Advice on where in south London to live,

[user1457824083]

Dd is starting at Italia Conti school of acting in september. The school is in Clapham and as it is only small has no student accommodation attached. They have an accommodation day on 3rd of August but apart from sending an information pack which gives a list of eatate agents and advice on the usual pitfalls of renting, there is very little about the best areas to look at.
Luckily one of DDs best friends also has been offeree a place so they plan to share with a couple of other girls the friend met at audition. However when I looked on Rightmove at the weekend it seems that a 4 bed house could be advertised with only 1 room still available.
Also although the school is in Clapham, Tooting has been mentioned on a Facebook page and there seem to be very few àvailable in our price range (max 160 pw). Mitcham comes up a lot and seems to be cheap but is there a reason for this?
We live in the north west and are clueless, please help!

Well it’s not as nice as Clapham!!! Clapham is pretty buzzy for young people. It’s very popular. Anywhere further out will be cheaper and Stockwell might be worth a look.

Look at tube lines and bus routes. If she wants to be very near to Clapham, it will cost and I think at your money, Clapham is a non starter. DD lived in Clapham for a bit recently and that was around £900 a month for a room in a shared house.

I would search by putting in places further on the tube route and see what comes up cheaper.

Streatham might be good. It's got a buzzy high Street, buses to Clapham are easy, and it's affordable.

I forgot to mention Brixton. Cheaper than Clapham. Mitcham has a bus to Clapham Junction but not sure about onward transport to Italia Conti which is Clapham North or Stockwell. Overground Trains into Clapham High St from Denmark Hill might also be worth a look.

I know where the school is. It's Clapham Common which is buzzy and v expensive.

Brixton, Streatham, Stockwell etc are much cheaper.

Actually @BubblesBuddy has nailed it there, it's Clapham North ... Denmark Hill would be good as train to Clapham High Street.

Just out of interested because I am nosey! How old is your DD? Will she also be at The Barbican in the City?

I went to school with others that had been to Barbican, but didn't cut the mustard.

Exciting times!

Tooting, streatham, Stockwell, Denmark hill Peckham rye also worth a look ( also on overground). Download the Citymapper app and look at travel times for buses and tubes. Further down the northern line would also be ok but the northern line gets very busy so if she’s travelling in rush hour every day that might be a bit much. Morden and Mitcham are quite far away. South Wimbledon would be better as Wimbledon itself is nice.

dd (also a drama student) lives in Wandsworth, which may be within your price range; finds it really friendly and pleasant

actually, it's Earlsfield rather than Wandsworth

How old is your daughter? How sophisticated are they? Do they want 'buzzy'?

Google Brixton and crime. Tooting would be brilliant. Less sophisticated teenagers around us, we are more central, certainly would skip Brixton/Stockwell if they were looking for a night out, thinking they were too heavy. But Bubbles DCs seem more adventurous so may be able to suggest relatively safe areas.

Slightly beyond Tooting perhaps on the Northern line. Mitcham should work as it is directly on the tube and if you prefer dull to buzzy. The Northern Line is awful in the morning but if you are there at the start you should get a seat. Though you will need someone else to suggest where in Mitcham. You might look on The Student Room to see where medical students from St Georges Tooting are living.

Transport for Londons jouney planner is valuable. Put in diffenernt times to gauge frequency and the impact of rush hour. Londoners use buses a lot, (or cycle) though rush hour is a problem if you are going in. It is nice to have an alternative.

You should be quick. Rental prices rise sharply and supply falls when the newly graduated return from holiday and start thinking about where to live when they start their London jobs.

Brixton is no longer remotely cheap (or crime ridden or ‘heavy’ as it happens).

If the accommodation day is in August they will likely tell you where most students actually live. I wouldn't arrange anything before then in case they give you some stellar advice you'll have missed out on.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. We shall start looking today at Stockwell, Streatham and Wandsworth.
Imsobored she is 19. She is currently on a gap year having auditioned last year without success. This time around she has been offered a place on the acting foundation course so will be on the audition merry go round again next year for 3 year places for straight acting.

Scrub, perceptions of Brixton may depend on how urban a teenager is. We certainly based secondary school choice on a desire not to have DD change buses there.

I agree though that it is now expensive, and cheaper bits are probably on/close to a couple of large estates. As are Stockwell (again some large estates), Wandsworth and many parts of Streatham. I agree with a pp that it is worth finding out where other students live. Tooting of a stop or two further south would be my choice.

Look at the very bottom of the Northern Line too. Though I hear Colliers Wood has gone up.

Both Brixton and the area near Peckham Rye Station are bustling places that are popular with students. Brixton is very different to 20 years ago! From Peckham Rye you would take the overground to Clapham North.

Ha ha ha at Brixton being cheap! But yes Brixton and Peckham are better priced and more fun for the youths IMHO.

Peckham you want the Rye / Bellenden end rather than the Queens Road end

Brixton is cheaper than Clapham and will have rentals in the OPs price bracket. I checked before I posted. No-one has said it is cheap. It’s a very vibrant area and my neighbours DS is there for Work and is perfectly happy. He is a country boy.

However I think chatting to other students will be a good idea. See where they are going and check out the areas. Making friends is key regarding where you live too and so many students (and young professionals who would like to think they are still students according to DD) like the vibe of Clapham High Street. It’s full of bars and clubs and is really a “strip”. It’s very noisy! Therefore the rental prices are higher there because lots of the young people are working and have parental financial support.

I think Stockwell is a bit dull and we were not impressed when we looked with DD. It’s a bit soulless but has some great residential streets. Wandsworth is worth a look too if in your price range (and I haven’t checked). It really depends if you see where you live as a continuation of university life or you see it as somewhere to go home to. The position of Italia Conti gives access to all sorts of “activities” in the area!

It will be great for her OP and as a 19 year old, it’s safe. She’s not a child. I would suggest that you take a short break in the area and have a look around. When areas are considered not safe it’s mainly due to gang crime. Students are not involved with this. However personal safety is important and being confident and getting a taxi home is sometimes important. Being over anxious will not help her cope but have a good look around the places you have listed and I’m sure you will find they are fine - as is Brixton.

Oh, yes, if you x4 the OP’s weekly budget and search for 4 bed flats, there are places in Brixton.

It’s a great place for young people to live. Shopping, food, bars, Ritzy Cinema, Lido, beautiful Brockwell Park, excellent transport links.

Wandsworth/Earlsfield is where ALRA is so quite a few drama students live around there, typically sharing 3 or 4 bedroom houses. You can often get a cheaper deal by agreeing to take the smallest room.

Sorry Bubbles, I realised my haha sounded flippant - I didn't mean it that way. I live in Brixton and it's got so expensive recently!

Have you looked on Spareroom?

Both DS and DD live in Tooting (couldn't afford Clapham), and it's just a little further down the Northern line. Quite a good vibe.

Thanks again for all the advice. Dd has seen via the conti facebook page that some are looking at Cedars Hall in Tooting. This has the advantage of being all inclusive and also slightly less scary as it is Halls rather than a private house. It is also 42 weeks rather than a full year...
The concern we have is that apart from the accommodation day on the 3rd August she will have very little time to look around. She is working full time monday -friday (as a much needed extra pair of hands at my workplace, so can't take too much time off) and most weekends are booked alreay with a holiday to Greece, a festival etc....the Halls seem a safe bet because otherwise she will have to trust the other 3 girls to find something.
Also I think she feels a bit better knowing that others on her course will also be nearby. She just needs to persuade the other 3 to view it now!

Tooting or Colliers Wood a great option