How unreasonable am I being to consider spending this much on rent?

[Nicebucket]

I'll try to keep this brief, even though I'd love to have a moan and a rant.

I've moved back to London recently (job transfer) and I'm hunting for a flat. I've lived in London before for 3 years as a student, so I am familiar with the city.

I'm going mad searching for a flat!!! I'm working in Canary Wharf and anything close to work is hideously expensive.

I would really prefer to live alone if I can (or maybe share with just one other person) but obviously that's very expensive.

I saw a studio flat today that's about 10-15 mins from work, near Crossharbour and its for £1300 a month with all bills included. The additional bills I will have after this are the Oyster card, phone and Internet.

The studio was tiny, but modern and in a really peaceful area.

Am i being crazy to even consider this?!

I could get by if I got this flat, but just barely. I wouldn't be able to save anything and wouldn't have money left over for luxuries.

Is it worth it? My colleagues and friends tease me mercilessly for being too much of a princess to share, but I've had such terrible experiences in the past with flat mates! One of them stole my stuff and disappeared

Also, I'd make a terrible flat mate. (Seriously!) I dislike noise and mess and Since you can't avoid that with flat mates, I'd be an awful nag. I literally hate noise and parties, even on weekends. I'm so dead tired from work, I just want to sleep or have a nice, peaceful day. I love my own space

Is there any hope for me? Is it even possible to live alone in London and still manage to save some mkney?!

It depends on you income, if you can cover the rent, all your outgoings, enjoy yourself and out a bit away then you aren't mad. I would also prefer to live alone so would certainly do similar in your position

I just reread your post, why not try it and if it doesn't work then move into a share

I think it would be hard living without any spare money at all. I did it for years and the stress of worrying something would break/need replacing/buying is very hard.

I wouldn't do it. You need to have at least some sort of safety net. What about finding a place where you are only sharing with 1 other person? Or can you look further out to find something a bit further out?

Oops, I meant a bit further out to find something cheaper

You could consider a Monday to Friday share. Rent a two bed and advertise for a week only sharer. Theres plenty of people who do this in London .
You can be very specific if you are the leaser . I did this when my DH worked away but came back at weekends monthly . It was nice to have some company but also have some privacy when he came back .
If that is not affordable just move into a quiet flat share . There are bound to be like minded people in London. Sharing the cost of a cleaner does wonders for the tidiness issues.

Pantone- exactly, it's very stressful to just barely make ends meet.

I agree with the idea of finding a flat share with like minded people, but that's literally impossible to find! As if a share with just one other person.

I'm likely doing something very wrong here, but I just can't seem to find something suitable

Does anyone have any suggestions for affordable areas to rent within say half an hour of Canary Wharf?

Deptford/Lewisham are much cheaper and you get the DLR directly to Canary Wharf. I know the area quite well, a lot of people who work in Canary Wharf live there.

What you're doing wrong is looking at an area that's much too close to Canary Wharf, it's too expensive, especially on your own.

Unfortunately that's what the flat costs in the area; you will have luxuries, namely living alone and living close to work. You could get more if you looked a little further out.

Mon-Fri sharer wouldn't work in a studio.

Most people in London share if they're single - some couples do too -so I am sure you could find an older housemate or couple who don't go wild at weekends.

It's rather short sighted to spend so much on rent that you can't save anything at all - you need some savings to fall back on in case you lose your job, for example. And in the longer term it's more sensible to spend less on rent so you can eventually buy and have more security.

DH and I rented shared flats in London and lived modest lifestyles until our early 30s despite having very good incomes - it allowed us to save for a decent deposit and buy a flat here couple of years ago. Neither of us enjoyed flatsharing and weren't sociable with our flatmates, but it was done out of necessity and it's been worth it (my friends who rented their own self contained flats are still renting and paying ever increasing rents despite being on higher incomes to us).

Look at Gallions Reach,Beckton,prince albert,Cyprus and Woolwich.

All very easily commutable to Canary,and you will get a one bed flat for around £800-1000 per month.

You need to look at other places along the DLR or on the district line so you can change at West Ham and come in on the Jubilee Line. Stratford might be a possibility too. I wouldn't spend that much on rent if it meant you can't afford to have a life.

Isn't Tower Hamlets within half an hour of canary wharf? Have you looked at all commute options from further afield - train then walk/cycle along the river for example?

Woolwich and Stratford also great suggestions upthread.

I second all the above, especially Woolwich. i lived there for a year and really liked it.

I rent out a 1 bed flat near Devons Rd ( 10 mins on DLR to CW) for £1300 a month. It is high spec and only 2 years old. You are not mad to want to live alone but you are mad to think you have to live in a studio next to CW and to contemplate paying £1300 for the privilege. As pp have said, there are plenty of 1 bed flats an easy commute away and available for much less, just look further out. Good luck!

You could even live further out in Essex, just change to the DLR at Stratford. That's what thousands of low paid city workers (junior secretaries, post room assistants, security guards) do.

Fellow Londoner here
Before I moved in with DP, I lived in numerous flatshares. God they were AWFUL.
Take the studio flat and don't look back
I'd rather have less money but my own completely private space. If it ends up being a disaster at least you know you have sharing as a back up plan

Agreeing with PPs about other areas. Most people in London have at least a 30-60 minute commute to work.

I lived alone in a studio flat for about 6 months - I underestimated quite how depressing it is to just have one room for everything. I would always go a little further out and get something with a separate bedroom in future.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-54136202.html#_map-view

You don't need to move far out, certainly not as far as Woolwich

This flat is in the area I'm looking to buy. You have a lovely 15 minute walk through Greenwich Park to the Clipper service which takes you two stops to Canary Wharf.

The quality of life gained by doing the above is fabulous. You get to go on a boat every day and have a nice but short walk through a really lovely park

Plus separate kitchen for £825 a month

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-35945568.html?premiumA=true

i bed flat in lewisham. for 900 a month. you could get dlr from lewisham straght to canarywolf

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-51317152.html

or this one its a studio 800 a month.but its in catford and would need to get a bus. then dlr from lewisham.