People who moved out of London/ SE during 2020/21

escapethecountry · 2022-02-13T10:28:55+00:00

AIBU to think that there are quite a lot of people who are now regretting their decision to move out of London/ SE in the last couple of years? There seem to have been lots of office workers who were able to WFH who took the decision to move away, either to enjoy a larger house/ better quality of life or because they thought WFH would be permanent. I know a couple of families who moved away and are now considering moving back already. Have others moved/ know others who have moved and are now considering going back?

Original poster

escapethecountry · 13/02/2022 10:30

Sorry, didn't mean to add a vote. Please ignore that.

OP posts:

weansu · 13/02/2022 10:37

I know a ton of people who left, my dc lost a third of her class over the pandemic. The majority just went to the home counties though. The ones I knew who went further; Bristol, Edinburgh, Somerset, Manchester are loving life.

nomoneytree · 13/02/2022 10:38

To be honest I think if you are pretty senior work from home hybrid is permanent. Not so much if you are at the start of your career / middle ranking. I live in the south west and can be into central London in not a lot
longer than it takes to get in from twickenham. And I can work on the train. People have lived in the provinces and commuted into London once or twice a week for years and years. Certainly normal in my line of work. It's just previously they needed a local office for the other days. Now everyone has a local office.

There is a real lack of employment talent and recruiting companies are having to give people that change jobs contractual rights for hybrid working. It's here to stay bit least because office space is so expensive.

weansu · 13/02/2022 10:40

I'm not sure why there is a weird narrative that loads who left must be regretting it, why?

londonrach · 13/02/2022 10:41

Best decision we ever made. Only return if i could buy a house with a garden rather than rent a tiny two bed flat with no garden. I know a few people who left and no one regret s it.

weansu · 13/02/2022 10:41

Also per pandemic the vast majority of people I know had the ability to wfh if needed anyway.

weansu · 13/02/2022 10:42

As @nomoneytree often journeys in London aren't super quick either. DH is around 45 mins door to door from s 2/3 to the city.

DiddyHeck · 13/02/2022 10:43

Why would you NC to ask such a run-of-the-mill question OP?

Research?

weansu · 13/02/2022 10:44

@escapethecountry do you want to leave or are do you have fomo?

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 13/02/2022 10:46

I think it would be tough to admit this, especially if people were advised against it at the time.

lonelyapple · 13/02/2022 10:47

You are joking. London is a violent, dirty, expensive shithole with a mostly transient population due to unaffordable housing and getting worse every year. Imagine what London is going to be like in 10-20 years!

Heronwatcher · 13/02/2022 10:50

Not regretting it at all, the only thing I don’t like is having to dash for the train after a (rare) night out, but other than that no regrets. My DC are much happier too. And I agree that for the vast majority of people the days of doing 9-5 Monday to Friday are over. TBH I think more people I know regret getting dogs!

Dontlooksup · 13/02/2022 10:55

I left London 20 years ago. I hated it. It is no life. People who have moved and can no longer work from home should look for new jobs and enjoy their new lives.

weansu · 13/02/2022 10:59

@lonelyapple tell us what you really think 😆

The transient aspect is becoming an issue for me. I live not far from where I grew up & still see old family friends/neighbours. However my own neighbours friends/school mum friends & NCT have all left. It's house prices largely & even the ones who can afford it want more for their money. I know a few who moved a bit further in z3 to buy a nice big house but then they hate the local high street & drive to other places which to me is pointless as London is about having stuff on your doorstep.

We are looking a bit further out tbh as I just want more space & less income tied up in mortgage.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 13/02/2022 11:00

I wonder if they more regret now having to heat and light a bigger home

SpikeySmooth · 13/02/2022 11:00

I live in London in a 2 bed flat and it is a bit depressing. But DD goes to a good State school so I'm staying for now. My job cannot be done WFH so I need to be in commutable distance, but yes, I'm planning to leave in the next 3 years. Friends of ours have moved away to Leicestershire and have no regrets but all they need is a phone and a laptop to work.

Getoff · 13/02/2022 11:06

I live in the south west and can be into central London in not a lot longer than it takes to get in from twickenham.

What I think of as the south-west I think of as being six hours away, I'm wondering where you live and how you travel. (Helicopter?)

Getoff · 13/02/2022 11:07

I see it would make sense if you meant south-west London, but to that already describes Twickenham.

Poetrypatty · 13/02/2022 11:10

You are joking. London is a violent, dirty, expensive shithole with a mostly transient population due to unaffordable housing and getting worse every year. Imagine what London is going to be like in 10-20 years!

I always think it bizarre that on MN people think it's fair game to be rude about London, yet if the same was said about any other area of the country, people would be up in arms!

UnshakenNeedsStirring · 13/02/2022 11:15

@lonelyapple

You are joking. London is a violent, dirty, expensive shithole with a mostly transient population due to unaffordable housing and getting worse every year. Imagine what London is going to be like in 10-20 years!

Londoner here, I have no idea where you lived in London. I dont think its a shithole at all. I live in a beautiful leafy green part of London. Lovely people, polite and nice. Lovely little village, nice big park, I am surrounded by fantastic places to eat and drink. Id never be bored of living here

Getoff · 13/02/2022 11:15

DH is around 45 mins door to door from s 2/3 to the city.

This is so true. When I was researching private schools for DD, it appeared no matter how far away they were, the door-to-door time on public transport was about the same. This was schools in several completely different directions, when traveling from a just outside zone 1. (Although the common time was more like 55 minutes.)

user468375484 · 13/02/2022 11:16

I moved a long way out of London not long before COVID, largely due to house prices, and haven't regretted it.

I did go through a phase of thinking I missed living in London, but then I realised I really just missed life before lockdown restrictions, not London itself!

CreepyDibillo · 13/02/2022 11:18

These sorts pf threads are only ever started by one of two types of people:

journalists looking for a story
people who are envious that their employer is forcing them back to the office 5 days a week.

The vast majority of offices in London and the SE are either offering fully remote or hybrid working as a policy moving forwards.

DiddyHeck · 13/02/2022 11:24

Londoner here, I have no idea where you lived in London. I dont think its a shithole at all. I live in a beautiful leafy green part of London. Lovely people, polite and nice. Lovely little village, nice big park, I am surrounded by fantastic places to eat and drink. Id never be bored of living here

It's pure ignorance mostly. Some people really don't get out and about much so they think the world is as it's portrayed in the tabloids or on the TV.

cherrytopcake · 13/02/2022 11:24

Op are you asking if people regret leaving a rude, crowded, smelly and overpriced city where they don't stand a chance of ever affording a decent place to live ? Errrrrrr nope, they don't!