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!

These past few days the media has been banging on about 'outsiders' pricing out Cornish 'locals' and (I quote) 'tearing apart local communities'. It's been happening to London locals for years

This is true but not many people care about London locals getting priced out or shipped out for cheaper council housing but they get annoyed at them for pushing up prices in their local area. Cant win!

@Chickpea22

Maybe you need to move to a ‘bad’ are icepinkeskimo

I did think about that to be honest! I waited 8 years to get a property on this particular road. They never came on the market, so boom one eventually did, and I though ok this is it I'm living the dream!!!! I'm not living the dream the house next door is a rental so you never know who is there and on the other side I have "Hyacinth Bouquet" who monitors everything and everyone. Be careful what you wish for is the morale of my story.

@Powertothepetal

Why on earth would you want to..? Hugely expensive property, stab central, full of moped gangs, drugs, I find the people really rude, the rich poor divide is extreme, there are gangs everywhere. It’s a bloody horrible place. I couldn’t agree more with the poster that said it is turning into a shithole.

I’ve lived in London my entire life, one of those ‘proper’ Londoners & I can confirm you are talking total shit.

I'd love to retire to London, don't think dh would be keen though. We're an hour away at the moment but the train is so expensive and always crowded. My grandparents lived in west London and had a fantastic retirement there.

@lllllllllll

I thought about London then went for Brighton. I got a buy to let mortgage and plan to retire in 10 years when I'm 60.

Property prices are cheaper, the flat is in a good area, direct train to London, share of freehold and v low service charges and a large garden. Can't wait to move.

@Mercurial123 you’ve got a buy to let mortgage but you’re moving into the property yourself?

What's the issue? I plan to move down in 10 years when I retire. The mortgage will be paid off by then.

@AliBye why not? The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is in south-west London (zone 4)...Kew is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (zones 3 and 4)...

My dream for retirement is a flat in the Barbican. Walking distance to everything. Lovely gardens. Endless cultural activities on your doorstep

@MojoMoon
Me too !!

[quote SardineJam]**@AliBye* why not? The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is in south-west London (zone 4)...Kew is a district in the London* Borough of Richmond upon Thames (zones 3 and 4)...[/quote]
Well even if it didn't take ages and wasn't a huge schlep to get into central London, it's like a (very) nice suburban town that you can get anywhere in Surrey. I'm assuming if the OP wants to live in London, she wants somewhere with a London feel, that's close to all the action.

Richmond is lovely, but it doesn't feel like London at all.

YANBU at all. I know 3 single retired women who live nearby me in London. They retired here because the shops are walking distance, there’s lots of entertainment close by, there’s lots of people around and the doctors etc are also close by.

Tealightsandd

Re the OP. I wouldn't say that London is particularly elderly friendly. Ever since Tony Blair's fetishism of the young and healthy, coupled with his focus on London as a playground for the rich (at the expense of locals), London has increasingly become a difficult environment for the elderly (and the poor and the disabled).

<strong>There's even a mayoral scheme aimed at shipping out London's elderly social housing tenants to the coast and countryside.</strong>

This is true, it's a form of social cleansing and I'm one of the potentially affected constantly battling to be a low waged self employed disabled worker in London, were the jobs are in my industry, rather than a benefit claimant burden on the public purse out of London, which seems to be everyone else's plan for me. Since Covid it feels like I'm expected to accept I'm finished, and go. I'm not, and though I'm currently in hospital, I have every intention of rebuilding my life.

BUT all this has an interesting other side for some who might like to be in London, but aren't in a position to buy. (or straight away)

By London standards my rent is cheap, but my CT relatively high. In the future I and other mature disabled workers, like me who want to keep working, and who have adult vacating offspring, will be looking for (probably mature) flat share/ long term 'lodgers'.
One who can/wishes to do some basic caring duties such as chucking an extra wash through and a bit of extra cleaning (not personal care) maybe the occasional hand with stopping the garden overgrowing (at the same level as you'd ask a friend for help) when I'm in hospital, would be offered a very good deal by any standard, and a superb one by London standards allowing them to have effectively a mainly shared flat with garden, in a nice sought after area (rich and poor, culture and trouble all live side by side here) cheaply, while they save or just enjoy spending all their saved cash on cultural activities. As I'm a member/work with of a fair few, they might get a deal there too!

All those who want a Barbican flat, please don't move in and then start complaining about over-spill noise from concerts and cinema from the Barbican center!
It's like people who move next to a country church and then demand the bells silenced!
The flats used to be council housing before most tenants got pushed out, and weren't designed to be soundproof.

Re the above, there's lots of us already here, who want to stay, and will be looking for the right people to share space with, and have this as our pre retirement plan, and lots like me who wont be retiring. It obviously isn't for everyone, but it works out well for lots.

What is CT @Elleherd ?

My aunt has a place there but also a place in Hastings on the sea front, she massively prefers Hastings for the quality of air etc but loves her social circle in London.

One thing you would have to be aware of is that you would need a ground floor
Flat long term or one with access

was thinking of moving out - but recently got my free tfl travel card - it's brilliant. make sure you're in a London borough to get that

CT - council tax maybe?

The best thing about London is how unjudgmental people are here. Anything goes - quite unlike the curtain twitchy, raised eyebrow judging I've experienced everywhere else I've lived.

As several PPs have said, everyone is accepted as a local, everyone is welcomed, and there is a community spirit unlike any other.

Our street WhatsApp group is a joy - every culture and age group is represented and celebrated, from older white people wishing the Muslim residents Eid Mubarak to young Aussies offering to help an elderly widow with her garden. I love it.

Oh yes of course @ThinWomansBrain thanks

Ahh London my place of birth and childhood home .growing up in the 60s and 70s there was great! My cousin lives about 10 miles out and usually goes into the city a few times per week. Hard to tell what prices will do in a years to come, however I would go for it if you can you can always make it work. Kent is a bit cheaper I think and a reasonable trip in .

@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.

That's interesting because one of the things I love most about London and always have is: if you live and work there, you are a Londoner. There's none of the petty, parochial 'ooh you have to have been born here.' London embraces everyone who wants to be there. It is the most welcoming city, in that sense, I have ever known.

Born and bred Londoner here. I live out of London now and generally like where I live but this thread is making me really miss London!

I lived for a while on my own in a subsidised Zone 2 flat in my early 20s and loved being able to hop on the bus to get into the centre at the weekends. I enjoyed the feeling of being anonymous in a big city. It never happens where I live now

*This was a key worker subsidised flat - the John Major government ended the scheme a few years later.

Darkchocolateandcoffee sorry yes, ThinWomansBrain got it, it's council tax.
My rent is good, but my Council tax is set with a view to encouraging people like me to agree we can't afford to live in older properties that in private hands are done up to their eyeballs, and command high rents in nice areas with good schools. 'We' are supposed to live in small modern boxes in less desirable areas with less desirable schools. and thus cheaper CT.

Loving this thread. I currently live in a zone 2 flat with dh and dc and occasionally wonder if we are mad for staying when so many friends with children chose to leave. Reading threads like these reminds me of all the wonderful reasons for staying, whatever your age or stage of life!
Do it OP. Retirement in London would be fabulous :-)

London is great for older people. Great transport, so much culture, good access to services etc I would quite like to do the same