 1 bed for those sort of budget

thanks again to all

A lot of overground services are crap at weekends and off peak, so if this is the time you want to use them stay near a tube. I know Southgate (btw n14) and its OK and you are near decent road routes but Wood Green N22 although closer to town can be quite an unpleasant place. What are your social interests ? If you are a strict 9-5er most zone 4 places work transport wise. As to where I would live would depend entirely on my budget and I'm not sure £600-700 would leave you with much choice.

[MrPin]

I recommend Bromley or Chislehurst!

Both Southside, and fast trains to London Bridge.

[Dorkins]

A lot of overground services are crap at weekends and off peak, so if this is the time you want to use them stay near a tube. I know Southgate (btw n14) and its OK and you are near decent road routes but Wood Green N22 although closer to town can be quite an unpleasant place. What are your social interests ? If you are a strict 9-5er most zone 4 places work transport wise. As to where I would live would depend entirely on my budget and I'm not sure £600-700 would leave you with much choice.

Victoria line shuts one weekend in two, so even the tube is no guarantee.

[Starla]

would u recommned outside the london such as feltham or essex?

I definately would NOT recommend Feltham. It's depressing, dodgy and full of Chavs and sportswear.

Sure you could get your own flat around your budget but you'd end up spending extra on train fares back into London (plus travel time). I'd way prefer a houseshare in decent part of London, Richmond for example, quick links into Waterloo and you can go out after dark.

[Starla]

would u recommned outside the london such as feltham or essex?

I definately would NOT recommend Feltham. It's chav and sportswear-tastic.

Sure you could get your own flat around your budget but you'd end up spending extra on train fares back into London (plus travel time). I'd way prefer a houseshare in decent part of London, Richmond for example, quick links into Waterloo and you can go out after dark.

[Paddles]

There was a time when I tried to get funding for my PHD on the subject of "Happiness whilst living and working in London". Unhappily,

I failed.

However, there's a really complex branch of mathematics that describes the various factors that determine how happy you will be in the capital if someone has the time to study it;

- Short commute is best (so no further than Zone 3), single transport type, preferrably not changing tubes either

- Cycling or walking to work is ideal

- Living in the area you are likely to socialise in is best, an affordable black cab journey away at 2am is the next best option

- Don't live on a bus route or walking route from a pub or tube station

- Count the number of fried chicken shops on the nearest High St, avoid if it's more than 1 per mile

- When you find a nice area, walk the streets all around it; London is quite unique in that there can be multi-million pound properties only a few hundred metres from sink estates

- If flat-sharing while young and single, gravitate to the Aussies, Kiwis and Saffas to get an instant social life thrown in with the deal. Gumtree and TNT are good starting points

- If you've just moved to London, don't keep leaving it to go back "home" at weekends. Some of the unhappiest people I've known have spent a couple of years doing that and then left complaining that it was "hard to make friends in London"

Edited June 14, 2011 by Paddles

[TeddyBear]

Hi Linux,

There is another angle if you can contemplate it, which is house or flat sharing. Everyone I know earning under 50k in London seems to do this now. E.g. I live in West London and pay £500 per month (plus share of bills) and live with 2 others. In my case I'm completely self contained in the loft extension, en-suite (could NEVER bathroom share) and have a really good set-up. Huge place, posh area, no chavs, 20 feet from the Thames, great flatmates, actually prefer it to the prospect of paying a fortune to live on my own.

Or course I'm probably very lucky at the moment and have shared with some psychopaths in the past so you take your chances.

Recommend Spareroom website.

Starla is right about flatsharing. However, 500 a month for an ensuite loft room? You've got to be pretty far out for that even or had your place for ages so rent isn't at current rate.

I don't know how or why people are putting up with the rent rises but there definitely have been rent rises in London this year. Friend of mine is renting a loft type ensuite in a shared house in Zone 3 SW London, was paying 700 pcm, now having to move and seeing similar on for 800 - 900pcm.

Your budget isn't big OP, will going out at night be important to you? It's one thing living somewhere that's only 15 mins on the train but if you miss the last train it can be hours home on the night bus or £££££ in a cab.

[Trampa501]

I definately would NOT recommend Feltham. It's chav and sportswear-tastic.

Sure you could get your own flat around your budget but you'd end up spending extra on train fares back into London (plus travel time). I'd way prefer a houseshare in decent part of London, Richmond for example, quick links into Waterloo and you can go out after dark.

Richmond is a very desirable place to live I admit (20 minutes to waterloo, fare zone 4 ) , but won't the rents be prohibitive there? If not, go for it. Superb setting, lively centre and magnificent park. If I won the lottery I'd be tempted to live there myself.

[Van]

Try to live somewhere where you can cycle to work most/every day. It'll keep your stress levels down if you can avoid public transport. Anything within 5 miles of EC3 is faster and more convenient to cycle. It will pay for itself very quickly and then save you a tidy amount of money (especially if you can do ride2work via your employer) going forward.

People who complain about the cost and inconvenience of public transport in London need to get out on their bikes more - it's quick and free, and always will be.

[Starla]

Starla is right about flatsharing. However, 500 a month for an ensuite loft room? You've got to be pretty far out for that even or had your place for ages so rent isn't at current rate.

I'm in Chiswick, Thames-side. Really nice/safe part of London. Been there nearly 2 years, have had one rent-rise of about 3% in that time - lucky - Yup. The property is one of many owned by a company, and managed by a letting agent. I admit it's a really good deal, but there are places out there at similar prices when I've been looking or advertising for flatmates (can't say enough good things about Spareroom.com). My boyfriend rents in Queens Park with 3 others, 4 bed townhouse, en-suite room, gated development, swimming pool, gym, sauna on site - £590pm (plus bills). On the flip-side you will easily find people charging 50%+ more, but it's all about finding the bargains that are out there.

Edit: BIG mistake I made when renting in London the first time was to find a place via Foxtons (what was I thinking?), flat-shared with a mate and couldn't wait for the one year lease to end as £900 (inc bills) was cruxifying me.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Starla

[Starla]

Richmond is a very desirable place to live I admit (20 minutes to waterloo, fare zone 4 ) , but won't the rents be prohibitive there? If not, go for it. Superb setting, lively centre and magnificent park. If I won the lottery I'd be tempted to live there myself.

Rent would definately be prohibitive in Richmond if the OP is looking to rent their own flat and would way out of their league (most people's), due to the positives you've mentioned. I just think it would be way preferable to have a decent house-share in Richmond/a really good part of London as opposed to having your own place in Feltham. I work near Feltham and the few company visitors that have asked for hotels there because it's near the office, ask to be moved within 48 hours because it's so grim.

[chicker]

Hey lets get the OP back on this one. Richmond maybe nice but it aint rock'n'roll . If I was young again I would want Camden/Islington and Hoxton/Shoreditch. Zone 4 wouldn't do it for me. Btw I now live in Zone 4

[linux]

Hi,

Thanks for all of the comments

I have configured the post to notify me with any new replies but it doesn't, anyways

I have been looking into east which u can for example get a 1 bedroom flat for around £700 and it is 15 min by train to city center

The whole cost will be around 850 a month

what do u think of east and specially barking and degnham or east ham ? any good?

My impression was that east and south is full of gangs, however i think i may have been mislead, correct?

if i increase the budget to 850 or something, do u think I can get a nice 1 bed flat in E1 or somewhere close?

In ur view is it safe to live in a gang area?

[Van]

what do u think of east and specially barking and degnham or east ham ? any good?

My impression was that east and south is full of gangs, however i think i may have been mislead, correct?

Barking and Dags are pretty grim. South Lon is full of gangs and East is full of BNP.