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Original poster

What’s the point in living in London?

130 replies

vandergahrd · 06/04/2019 08:27

Do you ever wonder that? I live and have always lived in the “provinces”, near a nice city. You can have a very nice house and lifestyle here without working every hour of the clock.

My DD has just qualified as a GP in London, and her boyfriend is a city lawyer. Both of them work silly hours, and on paper have very healthy salaries.

However they just bought their first flat for £600k. Quite frankly it’s not nice. They have to be near enough work to commute quickly and London is so so expensive.

Her boyfriend especially works 9am-10pm most days. They hardly see each other, due to their hard work yet still don’t earn enough for a nice lifestyle.

What is the point unless your parents or family bought property 20 years ago in London.

OP posts:
OhTheRoses · 06/04/2019 15:28

I've said this many times.

The thrill of the hustle.
The river
The way it's split into villages and Fulham has a differwnt personality from Putney
It's parks
Red buses and black cabs
The shops, theatres, restaurants, opera
The diversity
Access to leading research led health care at the med schools
The museums
The career opportunities.

OP, nearly 30 years ago my mum said similar - DH couldn't work anywhere else and neither could I. She turned her nose up at my first little house (worth 1.5m now), then she turned her nose up at our family home because it was barely a semi it was so close to the others (she actually did a cat bum face when we sold it for a lot).

DH had to be in London. Also he left at 7.15 and got home at 9.30 or later for much of his commercial career. 20-25 mins travelling was long enough. It meant his dc went to public schools, we have a second home, and a lovely life.

Perhaps you shoukd stop dissing your daughter and her dh - they are clearly widening their horizons. Such a shame you can't

SilverySurfer · 06/04/2019 15:47

What's the point? Well to start with it's the centre of the universe but if you don't 'get' it then you never will.

PinguForPresident · 06/04/2019 15:58

Because London is bloody fabulous. We moved out 9 years ago and I'd go back in heartbeat if the kids werent so settled here.

ForalltheSaints · 06/04/2019 16:01

SilverySurfer the centre of the universe is in London- it is Neasden!

bricklanebagel · 06/04/2019 16:05

@ohtheroses

Out of interest, do you think that sort of wealth accumulation/ life style is possible considering the price of property today?

Prices are going down not up at the moment

bibbitybobbityyhat · 06/04/2019 16:09

I love living in London and can't imagine moving away but completely understand your question, op.

Property prices (renting and buying) are just crippling and I would be happy if both or either of my dc decided to settle elsewhere as adults. I think I would understand their decision.

OhTheRoses · 06/04/2019 16:15

I don't think property is the be all and end all vis a vis investments.

Tealtights · 06/04/2019 16:18

I love London, would I want to go back and raise my kids there...maybe not, but as a young professional I loved it. It was a hugely motivating environment and brought my career on leaps and bounds, I would not have the career I have now if it were not for my stint in London. Your daughter sounds young, she doesn't need to be thinking of a house with a garden and dog just yet!!

Polyethyl · 06/04/2019 16:23

Because if the lawyer has any ambition to be the best in his career he has to be in London.

There may be good legal offices elsewhere in the UK, but the best are in London.
Living in London or choosing to move away says a lot about how ambitious he is for his legal career.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 06/04/2019 16:23

My DS lives in London. Rents a tiny (and I mean tiny) room 20 minutes by bike from his central London job. On his salary, or even quite a bit less, up north where we are, he could buy a house.

But he loves it, absolutely loves it. He’s never in, has made loads of friends from all over the world, has more job opportunities than you can shake a stick at.

I mean I’d love him to come home when he’s 35, buy a nice house in our village and settle down with a family, but it’s his life and I’m glad he’s happy.

RainbowWaffles · 06/04/2019 16:24

Property prices are high in London for a reason, it’s an amazing city especially for a young professional couple. There are so many places to go and so many things to do. Square footage in your house isn’t your primary concern when you are young. The only reason people leave IME is when they need a bigger house to start a family.

elQuintoConyo · 06/04/2019 16:26

Oh yeah, total shithole and full as farts for you g peopleHmm

elQuintoConyo · 06/04/2019 16:26

Dull not full! Goddamn fatfingers!

CalamityJune · 06/04/2019 16:27

I don't see how it's London "bashing" to be fair. It's no different to the comments about people who live in the "provinces".

I love big cities, but living in a small northern town is lovely too. I'm sure those saying OP is London bashing, would ask similar questions about why on earth I would want to live somewhere with limited employment opportunities, crap public transport and allegedly "racist" neighbours.

Whatad · 06/04/2019 16:29

London is where it's at baby!

OhTheRoses · 06/04/2019 16:30

I don't think it was the London bashing per se but the sneering at her daughter's flat.

daisypond · 06/04/2019 16:31

London is really good for children and teens as well. There is so much to do and it’s easy for to be independent at a young age. No need to ferry them around after about 11. No need to drive. I thought about moving out when mine were little but am glad I didn’t. It meant all three had to share a room but that was fine. Good state schools too.

trytobenicedear · 06/04/2019 16:35

When you are young, London is the best place in the UK for jobs and opportunities. It is so diverse and vibrant, there is nowhere else like it.

I've met quite a number of non-white and/or non-British people who originally lived in London but moved to "the provinces". 100% of them said they experienced a noticeable increase in racism or xenophobia. No way would I want to live in a place surrounded by Brexit voters.

This is my experience, even though I am white. The casual racism is quite shocking. Some people assume because you are white you share their views.

IamPickleRick · 06/04/2019 16:39

What is the point unless your parents or family bought property 20 years ago in London.

I’m in this category (recently traced my family history and my family have been in London since at least 1760) but I can still see the point in London. We do lots more fun things than my friend who has to drive for 45 minutes just to go to the cinema/bowling, doesn’t have any museums, literally no restaurants. Her whole town consists of just a road, a mediocre park and a pub. She has never been to the theatre and would love to. I understand that not all towns are like that, and she has the benefit of fresh air and countryside, but maybe op should understand that London isn’t just expensive houses without plus points.

WhiteWine4TheLady · 06/04/2019 16:44

can you seriously not understand why two young professionals climbing the career ladder and presumably enjoying a good social life would choose to do so in a capital city? Come on, OP.

myidentitymycrisis · 06/04/2019 17:12

Because it has unlimited opportunities for career growth and for children to have a rich cultural life.

On the down side its very expensive and crowded and I would move out now my dc has grown up and left home. In fact I'm planning to.

I miss being able to see the horizon, and not having to fight my way through crowds every time I want to step out of my front door.

NotStayingIn · 06/04/2019 17:21

My job only exists in London! (And other main cities in the world of course.) I love living here but I completely get that it’s not for everybody. And likewise many other places aren’t for me. But isn’t it great that not every place is the same. Don’t worry if you don’t get it, if you don’t you never will! As long as it works for them all is good.

fancynancyclancy · 06/04/2019 17:26

Well I live here mainly because I was born & raised here. As was my DH (we met at Uni) & many of our friends.

The idea of a big detached house in the home counties has never appealed to me as I love having everything on my doorstep; school, work, shops, park, tube, etc & am happy to have a smaller home & garden.

However I do think property prices have become very prohibitive & Im not sure if I would be so keen to work all hours & have less disposable income to “enjoy” London if I was young now. I also think the days of record price growth are gone, the 600k flat will not be worth 1m plus in 3 years. Interestingly a fair number of neighbours have moved to other cities; Manchester, Bristol & Edinburgh. They have found that although the salaries are lower it’s not a huge drop (surgeons, accountants, analyst, etc) & their money goes further.

IamPickleRick · 06/04/2019 17:30

Agree Fancy. We sold our flat last year for £350 and there are nicer flats on the same road now for the same money. That would never have happened in years gone by, I would have expected prices to have gone up over the year.

OhTheRoses · 06/04/2019 17:52

London property will flatline for at least 5/10 years and rightly so.

In the meantime there will be reducing rents on an over egged btl market.

We sold at the top and moved out 10 miles. We ran from the spectre of the mansion tax and it may well return. DC are London children and being further than a £20 uber annoys them. We were ready to leave tbf - as longstanding neighbours died or moved it wasn't the same. For a long time we thought about London house (smaller) and country place. We did it for a year and are glad we did because we found it neither here nor there and compromised for a bit of a spread on the surrey borders. London phone no; surrey postcode. Almost but not quite Oyster.

DS is in central london tonight with friends and isn't in his natural habitat here. DD is a quieter soul and I doubt London would be the be all and end all for her.

I have always said that I'd love to end my days and be an old eccentric lady in a flat near Sloane Square. And I might yet Grin. But hopefully nothing will happen to dh before me.