Can’t afford to rent or buy - don’t know what to do

RHemmings

lincroft1710 said:

RHemmings said:

lincroft1710 said:

RHemmings said:

lincroft1710 said:

wildbilljones said:

Purbeck14 said:

A couple on 'Location, location, location' last night put their requirements into AI (Chatgpt?) and it produced  the 'perfect location' for them, Phil found them a house there. Of course it does help when you have 700K! Might be an interesting little experiment to try though. 

EDIT as I've just read a bit of your previous thread, where you state  your type of work and really London being where that  work is but that you didn't feel able or willing to pay commuting costs too far out. So really travelling  a distance to continue working in London doesn't seem feasible for you? Which is fair enough. 

I think the UK isn’t really the right place for long commutes. I know some people can accept paying 6-10k a year just on getting to their office but I find that to be unethical and defeating the purpose of public transport. 

. 

Sorry, but how can people spending £6K - £10K on getting to their office be "unethical and defeating the purpose of public transport"?? Do you think these people should commute by car and cause even more traffic congestion? Go to St Albans on any weekday before 9.00 am and see how many people get on the London trains. Imagine all those people driving into London.

I'm not the person you asked, but my take on @[Deleted User]' statement and your question about it is that like certain other things such as healthcare, perhaps transport should be subsidised by central government enough that it is available to all at a reasonable price. As it is in quite a few other countries. The alternative is not more cars, but cheaper trains and potentially other public transport.

When thinking about this thread, I looked up the price of a season ticket on GWR from Swindon to London. I was gob-smacked as to how expensive it was. I hope that I made an error and got the wrong price, because otherwise that public transport is certainly not available to all. 

Central govt already subsidise bus travel for pensioners and are slowly eroding the benefit. The NHS is desperately underfunded, so where will the govt get the money to subsidise public transport. If they do and taxes are increased to fund it, a lot of unhappy taxpayers will resent paying for London* commuters to get to work

*Other commuter cities are available.

I didn't say that the UK government would be able to do it. I said that other governments manage to do it and that it's the morally right thing to do. 

Well if the UK govt wouldn't be able to do it why did you say this

"perhaps transport should be subsidised by central government enough that it is available to all at a reasonable price"


Why is it "morally the right thing to do"? That implies that not subsidising is immoral

Because I believe that the UK govt should (my word) be able to do it. E.g. if they weren't incompetent and actually interested in reducing inequality in the UK. Inequality that seems to hit even the middle classes as in the OP of this thread and many other people in the country. 

Your second question is a fallacy of the excluded middle. I don't accept that even if it is the moral thing to do to subsidise transport so that it is affordable for all, that makes it immoral to not do so. E.g., the government does subsidise transport. Just not enough. Grey areas. 

KxMx

Some employers offer interest free loan schemes for those needing a train season ticket to commute to work.

FreeBear

wildbilljones said: So I think I’ll have to continue house sharing. It horrifies me that I’ll still be doing that in my late thirties but I’ll have to try and adjust my expectations. 

Current lodger is in her early 50s, and I'm seeing an increasing number of older people looking for accommodation (not just  mon-fri) on spareroom . The oldest I've seen was 76 !

So, nothing to be ashamed of in your 30s - It is a growing fact of life that some people just can not afford a house or flat of their own.

chilswelluk

Over the last 20 years I have lived in Banbury, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Oxford and commuted regularly from all these places to London with relative ease.  Oxford is a no go now in terms of prices, but there are so many other places that are accessible within 90 minutes commuting of London.  A budget of 300k is very achievable if you don't mind an hour or so commute.

You have to accept the reality that there is no way you can buy in central London, but thats life.  I don't see the point in getting depressed and over thinking things.  Faced with an hour or so commute or living with my parents, I know what I would choose!

[Deleted User]

lincroft1710 said:

wildbilljones said:

Purbeck14 said:

A couple on 'Location, location, location' last night put their requirements into AI (Chatgpt?) and it produced  the 'perfect location' for them, Phil found them a house there. Of course it does help when you have 700K! Might be an interesting little experiment to try though. 

EDIT as I've just read a bit of your previous thread, where you state  your type of work and really London being where that  work is but that you didn't feel able or willing to pay commuting costs too far out. So really travelling  a distance to continue working in London doesn't seem feasible for you? Which is fair enough. 

I think the UK isn’t really the right place for long commutes. I know some people can accept paying 6-10k a year just on getting to their office but I find that to be unethical and defeating the purpose of public transport. 

. 

Sorry, but how can people spending £6K - £10K on getting to their office be "unethical and defeating the purpose of public transport"?? Do you think these people should commute by car and cause even more traffic congestion? Go to St Albans on any weekday before 9.00 am and see how many people get on the London trains. Imagine all those people driving into London.

Because it's extortionate. It doesn't happen in other countries because they wouldn't accept it. I currently live just outside London and it costs me 560GBP a month to go into the office (If i go in five days a week). 

Public transport should be affordable or free. 

[Deleted User]

chilswelluk said:

Over the last 20 years I have lived in Banbury, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Oxford and commuted regularly from all these places to London with relative ease.  Oxford is a no go now in terms of prices, but there are so many other places that are accessible within 90 minutes commuting of London.  A budget of 300k is very achievable if you don't mind an hour or so commute.

You have to accept the reality that there is no way you can buy in central London, but thats life.  I don't see the point in getting depressed and over thinking things.  Faced with an hour or so commute or living with my parents, I know what I would choose!

I don't want to live in central London. I don't even need to live in London. 

I think 'an hour' commute is oversimplifying things a bit. It takes an hour to get to work if you live in London. From places where I can afford to live, it would be a lot longer than that. 

[Deleted User]

EssexHebridean said:

Looking at your desire to stay within a close range of London - people have suggested various areas worth looking at just outside the M25 (and even some options just inside!) - have you explored options on any of those? Romford was mentioned earlier, I will throw Barking & Dagenham into the mix as well. 

Thanks. I will go to Romford next week to view a property. I don't know Barking and Dagenham too well. I recently visited Erith and I thought it was horrible but it's possible that there are some more pleasant places on the outskirts of London etc. 

arthurdick

Have you had a look around Lewisham,  Lee, Hither Green, Eltham, Plumstead, Catford or Brockley?.  You can get the odd decent priced flat in those area's.  Those area's all have not too bad transport connections.
Also, some pretty good prices up near the top of Shooters Hill, which either come under Woolwich or Plumstead.

lincroft1710

wildbilljones said:

lincroft1710 said:

wildbilljones said:

Purbeck14 said:

A couple on 'Location, location, location' last night put their requirements into AI (Chatgpt?) and it produced  the 'perfect location' for them, Phil found them a house there. Of course it does help when you have 700K! Might be an interesting little experiment to try though. 

EDIT as I've just read a bit of your previous thread, where you state  your type of work and really London being where that  work is but that you didn't feel able or willing to pay commuting costs too far out. So really travelling  a distance to continue working in London doesn't seem feasible for you? Which is fair enough. 

I think the UK isn’t really the right place for long commutes. I know some people can accept paying 6-10k a year just on getting to their office but I find that to be unethical and defeating the purpose of public transport. 

. 

Sorry, but how can people spending £6K - £10K on getting to their office be "unethical and defeating the purpose of public transport"?? Do you think these people should commute by car and cause even more traffic congestion? Go to St Albans on any weekday before 9.00 am and see how many people get on the London trains. Imagine all those people driving into London.

Because it's extortionate. It doesn't happen in other countries because they wouldn't accept it. I currently live just outside London and it costs me 560GBP a month to go into the office (If i go in five days a week). 

Public transport should be affordable or free. 

What do you consider affordable? How many countries have free public transport other than over very short distances? 


How would you finance free public transport for everybody? Where would the money come from, because you are talking billions of pounds annually? Why should ordinary taxpayers subsidise commuters, because that is what would happen. As I said in a previous post, pensioner bus passes benefits are being eroded, for example you have to pay one pound if you travel before 9.30 am on the bus.  


Don't get me wrong! Free public transport is a fantastic idea in theory, but in practice about as likely to happen as your next door neighbour being an advance member of a party of invading Martians!


Finally as you are so passionate about this, have you written to your MP to elicit their views on the matter?

wjr4

[Deleted User] said:

EssexHebridean said:

Looking at your desire to stay within a close range of London - people have suggested various areas worth looking at just outside the M25 (and even some options just inside!) - have you explored options on any of those? Romford was mentioned earlier, I will throw Barking & Dagenham into the mix as well. 

Thanks. I will go to Romford next week to view a property. I don't know Barking and Dagenham too well. I recently visited Erith and I thought it was horrible but it's possible that there are some more pleasant places on the outskirts of London etc. 

Barking & Dagenham is horrendous. Romford is deprived but not as bad.