Living in London

[htid]

I know a fair few of you live in our beautiful capital and love it (sense the sarcasm?) so I thought this might be a good place to start.

At some point after uni I will probably have to go and work there so I was just looking for a general idea of how much rent will cost per week. What areas are good for the price? What areas should I avoid? Does anyone know any sites that show houses that are for rent in certain areas? Etc etc.

My girlfriend *may* be going to Imperial College, in South Kensington, and we'd prefer to live close/together and she goes to uni each day, but I know anywhere around there is crazy money, so which areas near(ish) to there are worth looking at?

Any help appreciated,
Cheers.

[IBM]

http://www.foxtons.co.uk/
http://www.primelocation.com/
http://chard.co.uk/
http://www.winkworth.co.uk
http://www.hamptons.co.uk/
http://www.hotproperty.co.uk/
http://www.haart.co.uk/
http://www.knightfrank.co.uk/ (offline when I checked)
http://www.ludlowthompson.com/

Just a selection of places I've used in the past for London properties. Can't say they all give letting prices, but worth having a look. Foxtons is very expensive. Ludlow Thompson we used for our last property I think.

The only area I can really recommend is Acton, which is where I live atm. It's very good value for money considering how near to the center of london it is (I can be on Oxford Street in 10 mins with good traffic - oxymoron I know). It also has pretty decent public transport links, and has a great Japanese and Aussie community.

Anywhere closer to the centre and prices shoot up dramatically. Next borough along, Hammersmith and Fulham, and the prices get ridiculous. Thing is that if you've got time to look around, and aren't too fussy, there are some great places to be found, and the occasional bargain. I haven't looked at the rental market recently, but what with the glut of buy to let owners out there, I'm sure it must be a buyers (renters) market.

Good luck.

[TheAnimus]

Depends where you want to work,

Depends what you like for socail life,

Depends how long you have too look.

First off i'm assuming your not wanting to live with ur gf, just near enough by.

Luckily a great thing about london is its transport, its very easy too get from one side of zone 2 too the other in under 20minuites.

Lots of ICL students live in Hammersmith, its cheapish.

If you where single, and working i'd suggest angel/clerkenwell assuming your working in the city, rent would be about 150 if ur sharing with strangers (gumtree) or about 220 if you've got ur own place. Its a great area for night life, safe enough, and the cheapest place u'll find in zone1 thats not hackney.

If you go out too zone 2/3 you will get your own place for £150pw, you pay too live closer to tubes.

Now myself i think there is a stigma of living south of the river, when your young. Clapham is rather horrible imo, and southwark, well the less said the better.

Its more a case of where you working, whats your budget?

Just thinking, cheap and closish to ICL, i'd say think mada vale, north of paddington area. Its dirt cheap, fairly safe.


http://www.findaproperty.com tells u the distance from tube stations on each property. Very useful.

[Rave]

Round here in SE London (SE6) where I've spent 23 of my 27 years, the going rate for a 1-bed flat is £600-650 a month. It would be a bit of a PITA to commute to South Ken every day as there are no tube lines in this neck of the woods, but my mum was a Hypersonics researcher at Imperial when she gave birth to me so it must be doable.

[htid]

Well we'd prefer to live together but if not possible so be it. I don't know where I'll work but I do know a lot of the Post Production visual effects places (the kinda thing i'll be doing) are in Soho. I have no idea where Soho is and google earth doesn't seem to find it.

About how much i'll get paid, it really depends. A company from Soho came in and said the kind of job I want would be starting at 19k a year.

Social wise...i don't really go out so I don't mind. Prolly spend the time with her anyway.

Cheers for help so far all useful!

[mosherben]

Thumbs up to Hammersmith, not that far from Kings Road where there's loads of shops and the tube is nearby Used to live near there until i came up north

[TheAnimus]

my personal life is a mess and always has been. But still i don't think this advice is wrong.

Do not live with your girl friend when she is at uni.

That simple!

Why, because we all need friends, and if she is a darkout, you'll see lots of her, but she will become dependant, and won't have her own friends, as the same will happen too you.

If you live 10 minuites appart that seams to be quite perfect, you can easily see each other, but yet you each have your own space, your own friends etc.

I'd recomend looking around hammersmith, cheap, fairly fun, a good few high streets near by, not too bad to commute to work.

I moved to london in may, the one thing i regret is not having enough friends who arent, from uni or before, from work. I know 1 person near me, even then its only know them too say hi. I make the excuse thats because i work long hours. But really its rather bad, i guess thats because i filled my life too much with a certain someone, espesually when i first moved in.

[IBM]

It's always the same with big cities....all those people and nobody wants to spend the time to make friends (even if they're billy no mates themselves).

The thought of living with a girlfriend while she's at uni doesn't seem too bad to me. You'll get to meet loads of new people through the university bars and stuff, will get dragged alond to plenty of crazy stuff, and will be able to keep an eye on your girlfriend so she doesn't 'stray from the path' (not so easy when she lives somewhere else).

As Animus points out, the public transport is great (although you'll have to take his word for it, 'cause I've only used it once since I got to London three years ago ) so you can pretty much pick anywhere that's on the tube lines you need.

Soho is at the East End of Oxford street, bordered by Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus/Shaftsbury Avenue, and Charing Cross. Fantastic bars, clubs, restaurants (there's an amazing rib place off Poland Street hhhmmmm, finger licking good), and some really 'flamboyant' people if you know what I mean?

[MadduckUK]

"Go to London! I guarantee you’ll either be mugged or not appreciated. Catch the train to London, stopping at Rejection, Disappointment, Backstabbing Central and Shattered Dreams Parkway!"

[SteveC]

That's the problem with Imperial College - the surrounding area is South Kensington, and therefore mind-bogglingly expensive. I studied there myself, and was living in the Clerkenwell / Angel area. Problem is, that's pricey too.

As mentioned above, Hammersmith is definitely common amongst IC students, as is Acton / Ealing and other areas going west.

One good affordable option would be Vauxhall / Brixton, near the Victoria line tube stations. The area is pretty close to IC by tube, and very good for getting to Soho (oxford circus / piccadilly circus tube). Some good bars / clubs around there too.

The area has a bit of a reputation for being a bit dodgy, but most of that is in the past. Areas a few streets away from large council estates are always a bit of a problem, but that's true of all of London. Generally in London, as long as you don't look or act like a tourist, it's not too bad.

I'd recommend spending a day taking a look at all the different options.

Finally, hope your GF enjoys large amounts of work, IC tends to be a bit brutal for undergrads (chem dept in particular).

[ikonia]

"Go to London! I guarantee you’ll either be mugged or not appreciated. Catch the train to London, stopping at Rejection, Disappointment, Backstabbing Central and Shattered Dreams Parkway!"

Partridge ?

[MadduckUK]

correctness

[htid]

Finally, hope your GF enjoys large amounts of work, IC tends to be a bit brutal for undergrads (chem dept in particular).

Thanks for all the help everyone. Seems like Hammersmith looks cheapest from the quick look I've had. Of course there's no guarentee she will go to UCL or I'll get a job down there, it's all speculation so far, but better to have some idea in case it does happen

SteveC, she wants to do Biochem or something like that...so looks like I won't be seeing her for 3 years then eh :/ lol

[shiato storm]

london prices go up and up...kensington is pricey as hell, might be best for her to look at halls. h'smith is cheaper, shepherds bush area is pretty studenty and has tube link.
I went back to london the other week - a SINGLE on the tube is £4...!!! I say again 4 s*dding pounds!! bunch of overpaid under worked lay abouts who go on strike the whole time just when it suits them! I'm pretty glad I'm not in london much now after my 2 degrees...

htid - she's dead set on london then? if you're going to be together could get a one-bed place and split costs? works out cheaper.

[greektony]

I was considering moving to west London, as I work just off of J4 of the M3, but it is soooooooooo expensive compared to what you can buy just a few miles out. Where I was looking the cheapest 2 bed flat to buy were around the£240,000 - £250,000 mark and were ****e. I have put an offer in on a 2 bed flat in Bagshott where the bed rooms are larged than the living rooms of any flat I saw in London for £175,000. And its only a shortish train journey from Waterloo. Just now waiting for the vendor to accept!!!! Having said that London is a pretty damn sweet place to live if you find a niceish area

About 1 year ago me and 2 mates rented a 3 bed flat just off of Ladbroke Road (sandwiched betwene Shepards Bush and Nottinghill) for £1400 odd pounds a month between us. It may be worth renting a place with more than 1/2 bedrooms and share the rent with other people as it usually works out quite a bit cheaper.

Good luck hunting

[Rack]

about 4 years ago I lived in Shepherds Bush for 6 months, was £150 PW for a double room. It's a good place for going out, and tbh if you're in zone 2 it's not too bad coming home late from the city either (used to do it every night!).

Gumtree.com for places for rent if you are after a room.

Now I'm in SE zone 4, trains run OK into charing cross but getting home late at night is buses only which sucks.