Moving to London.. but where should I think about living?

TheGame7

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lufcgirl

Unfortunately, I don't live in London (never even been there) but have recently just rented an apartment for the first time so know a bit about the other stuff

-I'm on a 6 month agreement so they are there to find
-Bills generally are paid by yourself on top of your rent each month and you are responsible for everything
-Council tax is payable by yourself

This was all through a lettings agent in the North-East of England, maybe it's different if it's a private landlord. We get by in a two bedroomed apartment 5 mins from Newcastle and pay £400 per month each (not including food) but I'm sure London prices will be much more expensive!

ryandj

Most of my friends that live in London live in shared houses - around 3-4 people in a house - and pay around about £400-500 a month each so the price you state is feasible. But... they are not close to a tube station - 10-20 min walk generally! The closer to the tubes you get, the higher the price. The people I know live in places like Clapton, which is miles from anywhere from visiting, and Highbury/Islington which is quite cool - lots going on, nice bars, quite a young crowd. Of course the areas you will be able to afford will not be the nicest of areas, and it will most likely be a flat not a house!

6 month contracts are more common, I haven;t heard of 3 month lets but I am sure you can get them.

Whoever is living in the house should pay the council tax and utility bills, however sometimes if it is a shared house where people change all the time, often the land lord will take care of it and increase the rent accordingly.

If you are going to be working anywhere in the UK most of the time, it might be better to think about living close or convenient for transport links - are you driving or getting trains? If driving, it would be sensible to live on the outskirts somewhere so it is easy to get to the motorways, or you might want to live near a train station?

Best thing would be to spend a weekend in London, stay with a friend or in a B&B, book to see lots of places, concentrate on a couple of areas, and see what suits you best!

I think you are best off, for the prices mentioned, looking at getting rooms in a shared house though!

ryandj

O yes, and Gumtree dot com is as good a place as any to start looking!

benood

Have a look up the Uxbridge road (a 15 minute walk to Sheperds Bush central line and really convenient for your friend). Plus at a push you can walk back from Oxford Street when you've spent all your cash on beers, the tube has stopped and the night buses are full to bursting - that's where I had most fun. I lived in Greenwich, and Ladbroke Grove too, Greenwich was too far from anywhere - stay north of the river. Agree about sharing.

Rabiddog_2

And dont forget the congestion Charge £8 per day. I would try West London if i were you as then you can be handy for the M1/M4 and tube/train/easybus (£1 fare). Dont get blinged up when flat hunting. Beer is very expensive in London, sadly. Get an oystercard before arriving, tube ix X2 the bus fare, half the time for most journeys.
Try TFL journey planner site for any journeys, its very good. London is the most multi-cultural city in the world, so enjoy it.
Avoid the uxbridge road as only the worst sort of low-lifes stay there.;)

VfM4meplse

TheGame7 wrote: »

Hi,

• The three base offices I can work from seem to be accessible from Bank and St Paul's (Central Line) but there are others.
• The nearest station for my friend's work place is White City.

Don't discount the East End - generally properties are cheaper on this side of town (not sure about rents though) and there is huge regeneration going on at the moment. Geographically aim for the Zones 2-4 on the central line / there are a number of overland stations that lead into Liverpool Street. Might be a trek for your mate though; it takes about an hour from Zone 4 (east) to White City but you do get a seat on the tube and a nap is always an option.

chewmylegoff

i've only ever lived in oval, clapham and balham so can only speak for those areas. for £800pcm between you won't get much - if you just want a 2 bed flat then you will have to go for an ex-local authority place in a block of flats in a rubbish price. 2 beds flats in converted houses tend to be £1200pcm minimum.

you'd get better value moving into an established house share, but in those areas you'd be lucky to get more than a 1 bed for £400pcm each.

if you're going to end up working outside london for long periods then you might want to consider being a lodger rather than being tied to a tenancy as it is cheaper and more flexible.

if you want to get a decent 2 bed in a decent area for £800pcm you will have to live quite a way out of town, and you're probably looking at being on a train line rather than the tube - although then you have to factor in the increased travel costs if you need to get into central london regularly.

i second the earlier recommendation to look on gumtree to see what various areas cost, although obviously you can't really tell what you're getting for your money until you turn up and look at it.

bo_drinker

If you can avoid it don't do it. It is the stabbing capital of the UK, this is what it will be famous for until 2012. Then who knows??? Really only good for tourism, in and out quickly. And yes I have lived there . :eek:

napoleon

If you want somewhere cheap in London try Walford

chewmylegoff

chewmylegoff wrote: »

you'd get better value moving into an established house share, but in those areas you'd be lucky to get more than a 1 bed for £400pcm each.

i meant single bedroom, not one bed...