Am I utterly stupid and deluded to think I might ever live in London as an older person?

[figwine]

Just back from a trip there and as always I'm filled with a yearning to just stay there. I love travelling and love pretty much everywhere I go, but nowhere affects me like London does. I did live there for a couple of years in my 20s but then lived abroad for a while where I met exh, who persuaded me to move to the Midlands!

I would never uproot the dc (12 & 14), and certainly wouldn't be able to afford a family-sized home anywhere near anyway, but I have been wondering whether a small flat might be within reach in a few years. Obviously no one can give me an answer with regards affordability as we are talking about 10 years' time and if I can't afford it that will be the end of it. However, in theory, does it sound like a stupid idea?

As things stand I have no partner. I do have a career but it's one I could do anywhere and I would be coming to the end of it then anyway. I just feel the area we are in is so limited and dull, but obviously being alone and not massively well off in a big city might just be shit. I just wish I'd stayed when I had the chance, but that that ship has sailed. I have friends on FB who live there but I haven't seen them for years and couldn't assume I think that I'd be able to pick up where we left off.

Does anyone have any thoughts or relevant experiences? Perhaps I just need a shake!

Not unreasonable if you have the money. It's best not to dream too much mind you - a lot can happen in ten years.

A two bedroom flat in London will still be a base for your children! They can come and visit you and stay, or if they end up working in London as adults (not out of the realm of possibility!) then you’re super close for dinners out, walks and London pub lunches. I think it’s a great idea. My DF is retirement age and will never leave London, his plan is to downsize to a 1 bedroom flat in his later years. If you miss gardening etc you can also apply for an allotment!

To strike a discordant note, speaking as a born Londoner who has lived here almost all my life the place has been steadily turning in to a shithole for the last twenty or so years.

I suppose it depends on your definition of “shit hole.” Loads of places have gentrified over the past two decades. Kings Cross, Wapping, Docklands, Hackney, Stratford and the old East End are virtually unrecognisable; and definitely for the better.

But yes, if population growth and a city rammed with people isn’t your thing, London probably isn’t for you.

I took the attached photo on a Victoria line tube at 10pm on a Friday night just before “Freedom Day” in July, and I actually had a little tear in my eye. Seeing my city so quiet and empty over the past eighteen months has been really sad. To me, London is all the people who live here, the hustle and bustle, the anonymity, going to the packed pub after work on a Friday, the crowds we complain about but which we’d never really want to be without.

Things to think about if buying a flat are service charges, your tolerance of close neighbours and responsibility for repairs. We too want to move soon after dc finish uni but realistically we feel we need to be a bit flexible until they know what they are doing and are launched, although our new house will be big enough to accommodate them if needed (not in London).

I think you've set up a false dichotomy between London and the "limited, dull" area you live in, as if there aren't a million other places that could suit you and be more realistic.

Me too @Comptesse I hated being alone on the tube during the first lockdown! I missed my fellow Londoners!

I would love to relocate to London when my kids are older, I think its a great idea.

I know someone that did this, got a flat in London although they did not sell their country cottage, which was just as well as they did enjoy city life for a few years aged 60 and he was 70 I think, but they did then resettle in the countryside. She worked some of those years and found it all a bit relentless after a while.

I think that's a lovely idea, as long as you could afford a nice place with good accessibility for when you get older. You'd be close to shops, you wouldn't need to drive, and you could spend hours in the museums and galleries if you saw fit.

@LarryTheLurker

To strike a discordant note, speaking as a born Londoner who has lived here almost all my life the place has been steadily turning in to a shithole for the last twenty or so years. Shockingly expensive, unbelievably overcrowded (pop'n 1991: 6m. Now: 9m), run by idiots at both city and borough level, and where actual Londoners are fast becoming a minority (though this being Mumsnet that last point might not bother you).

If you really are that influenced by cultural opportunites, I'd suggest living outside London and having day trips in, while living somewhere quieter, more civilised and better value for money, and remember London is not the only place that has parks, theatres, cinemas etc.

I've also lived here my entire life (29 years) and I couldn't disagree more. It's the best city in the world.

@CloudPop

London as a retired person is incredibly appealing for all previously stated reasons. Get a 2 bed place with a sofa bed so the kids have a bit of a bolt hole ?

I'd think about getting a 1 bed flat/v small house in an area accessible to London (ie zone 5/6). There are lots of outlying/unfashionable areas of London that have easy access to the centre, and as an OAP you would have cheap transport in

Ideally, persuade a few friends to move with you!

@LarryTheLurker

To strike a discordant note, speaking as a born Londoner who has lived here almost all my life the place has been steadily turning in to a shithole for the last twenty or so years. Shockingly expensive, unbelievably overcrowded (pop'n 1991: 6m. Now: 9m), run by idiots at both city and borough level, and where actual Londoners are fast becoming a minority (though this being Mumsnet that last point might not bother you).

If you really are that influenced by cultural opportunites, I'd suggest living outside London and having day trips in, while living somewhere quieter, more civilised and better value for money, and remember London is not the only place that has parks, theatres, cinemas etc.

Come on then @LarryTheLurker, don't be shy: explain to us who qualifies as "actual Londoners" .

A friends mum moved down from the Lakes in her 60s. She was bored and lonely in the sticks and is loving her new urban life - lots of new friends and a new lease of life so her daughter says

So yes - make plans to downsize your house to a flat when your kids leave, and try it. Doing it that way round you won’t loose money/your foot on the properly ladder if you don’t.

I never understand retiring to the country - surely you want to be near services and amenities as you get older. DH and I are in our 50s and live in London I like the fact that we will be able to do so much with out having to drive long distances. We have loads of public transport nearby but because we are in Zone 3 its not too noisy or crowded.

Go for it OP. You could always rent out your house and rent in London for a bit to try it out and decide if it works for you.

Doing a class at Morley college, I got to know an ex-head teacher who retired to very central London. She said the immediate area was just like a village. Free bus pass, lots of concessions etc meant loads to do.

I entirely envied her situation. London with good healthy and mobility on a comfortable retirement income is great.

Remember, even if you bought in an outer zone you'd have great transport links to the centre and with a 60+ oyster card, free travel on buses, tube, train & DLR.

Come on then @LarryTheLurker, don't be shy: explain to us who qualifies as "actual Londoners"

what do you think that could possibly mean?

Someone FROM London.

I spent years in London, still work there, 90% at least of the people are meet are not Londoners. Half are not even native British
You are not a Londoner because you 've rented a flat for 10 years, and you know that.

Let's be honest, if wealthy people tend to keep a flat in central London for the winter months, and another property for the summer months, there's definitively an appeal.

Of all the capital cities in the world, London wouldn't be my first choice, but within the UK, it's great.

@Egghead68

I think it’s a good idea. I know loads of retired people in London who have a great time visiting exhibitions, theatres etc. There are lots of volunteering opportunities if you want to make new friends.

Exactly this. Over 60 travel is free too . Entrance to museums etc free. Lots of clubs and social groups all free. It's a great place to be and loads if fantastic ways to stay vibrant and stimulated .

Do it! I live in London and can’t imagine living anywhere else. And there are lots of areas here that are more reasonably priced. South East London for example. Not all have tube stations which some people hate but there is the overground which I prefer. It’s does make house prices a bit cheaper!

I live in London, and while I long for at least a decade in the country, I want my old age to be in London, in this flat.

It's a level living area - like a bungalow, but much more secure. I don't need to drive as there's buses, and three tube stations within a ten minute walk, there's shops and cafes on the ground floor of this block of flats so I don't need to go very far in any case, etc etc.

And there's a lot of free stuff to do in London.

@LarryTheLurker

To strike a discordant note, speaking as a born Londoner who has lived here almost all my life the place has been steadily turning in to a shithole for the last twenty or so years. Shockingly expensive, unbelievably overcrowded (pop'n 1991: 6m. Now: 9m), run by idiots at both city and borough level, and where actual Londoners are fast becoming a minority (though this being Mumsnet that last point might not bother you).

If you really are that influenced by cultural opportunites, I'd suggest living outside London and having day trips in, while living somewhere quieter, more civilised and better value for money, and remember London is not the only place that has parks, theatres, cinemas etc.

What are “actual Londoners”? The OP wasn’t born in London, for example…

@isthisareverse

Come on then @LarryTheLurker, don't be shy: explain to us who qualifies as "actual Londoners"

what do you think that could possibly mean?

Someone FROM London.

I spent years in London, still work there, 90% at least of the people are meet are not Londoners. Half are not even native British
You are not a Londoner because you 've rented a flat for 10 years, and you know that.

If you live here, you're a Londoner. It's that simple.

I can't imagine why I'd have an issue with the fact that not everyone who lives here was born and bred here. I wasn't born and bred here, but I haven't lived where I was born and bred for 20 years. Who gives a fuck? The internationalness of this place is a huge part of its appeal.

Do it OP. I think it's a great plan.

Never takes long for the kippers to arrive.

When I win the lottery, my first purchase will be a garden flat in Kensington for my retirement! Lived in London back in the 80s and 90s and would love to return.