To wonder where are all the poor people in the South East supposed to actually live?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

I rent privately, self contained space but essentially a lodger - ground floor flat. It looks like the family will need their place back sharpish due to illness, so I've started looking at rentals again.

Fed up. I've seen some horrific shitholes of studios and they're still hugely expensive. I'm in London zone 2, and looked at moving further out but it's still expensive. For a studio, Croydon is not significantly cheaper than London. Nor is Brighton, where I have family links to, hence looking there. Brighton is also close enough to be able to come to London for all my hospital stuff, as I'm an outpatient of Guys and Thomas and Moorfields plus have ongoing appointments trying to figure out fibromyalgia and gynae problems.

Weary of house shares now in my thirties and there are aspects of my health that make sharing quite stressful when it's a bunch of strangers. I don't want to share a bathroom and I don't want to share a fridge where I store my extensive medication. I guess maybe an en suite room, if I bought my own fridge for my room would be fine though.

Obviously I could well end up going somewhere like Manchester or Birmingham or Glasgow, or elsewhere, if I get really stuck - but that's just me as an individual, just one person.

There must be thousands and thousands of people in a similar pickle, including families with small kids in school. Leaving London and the south east of the country can't be the solution for everyone too poor to pay the market rent? Not everyone can up and leave?

What will happen regarding the whole unsustainable rental situation?

It's a nightmare op. Throw in pets and small children and a struggle to get 2k deposit and you might as well call yourself Hitler for the welcome you'd get.

I don't know what the answer is.

Well Brighton has always been pricey but surely there's something cheaper on the route between there and London.

Zone 2 is beyond most people's wildest dreams, tbh. We earn £70000 combined salary and are on the border of 3/4. No way we could afford to go further in.

What's your budget?

Brighton is well known to be expensive. Look anywhere else between London and Brighton and you'll find more affordable places that you can commute from

You could look in Essex. A lot of people commute and manage to live reasonably comfortable lives.

It is crazy. I don't know what the poor people do, housing benefit maybe. I left London years ago when I realized I could have a much better and more comfortable life elsewhere. It was a good decision for me. I think it would be a wise move for a lot of people.

What kind of budget are you looking at? Would the Hitchin/Letchworth area work? it is as commutable as Brighton.

We have a combined income of 80k and are in zone 4. Look further out?

Well as one agent said to me “beggers can’t be choosers”

Beggers meaning someone who works full time and earns over £25k a year plus child maintenance . All because I said I didn’t want to view a two bed hovel with carpets that frankly needed burning, single glazed windows and damp. It was a steal at £1005 a month!

It is a nightmare. I've noticed that prices seem to be coming down a bit in the selling market tho so hopefully the rental will follow.

Stiff just not selling at asking price anymore. Stuffs staying in market longer.

I work in town planning in the south east, and I wish all the NIMBYs and Councillors would read posts like yours. We desperately need to build more housing, for sale and for rent, that is accessible to all incomes. So many people are in overcrowded, unsatisfactory accommodation but because they aren't sleeping on the street, comfortable people with their own homes don't believe there's a problem. Some of us are doing our best to get things moving but it's a battle every step of the way.

I hope you find something soon.

Essex btw not London

YANBU. Me and my 4 children were made homeless last year as our landlady was selling, and private rental prices had gone through the roof, yet had long waiting lists, meaning we couldn’t find anywhere.

We had to wait to be evicted (on my birthday) last year, then go to the council offices and wait till they found us somewhere. It was awful.

After a few days in a B and B they found us temporary accommodation in a damp, two bed house that has mice and bedbugs, in a dodgy area nowhere near my kids schools. It costs me £250 a week. I also have to pay for all our stuff to stay in storage and our car in a cattery. We’ve now been here since last July, yet are still nowhere near to be offered a permanent house.

Ha ha. Hitching and letchworth are pretty expensive. I'd be included to go further. Stotfold sandy. Luton

Just been through first two pages on rightmove of 3 bed houses £250k-£350k

All except two have been on the market longer than six months and had their price reduced

What’s your budget OP? Do you have commuting needs to get anywhere in partic?

Erith? Thamesmead? dartford? plumstead?

I lived in Letchworth for 2 years as a student as i found a ridiculously cheap deal but its an area that just oozes its for people with money

How about the Medway towns? Rochester is quite nice. Not a bad commute and a lot cheaper. Or head further out towards Margate.

Cat not car!

We’re in SE btw, about 40 mins from London.

Can’t move yet as I’m half way through a nursing degree and DS3 is going his GCSE’s.

But the rental prices are crazy, and every time I look they are still going up. £1200 for a bog standard 3 bed house. I simply can’t afford that. It’s happening all over as well, I personally know another 3 families who have also been made homeless during the last year, the Shelter website has frightening figures about how sharply homeless figures are rising.

What about Luton? Cheaper than Harpenden/St albans, good train link to London

I’m sorry you’ve found yourself in this situation, it’s totally shit when normal people can’t afford to live near their jobs or families.

East Kent is a bit cheaper than a lot of the south east. Chatham, Rochester and Gillingham might be worth looking at, or even Thanet and Dover depending on how far you can go.

The solution is absolutely for people to leave. Prices in London and the south East will stay high for as long as people decide they would rather pay more to live there than move elsewhere.

It's not palatable, but it's a fact.

If there are jobs paying NMW in zones 1 and 2 how on earth are they expected to commute to cheaper areas on such low wages?

What's your budget?

We live in Kent and a 2 bed place is typically 750-850.

On the downside, my monthly ticket to London is £400