Your Advice On Best Places To Live In London

All In London Forum
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HBK
Hello everyone,

I am looking for people's views and advice on where in London is a great place to live. The story is this - I currently live in Essex (Fortunately I do not know anyone from TOWIE) and the girlfriend lives in Woodford, East London. We both have jobs in the City with her based in Great Portland Street and mine in the City and really want to both be working and living in London for the next year at least. This will only on a rental agreement so we are not tied down to one area for several years + affording to buy in London is a long way off. What we are ideally for is a great area for young professionals which has a cafe culture about it. We love our food and bars (like most 20-somethings) and the missus loves boutique shops and markets. We know areas like Greenwich and Notting Hill with both being at the top end of our budget for a 1 bed place and wondered if people had any other recommendations on where to maybe live for a year or so? We do not mind if it is North, East, South or West really as long as it has the culture we want and also good transport links.

Thanks for any advice people can pass on.
Posted: 2011-12-01 11:36:41
Gavalar
ORIGINAL: HBK
I currently live in Essex (Fortunately I do not know anyone from TOWIE)


:) I've not watched that show, is it for real?


ORIGINAL: HBK
What we are ideally for is a great area for young professionals which has a cafe culture about it. We love our food and bars (like most 20-somethings) and the missus loves boutique shops and markets.


Without knowing a budget it's not easy to recommend areas but from what you've said I'd look at:

Central and quite expensive:
Islington
Notting Hill
Shoreditch
Primrose Hill


Bit further out and cheaper(ish):
Clapham (North & Clapham Junction)
Streatham
Sheen
Richmond
Chiswick

Providing you can get near(ish) to a tube Great Portland Street and The City are a relatively easy commute.


There's some useful info about areas on this site here:
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/boroughs


Hope that's of some use :)
Posted: 2011-12-01 12:57:27
HBK
Thanks Gavalar - a great help.

Our budget is looking around the £1200 a month mark not including bills etc. This will need to be adjusted depending on transport costs but we will worry about that when it comes to it. Clapham is definitely one place we have our eye on but have heard mixed reviews about it but I know that is like every area in London. The missus loves Notting Hill but think she needs to be brought back down from the clouds!

And yes the show is unfortunately real and alas the people on there are not of limited numbers - they do actually respresent a fair percentage of the Essex population (not including me in this)
Posted: 2011-12-01 13:59:29
Gavalar
ORIGINAL: HBK

Thanks Gavalar - a great help.

Our budget is looking around the £1200 a month mark not including bills etc. This will need to be adjusted depending on transport costs but we will worry about that when it comes to it. Clapham is definitely one place we have our eye on but have heard mixed reviews about it but I know that is like every area in London. The missus loves Notting Hill but think she needs to be brought back down from the clouds!

And yes the show is unfortunately real and alas the people on there are not of limited numbers - they do actually respresent a fair percentage of the Essex population (not including me in this)



No worries, and we'll give you the benefit of the doubt on the Essex thing. To be fair Mark on I'm a Celebrity seems like a genuinely decent chap.


£1200 is a good budget, although I think you'd need to spend £1500+ to get a decent flat in any of the popular central areas.

Have a look on sites like prime location:
http://www.primelocation.com/

If you look at places like Streatham you'll get the choice of 2 bed houses and big flats rather than the pokey broom cupboards the same money will buy in zone 1.

I'd always go further out and have more living space and travel to the markets/boutique places, you'll spend a lot more time in the flat than you will in the shops/bars/cafes, as long as you have some nice restaurants/bars within walking distance that's all you need.
Posted: 2011-12-01 15:37:11
nicola_rentaltrader
Hi HBK,
I can see that you are looking for a long term fix, at least for up to a year in London. Therefore best possible suggestion would be to consult professional lettings services. Professionals, who have a considerable experience in the letting industry not only find you the best options to rent but also take care of the tenancy agreement and other related issues for you to have a comfortable stay for a long time. We, at Rental trader, have been guiding people to choose best accommodations/property for over 11 years. Since, we are not estate agents, you can register yourself with us for free. You can visit us at http://www.rentaltrader.co.uk/ and find lucrative deals at the earliest.
Posted: 2011-12-01 19:44:28
Gavalar
ORIGINAL: nicola_rentaltrader

Hi HBK,
I can see that you are looking for a long term fix, at least for up to a year in London. Therefore best possible suggestion would be to consult professional lettings services. Professionals, who have a considerable experience in the letting industry not only find you the best options to rent but also take care of the tenancy agreement and other related issues for you to have a comfortable stay for a long time. We, at Rental trader, have been guiding people to choose best accommodations/property for over 11 years. Since, we are not estate agents, you can register yourself with us for free. You can visit us at http://www.rentaltrader.co.uk/ and find lucrative deals at the earliest.



Can you not just offer some of this considerable experience by posting on here and helping out rather than trying to redirect the chap to your website?
Posted: 2011-12-02 09:23:16
NadiaB
I'm looking to move to London soon as well but I'm a bit nervous about places in London as well as I'm a girl.

Are there any places I should particularly avoid?

I don't think my choices will be great as my budget will be quite low. Looking for a house share really! x
Posted: 2012-01-12 21:52:23
Kai Harris
check this website www.stuckinlondon.com very helpful as it has tips on some of the popular areas. hope this helps!
Posted: 2012-01-18 12:20:53
Sooz
ORIGINAL: NadiaB

I'm looking to move to London soon as well but I'm a bit nervous about places in London as well as I'm a girl.

Are there any places I should particularly avoid?

I don't think my choices will be great as my budget will be quite low. Looking for a house share really! x


Hi Nadia :wave:
If your budget is low but you still want somewhere nice to live, go for areas that aren't on the tube or are further away from it. If you're happy to take a train/bus/walk then your options will be much better. Do you know where you'll be working? That would narrow the choice down a bit..
Posted: 2012-01-18 17:10:11
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