Where in London would you choose to live?

Sarahpuggy

Hi all,

I need to find a house share somewhere in London. I work near clapham, the closest tube station is stockwell but at the moment i drive to work. I currently live in Kingston/Surbiton (South West).

My boyfriend and I are splitting up, so i need to find a nice friendly house share, preferable somewhere closer to work but in a nice area with plenty to do. I have only been living here for 5 months so i dont really know where to start looking!

My family are 5 hours away, i dont know anyone else here apart from my boyfriend so i feel i've got a big task ahead of me to find somewhere good!

I earn just over £1000 a month, so realistically the maximum rent would be £500 a month.

Does anyone have any ideas please? I'd really appreciate it.

Sarah x
P.S. Just realised my sig is still there, please ignore as this is not happening now lol.

MascaraMinx

Aw Sarah I feel for you. What you need is a househare with lots of lively sociable people. I don't know any good sites or forums for house sharers but I'm sure there are some, maybe someone will post a link.

How about Wimbledon? I used to live there in a house share and loved it. Or Putney is very nice too. Clapham itself is great but can be v expensive. However, if you share with enough people you should be able to find one for £500.

maryjane01

Look at https://www.gumtree.com It has loads of flat shares. Thereare lots of flat shares in Clapham. Live there, walk to work and save on transport!

cwcw

Where in London would I live? I wouldn't! High crime rates, traffic congestion, congestion charges, target for terrorism, air pollution, and house prices in most parts completely incomparable to the rest of the country. I can't begin to comprehend spending 50% of my income (assuming it's take home, not gross) to share a house. Why not move back to nearer your family?

Ian_W

cwcw wrote:

Where in London would I live? I wouldn't! High crime rates, traffic congestion, congestion charges, target for terrorism, air pollution, and house prices in most parts completely incomparable to the rest of the country. I can't begin to comprehend spending 50% of my income (assuming it's take home, not gross) to share a house. Why not move back to nearer your family?

Neither would I, but that's hardly very helpful to the OP who has just broken up with her partner - apart from perhaps the last sentance.

Sarah, I did contribute to your where to house buy thread but I don't know anything to suggest for house sharing. Only consolation is that you don't have the headache of the financial mess of splitting up having bought a house - *just* the emotional stress of things. Hope things work out OK for you. Best wishes.

balsingh

Have a look at https://www.moveflat.com which lists many house shares in London. Its a great site!!

sanfrancisco

Hey Sarah,

If I were you I would move to Clapham. It is a young lively area with loads ofyoung people. There are masses of trendy bars (might meet a new boyfriend!). I also think it is quite a safe area. You will also be near your work, so you will save money and time (you could cycle). It probably a bit more expensive than some of the surrounding areas (Stockwell, Streatham), but you pay a premium because its nice. It also has good transport links if you get a new job.

There are cheaper areas in London, but breaking up is hard to do and moneysaving, whilst a consideration should not be top priority now. Making friends and feeling secure should be. Good Luck. Hope this helps.

Sarahpuggy

Thankyou for all your replies, they have been very helpful.

I think i will concentrate on the Clapham area.

Its not really an options for me to leave London at the moment. I come from Lincolnshire originally and i have a degree in Fashion Design so theres not much call for that in Lincolnshire. I got a job as a fashion buyer straight after uni and have been here for 5 months, i love it so i dont want to leave! Although, i know i wont be here in London forever, thats for sure!

Thanks again everyone, i guess i'll start having a look around today.

Sarah x

lynzpower

all the best with it sarah

Dont forget loot online advertises for housesharers as well

and also perfecthousemate.com

morg_monster

Can I recommend Balham as a cheaper alternative to Clapham. You still should be able to walk to work (depends where in clapham though) and if you need a travelcard you can still walk to Clapham South in 5-10 minutes and hence only need a Zone 2 card. We were looking in Clapham and Balham and found you were paying a £20 a week premium for a 1 bed flat purely for living in Clapham. (needless to say we went for Balham in the end!). Also being in Wandsworth Council area the council tax is the lowest in the country which is nice! You can get quite close up to Clapham South station and still be within the Wandsworth boundaries. Balham high street is nothing to write home about but it has a sainsburys and a waitrose and boots, the usual shops. There are some really nice bars and pubs on the high street as well. At the very least it is worth a look. I feel you might get something a bit nicer for your £500 in Balham compared to Clapham.

(by the way - I second the advice re https://www.moveflat.com - it is a great site).

Loubee_2

I was about to mention https://www.moveflat.com, but eveyone beat me to it!
Balham is very nice, as is Tooting Bec (cheaper than Clapham). I lived in that area for 3 years and was very happy there.