Where to live in London? Please help

dogactor87

Hi all!

I need some help. I've been offered a job at a Visual Effects and Animation company in Soho but I know nothing about London so I was thinking there should be at least some Londoners on this site. I was wondering if anyone knows what areas are considered good, safe to live but also wheres bad and I should avoid.

I would prefer to not spend more than 600pcm and have a max travel time to Soho of about 45mins.

I'm just stuck where to even start looking as I don't want to find a place and then find out I'm likely to be attacked there.

Thanks in advance for any help.

pippa80

You're pretty unlikely to be attacked anywhere to be honest. I live in E8 (Dalston), which is trendy/a bit rough round the edges. Most violent crime is between young men on estates.

£600/month is quite low if you're looking to rent a flat. Or are you looking to share?

Why don't you do a rightmove search and then post some flats you like the look of and we can advise about the areas?

JenniferF

Hi, congratulations on the new job!!!

Do you know anyone living in London already? I've lived North, West, East and now South London!!

All have their highs and lows - and like most places every area will have dodgy bits - but I agree with pippa80 - that you're unlikey to get trouble in most places!

I do think you can find somewhere for £600pcm for a one bedroom place - but it would more likely be a studio rather than a spacious flat. (And probably outside of Zone 1/2) I pay around £500 for my half of a two bedroom flat share, but if you are looking to flatshare, it's important that you give the people you are moving in with consideration as well as the place!!!

Another thing to consider is that whilst rent might be cheaper in Zone 3, you will have to pay more for your travel - for example - a monthly Zone 1-2 Travelcard is £99.10, whereas a monthly Zone 1-3 Travelcard is £116.00 - so you would need to factor these differences into your decision.

45 mins travelling time is pretty reasonable - my commutes over the years I've lived in London have taken between 30 mins and 70 mins.

However - as Soho is pretty accessable by the tube, 45 mins could put you pretty much anywhere...if you have more of an idea of which area (North, South, East, West) then I could let you know more about the area!

Cheers,

Jen

Peterxxxx

check out Surrey Quays - you might be able to get a decent studio for 600 pounds and it's safe enough there and v good and quick transport to town

dogactor87

Thanks for all the advice and the congrats

I would be fine living alone or sharing but I don't know anyone in London and I have a cat. I know its going to be even harder having my cat but I'm going to have to try, couldn't bare to lose him! People have told me to find somewhere then say I'm interested but 'by the way, i have a cat'. It's worked in the past so will see

I know that travel can be expensive but I have found something called the Freedom Pass which gives people with disabilities free or discounted travel (I have a mental disability that effects social interaction) so I am going to apply for that and that should really help. I should get it as I have the Kirklees version of it. I'm getting paid minimum wage at this new job so all I can save the better. They say I should move up the ladder in a few months though so when I'm making enough I'd like to try and buy a place.

I'm 23 so I've been looking at young, vibrant areas / university areas / places friends and family lived (they have all moved away now). I've currently been looking at Perivale, Wembley, Kingston, Battersea, Vauxhall and just stumbled across Catford.


I've done some searches on property websites but as I've not posted a lot on here I can't post links. They are all in the areas listed above though.

debrag

dogactor87 wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice and the congrats

I would be fine living alone or sharing but I don't know anyone in London and I have a cat. I know its going to be even harder having my cat but I'm going to have to try, couldn't bare to lose him! People have told me to find somewhere then say I'm interested but 'by the way, i have a cat'. It's worked in the past so will see

I know that travel can be expensive but I have found something called the Freedom Pass which gives people with disabilities free or discounted travel (I have a mental disability that effects social interaction) so I am going to apply for that and that should really help. I should get it as I have the Kirklees version of it. I'm getting paid minimum wage at this new job so all I can save the better. They say I should move up the ladder in a few months though so when I'm making enough I'd like to try and buy a place.

I'm 23 so I've been looking at young, vibrant areas / university areas / places friends and family lived (they have all moved away now). I've currently been looking at Perivale, Wembley, Kingston, Battersea, Vauxhall and just stumbled across Catford.


I've done some searches on property websites but as I've not posted a lot on here I can't post links. They are all in the areas listed above though.

I wouldn't live there. Try Bromley or Beckenham Junction much much nicer. Elmstead wood/Chislehurst are also lovely places in the SE but you won't find a place without sharing for £600pcm. Also look at Lee Park or Mile End near Victoria Park.

I've lived in Kingston, Crouch End (lovely but espensive), Wood Green, Mile End, Devons Road, Grove Park and Elmstead Woods.

Chinkle

Forty-five minutes travel to work is actually not a lot of time in London, when everything crawls in rush hour.

Probably possible to get to Soho from Battersea/Vauxhall. Wembley, Kingston and Catford would probably be touching an hour plus. Remember you need to factor your walk to the station, getting on transport (often tubes/trains are so busy you have to let several pass), transport delays and the walk at the other end.

You might want to do some short term lets in different places while you get to know London. And I think you'll need a fair few payrises before you'll be in a position to buy a place!

JenniferF

The Freedom Pass will save you lots of money if you are eligible - you have to be living in a London Borough to apply for it - so make sure you apply for it once you have moved down rather than before, as you may be turned down!

Kingston is a nice area, as is Battersea. Wembley is okay - but some parts of it I wouldn't want to live. I don't know Catford or Perivale that well (although I have a friend who lives in Perivale - so if you do see anywhere there, I can ask her what the area's like for you.)

In terms of young vibrant areas - a lot of people choose Clapham / Balham area when they first move to London - lots of young people - lots of bars / restaurants etc.

Richmond / Kew / Chiswick are also nice areas - although they might be slightly more expensive.

I found my current flat (and my previous 2 places actually) through gumtree - I know some people would prefer to go through an agency, although to me it seems like wasted money if you check the landlord out thoroughly... I think www.findaproperty.com is quite good for this.

Keep having a look at what's out there - and if you need anymore detailed info about anywhere that I might be able to help you with, just let me know!! How long have you got until you start the job?

Cheers,

Jen

ps - def try and keep your cat with you!!!

JenniferF

Chinkle wrote: »

Forty-five minutes travel to work is actually not a lot of time in London, when everything crawls in rush hour.

Probably possible to get to Soho from Battersea/Vauxhall. Wembley, Kingston and Catford would probably be touching an hour plus. Remember you need to factor your walk to the station, getting on transport (often tubes/trains are so busy you have to let several pass), transport delays and the walk at the other end.

You might want to do some short term lets in different places while you get to know London. And I think you'll need a fair few payrises before you'll be in a position to buy a place!

It depends where abouts in Wembley you are travelling from - 10 minutes into Marylebone from Wembley Stadium station - and then 3 stops on the Bakerloo line to Oxford circus - so the actual travelling time would take about 20 mins excluding walking either end.

TotallyBroke

In West London (Perivale) you will struggle to get a place of your own for £600pcm but if your social disability does not affect you sharing there are lots of sites that can help there.
Gumtree, roombuddies, spareroom are all good sites and it means you make friends.
Also when looking for areas a rough guide to distance is on average 3mins per station so approx. 5mins per stop with 5mins for each transfer of line.

ILW

I used to live in Catford, I would by no stretch call it a young, vibrant happening place, unless you consider hanging about outside KFC drinking cider to be the height of fashion.