View Full Version : Looking to move to London Area.
canadiangirl
17-09-2007, 15:35
Hi Guys,
So I am currently living in Toronto Canada and am thinking of moving to the London Area. I am also debating about Edinburgh or Glasgow as well.
I was wondering if people could give me some ideas on where the best places to stay in London are, what are things I need to see and maybe what I should expect if I do move there.
I am doing a Business Degree at Ryerson University with a major in Human Resources and a minor in Communications, so I think being in the city will be ideal.
If anyone has any input that would be great!
Thank you.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
17-09-2007, 15:36
Croydon.
It's the most major place in London.
Lots to see.
Cardiff, not London! :cool:
Hi Guys,
So I am currently living in Toronto Canada and am thinking of moving to the London Area. I am also debating about Edinburgh or Glasgow as well.
I was wondering if people could give me some ideas on where the best places to stay in London are, what are things I need to see and maybe what I should expect if I do move there.
I am doing a Business Degree at Ryerson University with a major in Human Resources and a minor in Communications, so I think being in the city will be ideal.
If anyone has any input that would be great!
Thank you.
Whereabouts will you be studying/working? What sort of nightlife are you looking for? How much are you willing to spend?
canadiangirl
17-09-2007, 15:47
I don't have a job lined up as of yet. I am planning on finding one once I get there. I am hoping to get a job in an HR department within a larger firm.
I have dual citizenship because my mother was born in London so I don't have to worry about applying for a visa.
I would probably think I would spend about 600 pounds a month on rent for a one bedroom or studio, but I am hoping my friend will move over so we would probably spend around 1000 - 1300 on a two bedroom. Is that about how much apartments are or are they a bit more expensive than that in London?
£600 a month would get you a studio in either a far away part or a dodgy part of London. £900 would get you an okay studio or 1 bed. I'm not sure on this though - never rented a studio/1-bed place.
For £600, you're best off getting a flatshare. You could get a fairly decent room sharing with 2 or so others.
Whatever the case, you'll also have to pay council tax, which varies depending on where you're living. Check out www.moveflat.com. They detail flat and flat shares around London. Some prices are including council tax and bills, some excluding.
Where you want to live really really does depend on what sort of person you are.
Wouldn't it be better to find a job before moving here though?
We got 2 beds, gdn, lonungs, dining rm, bathrm, cellar etc for 850GBP in sunny Nunhead, not huge rooms but neigh bad tho
Monkeynuts
17-09-2007, 16:17
£600 a month would get you a studio in either a far away part or a dodgy part of London. £900 would get you an okay studio or 1 bed. I'm not sure on this though - never rented a studio/1-bed place.
For £600, you're best off getting a flatshare. You could get a fairly decent room sharing with 2 or so others.
You can get a good 2 bed in Forest Hill for less than £1000, an area which is either particularly far away nor particularly dodgy. There may be some rare stuff around for about £800 still.
£600 for 1 bed is possible, but pushing it. You might get an OK studio for that, though. Decent flatshares - usually £400 and up.
Clearly it is possible to spend a hell of a lot more in more cntral and/or fashionable areas, and there will be some grottier and more distant ones. The key is to find the balance you are comfortable with.
Dubversion
17-09-2007, 16:18
£600 a month would get you a studio in either a far away part or a dodgy part of London. £900 would get you an okay studio or 1 bed. I'm not sure on this though - never rented a studio/1-bed place.
For £600, you're best off getting a flatshare. You could get a fairly decent room sharing with 2 or so others.
i think you're being a bit negative. We pay a little over £600 for a big one-bedroom flat that's just in zone 3 and in a good area
i think you're being a bit negative. We pay a little over £600 for a big one-bedroom flat that's just in zone 3 and in a good area
You guys are probably right. Like I said, I've never rented a one bed/studio place.
I've only ever flatshared in London. www.gumtree.com and www.moveflat.com are IME the best sites for flatsharing. They have whole flats/houses to rent too.
ChrisFilter
17-09-2007, 16:24
Yeah, we pay £750 for a big 1 bed Victorian garden flat in a really nice area 20 mins from 4 major overland stations (Victoria, London Bridge, Blackfriars, Kings X).
Your best bet is South London. It's cheaper, friendlier, greener, and all round a nicer place to be.
Donna Ferentes
17-09-2007, 16:26
The streets are wider.
I need to speak to my landlord about getting my rent reduced, it seems.
Your best bet is South London. It's cheaper, friendlier, greener, and all round a nicer place to be.
Not a helpful statement for someone moving to London for the first time!
Bits of south london are those things, but then bits of north London are the same.
Dubversion
17-09-2007, 16:28
Not a helpful statement for someone moving to London for the first time!
yeh it is, it'll make sure they end up living in the best bit :cool:
Cardiff, not London! :cool:
Yes come to us little Canadian girl.
We welsh are a lot nicer than those evil Scots and Londoners.
Plus we have sweeties and puppies for you to play with.
/sinister
Monkeynuts
17-09-2007, 16:57
Not a helpful statement for someone moving to London for the first time!
Bits of south london are those things, but then bits of north London are the same.
Indeed, but usually at a bit of a cost premium, it would seem ;)
skyscraper101
17-09-2007, 17:00
Flatsharing is the best way of keeping your costs low and living in a nice centrally located place in London.
I live in a 2 bedroom flat in London, Zone 2, next to Shepherds Bush and walking distance of four other tube stations and a mainline station. All for under £500 per month (inc bills) because I sublet the other larger room out to a couple.
ChrisFilter
17-09-2007, 21:36
Not a helpful statement for someone moving to London for the first time!
Bits of south london are those things, but then bits of north London are the same.
Not unhelpful at all. The South is generally cheaper, I'm not about list hundeds of specific areas.
Not unhelpful at all. The South is generally cheaper, I'm not about list hundeds of specific areas.
Fucking lazy-arsed south londoners :rolleyes: :p
norbury or thornton heath are the best places imo
the air is awlright and the people pleasant
I'd suggest you ask people that know you and know London, otherwise you'll just get everyone on here claiming that you should move to Brixton without knowing anything about you.
Dillinger4
17-09-2007, 23:14
Don't move to London it is shit.
Go with Edinburgh or Glasgow I reckon.
ChrisFilter
18-09-2007, 08:24
I'd suggest you ask people that know you and know London, otherwise you'll just get everyone on here claiming that you should move to Brixton without knowing anything about you.
Not Brixton.. I wouldn't recommend moving to Brixton unless someone had some experience of the place first. Unless it's numerous positives appeal, it could be pretty fucking horrible living there.
Lisarocket
18-09-2007, 10:56
Not a helpful statement for someone moving to London for the first time!
Bits of south london are those things, but then bits of north London are the same.
Yeah. Big up North London :cool:
I love living in North London. I was in Hackney for years and i've been in Finsbury Park for about 10 years. Stroud Green Road is where it's at :)
And you can get reasonably priced studio flats and flatshares round here...
I'm a Canuck ex-pat, and I've lived East, West, North and South London. South's been nicest. Then North.
Flatsharing is undoubtedly your best best if you're under 35 (over that and a lot of people just think you're creepy). It's also a great way to meet new people for minimum effort. :) Do bear in mind that most flat/flatshare rentals are already furnished - don't ship a lot of crap over.
chico enrico
18-09-2007, 12:29
there's a lot of folks talking foolishness here.
I've never paid more than £430 per month for a flat and have never lived outsise zone two, in anything less than a very large flat in old st/angel/camden/kentish town/archway.
you just have to give yourself time and look.
edinburgh is better than glasgow.
north london is best, east is ok but a lot of fucking dumps you wouldnt want to stay in. tho that's just my opinion. I even know some folk who stay in south london and dont mind it. you really dont wanna stay further out than zone two or the very edge of three tho. :) everything past zone two is pretty shit (places without tube stations etc :eek: :confused: )
ChrisFilter
18-09-2007, 12:33
north london is best, east is ok but a lot of fucking dumps you wouldnt want to stay in. tho that's just my opinion. I even know some folk who stay in south london and dont mind it. you really dont wanna stay further out than zone two or the very edge of three tho. :) everything past zone two is pretty shit (places without tube stations etc :eek: :confused: )
The best bits are the ones without tube stations... the tube is fucking nasty, overland is far nicer.
I reckon Zone 3 is my favourite zones, but I've become decidely more suburban as I've got older. Zone is probably about right for an incomer.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
18-09-2007, 12:35
norbury or thornton heath are the best places imo
the air is awlright and the people pleasant
Go that bit lower to Croydon. It's nicer and the conections are faster and better.
Yay Croydon.
Teh East Dulwich - zone 2 - thats the place to be - Norf London is a shithole
The general idea is to get somewhere with good transport links (doesn't mean tube) as then it doesn't matter too much. Most areas have shops and restaurants and local parks. Get yourself near an underground or overground station or a good hub for buses (including night buses). I'd start looking in zone 2 and narrow it down from there.
chico enrico
18-09-2007, 13:43
Teh East Dulwich - zone 2 - thats the place to be - Norf London is a shithole
original posted - you would do well to be aware that some of the above posts are clearly ironic. :)
canadiangirl
18-09-2007, 14:54
what are the zones that everyone refering to? Would that have to deal with Transportation lines? I know when I visited Vancouver they had a zone 1, 2 ,3 refering to transportation so maybe that adopted the system from London?
Thanks for all your help guys, its giving me places to atleast start looking!
I am hoping to come back over and visit around Christmas time or my spring break to look at area's so then I have a better idea.
what are the zones that everyone refering to? Would that have to deal with Transportation lines? I know when I visited Vancouver they had a zone 1, 2 ,3 refering to transportation so maybe that adopted the system from London?
Thanks for all your help guys, its giving me places to atleast start looking!
I am hoping to come back over and visit around Christmas time or my spring break to look at area's so then I have a better idea.
the zones are the travel zones 1-6, if you have to travel from zone 6 into zone 1 (central london) for work, it can be pretty expensive, zone 1 is generally expensive to live in, so on your budget, try for zone 2, or 3, to minimise travel costs
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/lon_con.pdf
I'd get hold of an A-Z or similar (I prefer the Philips map) and marry those zones up to areas of London.
http://www.philips-maps.co.uk/index.php?nID=product&id=1&ISBN=9780540090365
RenegadeDog
18-09-2007, 16:03
there's a lot of folks talking foolishness here.
I've never paid more than £430 per month for a flat and have never lived outsise zone two, in anything less than a very large flat in old st/angel/camden/kentish town/archway.
You have found flats in angel and camden for less than 430 a month? Is that sharing or your own flat? Were they council places?
You have found flats in angel and camden for less than 430 a month? Is that sharing or your own flat? Were they council places?
Sharing i'd say.
Probably sharing very large houses with lots of people or council places.
i_hate_beckham
19-09-2007, 04:02
Don't move to London its shit. Really it is.
i_hate_beckham
19-09-2007, 04:06
Go to Calgary best city in the world ever.
ChrisFilter
19-09-2007, 11:02
Don't move to London its shit. Really it is.
Says the fucking troll from the most inbred bit of the country ;)
Norbury and Thornton Heath are horribly depressing shit holes. Either go to Croydon or move further in to Streatham - three train stations, buses to Brixton tube and cheap rents.
porno thieving gypsy
19-09-2007, 11:24
Crystal Palace too - lovely views:rolleyes:
Hellsbells
19-09-2007, 11:29
Norbury and Thornton Heath are horribly depressing shit holes. Either go to Croydon or move further in to Streatham - three train stations, buses to Brixton tube and cheap rents.
i thought Croydon was meant to be absoutely awful. That's what I was told when I asked advice on this forum a few months back :confused:
Monkeynuts
19-09-2007, 12:32
i thought Croydon was meant to be absoutely awful. That's what I was told when I asked advice on this forum a few months back :confused:
I think people may be joking.
It's not totally without redeeming features. Bit of a dump in many places and with some rather unappealling sorts about but has some decent shops and quick trains to London and Gatwick. Some of the residential parts are pleasant.
People who live elsewhere are not usually clamouring to move there, though, and will not generally recommend it as the first place to think about living in London (if you even consider it part of London).
I lived in Sutton when I first moved to London (if it can be called London, it's certainly London compared to Leeds, where I moved from). It's just down the road from Croydon & I lasted a year before moving in to zone 2.
Croydon does have it's absolutely foul areas no doubt, but there's some amazing roads with beautiful old houses...what I always think of 'proper' inter-war suburbs, tree lined streets etc.
Hellsbells
19-09-2007, 13:59
I lived in Sutton when I first moved to London (if it can be called London, it's certainly London compared to Leeds, where I moved from). It's just down the road from Croydon & I lasted a year before moving in to zone 2.
what was wrong with sutton?
I moved to be 'in London', but it's too far away from London IMO, and it's got a proper small town mentality too. Horrible high street at chucking out time, can't get into pubs (well, bars) without proper shoes etc etc
Monkeynuts
19-09-2007, 15:48
I moved to be 'in London', but it's too far away from London IMO, and it's got a proper small town mentality too. Horrible high street at chucking out time, can't get into pubs (well, bars) without proper shoes etc etc
I sympathise entirely, but that applies to the West End to a certain extent too... (as well as most definitely to every other London satellite - Croydon, Bromley, Romford... some others I can't think of...:confused: :) )
I sympathise entirely, but that applies to the West End to a certain extent too... (as well as most definitely to every other London satellite - Croydon, Bromley, Romford... some others I can't think of...:confused: :) )
Correct. But I suspect I was asked about Sutton because I said that I'd lived there.
brixtonvilla
19-09-2007, 19:24
Don't move to London its shit. Really it is.
*counts the "Where's good to live in Herefordshire* threads.*
Best thing coming out of Herefordshire? The fucking road.
Tank Girl
19-09-2007, 21:06
thumbs up for east dulwich from me. we've got a 2 bed flat for £700 including the use of a big garden and overlooking a park :cool: but if you want anything lively it won't be for you, it's nice and snoozy here :D
Monkeynuts
20-09-2007, 07:15
thumbs up for east dulwich from me. we've got a 2 bed flat for £700 including the use of a big garden and overlooking a park :cool: but if you want anything lively it won't be for you, it's nice and snoozy here :D
Have you been down Lordship Lane on a Friday or Saturday evening?!
OK, it's not Brixton-hectic but how lively do you want?
You've got a result with the £700 rent though, I remember an ex paying that 5 years ago and it was unusually cheap then
Tank Girl
20-09-2007, 07:33
yeah, we are very lucky with our rent.
I hardly ever go down lordship lane! :o
I hardly ever go down lordship lane! :o
That sounds like a euphanism for paying for the rent in-kind, if you know what I mean. :D
Have you been down Lordship Lane on a Friday or Saturday evening?!
OK, it's not Brixton-hectic but how lively do you want?
You've got a result with the £700 rent though, I remember an ex paying that 5 years ago and it was unusually cheap then
Yeah you rub shoulders with all the media types and discuss the latest trainers without fear of ridicule :D
I'd suggest that you initially take somewhere cheap, on short lease and as central as you can afford whilst you get a feel for living in London.
Then take the time to explore different areas, sort out some work and find an area you'd be happy to "settle" for a while. When you first move to London you probably want to be making the most of the nightlife, seeing everywhere and not worrying too much if you live in a tiny dingy shoebox - there'll be other things you'd rather spend the money on.
I'd suggest that you initially take somewhere cheap, on short lease and as central as you can afford whilst you get a feel for living in London.
Best advice so far :)
Second bit would depend on what sort of person you are.
Best advice so far :)
Second bit would depend on what sort of person you are.
No the best advise so far is 'don't eat yellow snow'.
I'd suggest that you initially take somewhere cheap, on short lease and as central as you can afford whilst you get a feel for living in London.
Then take the time to explore different areas, sort out some work and find an area you'd be happy to "settle" for a while. When you first move to London you probably want to be making the most of the nightlife, seeing everywhere and not worrying too much if you live in a tiny dingy shoebox - there'll be other things you'd rather spend the money on.
I think this is excellent advice :) You just don't know where you are when you move here first....
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