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Original poster

Advice on moving to Leeds

78 replies

Len4ik777 · 21/03/2018 17:14

Hi, everyone!

New here and this is my first thread as some advice frome people who know/live in Leeds area, please!)

Looking for a rent in a small green town to move in with two kids of a preschool age.

Some of crucial criteria are:

Soft water
Affordable prices to rent 3bed house
Minimum crime and drugs rates
Good primary school and preschool,
Green, friendly and quiet town
Sports, talent activities/classes
Close to shopping and amenities

Moving from Essex, in hope of finding a better place to bring up the kids, with more affordable prices, less urban, with a possibility of settling up a small farm in future.

Please, if any helpful advice you can provide, will be forever grateful! PM me if any questions))

Thanks! smile

OP posts:
Rockerfeller · 21/03/2018 17:22

What's your budget?

Chapel Allerton is nice,
Horsforth is lovely. (I live here)

Most of leeds has hard water though

SporadicSpartacus · 21/03/2018 17:29

I don’t live in Leeds but in a nearby large town. 3 bed house about 500pcm depending on area. Did look at moving to Leeds when I got a job there but the prices put me off, it’s cheaper to commute.

LydiaGwilt · 21/03/2018 17:31

You can check water quality here: www.yorkshirewater.com/waterhardness. I suppose Ilkley or Otley might be considered 'small green towns'.

TheChiefBMS · 21/03/2018 18:08

There are a large number of towns in Leeds area. How near do you want to be? And what do you call affordable?

Whatever you do, check the flood likelihood and subsidence likelihood for any properties you consider. Many towns in that part of Yorks are ex deep seam mining areas and developers are whacking up estates on them. If it's very 'affordable' there's often a good reason.

Good luck.

BerkInBag · 21/03/2018 18:09

Does it have to be Leeds? Could it be other nearby areas? Rural bits of Bradford or Halifax? Hebden Bridge or Todmorden would tick all thise boxes.

User10383727282 · 21/03/2018 18:13

Guiseley ticks all those boxes and apparently has 'moderately soft' water. Train to Leeds in about 10 minutes too if you need to factor in a commute.

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:13

How small is small green town needing to be?
How close to Leeds do you need to be - ie are you planning on working in the city?

ChaosAndPiss · 21/03/2018 18:16

Guiseley, Menston, Burley in Wharfedale, Ben Rhydding, Ilkley.

All on the same train line to Leeds and all quite lovely places to live.

Otley is nice but no train

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 21/03/2018 18:16

Just out of interest - why does the water need to be soft?

I second Otley or Ilkley. Nice green towns, good schools, near the Dales. Ilkley has a station, 30 mins to Leeds city centre on the train.

B1rdinthebush · 21/03/2018 18:19

I'd say Horsforth ticks all those boxes.

Bolshybookworm · 21/03/2018 18:22

Depending on your commute I’d expand your search to Bradford, much of which has soft water. Salaries, Baildon, Shipley, Bingley are on train lines to Leeds, have good schools and though they might appear urban have a lot of green space and easy access to the countryside. Be prepared to pay a premium if you want to live in the catchment of a decent school though!

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:22

Ilkley will be the most expensive of the suggestions so far so will depend on your budget.

Bolshybookworm · 21/03/2018 18:25

Just to warn you that prices in guiseley/Menston/burley and to a lesser extent otley have shot up recently. 3 bed semi will cost you £250,000 to £300,000

BettysFestiveFrolics · 21/03/2018 18:29

Guiseley or Saltaire would probably tick the boxes OP.

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:35

This looks like a nice house in yeadon (next to guiseley, doesn't have the train line but you could get a quick bus to guiseley for the train or a bus to Leeds from there).
property-to-rent/property-64429306.html

Bear in mind with the guiseley / yeadon / rawdon areas you are very close to Leeds Bradford airport though.

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:35

property-to-rent/property-64429306.html

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:36

Fuck a do, can't get link to work! Hold on...

Original poster
Len4ik777 · 21/03/2018 18:36

BerkInBag,

Does it have to be Leeds? Could it be other nearby areas? Rural bits of Bradford or Halifax? Hebden Bridge or Todmorden would tick all thise boxes.

Actually, yes, to that side from Leeds is better, again, considering a map of water softness.

BossWitch, because here, water is incredibly hard, and have always suffered with horrible skin conditions, dryness, can not get rid of!

Talking about the budget, around £700 is max.

Regarding commute and closeness to Leeds itself, no special requirements, as my husband will be working there, so the time to get there by car, that's the matter, I guess about 25 min car should be OK distance from the city we live in.

A big thanks to those who answered with advice!! Flowers

OP posts:
BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:41

Ok well Bradford and Halifax postcodes tend to be cheaper than Leeds postcodes so that will help. I don't know those areas as well though so will bow out! Though I will say Saltaire is lovely.

Bradford (especially south Bradford) is a very deprived area so be aware of that. Bradford centre has been struggling for decades - the contrast between it and Leeds is shocking. Worth bearing in mind.

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 18:44

Sorry just saw your point about commuting. The areas you've mentioned will be more like 50 mins plus at rush hour if you're driving - traffic is busy! For 25 minutes you'll need to look closer or think about trains.

Original poster
Len4ik777 · 21/03/2018 18:50

Also, by the small green town, I meant a quiet place, as I am not into night life or interested much in amusing, would not be going out to pubs or, if daytime, boutique or caffès. So, pretty, boring, to be honest, with you, I am quite a domestic, village style, as said before, would love to have a small farm with some time.

Just to say, a spacious house with the primary school by its side and the preschool, and very close to afterschool sections, i. e. swimming, music school and gymnastics/dancing group will be a perfect math.

But, will, obviously need to escape to biggish cities, occasionally, to do shopping or for specific matters, and also, the airports not an issue, as barely travel abroad. The only thing, is to travel to the seaside somewhere in country, again, not very far away..

But, if what, really thankful to u all for any hints or ideas on this))

OP posts:
Original poster
Len4ik777 · 21/03/2018 18:54

BossWitch

Sorry just saw your point about commuting. The areas you've mentioned will be more like 50 mins plus at rush hour if you're driving - traffic is busy! For 25 minutes you'll need to look closer or think about trains.

Thanks, darling, u are super informative, could you specify, how closer to Leeds, I have to look for, please? Some towns, that still respond to my initial requirements, maybe?

OP posts:
MissDollyMix · 21/03/2018 18:59

Harrogate has lovely soft water, beautiful green environment, low crime, easy commute to Leeds city centre. Not cheap but if you’re coming up from Essex it probably won’t seem as bad.

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 19:02

To be honest i think for what you want you'll need more than 700pcm. You need to take into account that Leeds is a decent sized city so all the suburbs take up most of the within half an hour radius. You could look at horsforth or calverly but at that budget you are likely to be getting a 2 bed terrace not a spacious house.

BossWitch · 21/03/2018 19:03

Depends where in Essex and which bit of Harrogate! (I'm originally from Essex and now up here!)