Moving to London with a toddler - where do I start?

[inneedofagin]

DH has finally got a new job
It's in London [hmmm]

We have a 3 bed semi with a garden up here, it will rent out for 500pcm, and if we double it for our budget estate agents are still laughing at us

He will be working in Victoria, I'll be a homeworker (need an office) so with dd at 18 months we need a 3 bed, family friendly location in less than 40 minute commute from Victoria with a good creche nearby.

All those MN living in London is it a pipedream to find somewhere we can rent in our budget in an area where we can feel safe?

I asked one friend about an area I was thinking about (she lives there) and her response was that she grew up there, and she wouldn't live there with a child.

Any advice is gratefully received, I am finding all of this really stressful, as we have to do major stuff to our house to get it in rental condition (I don't want to sell until I am convinced I can be happy in London)and my DH seems oblivious to the fact that organizing viewings for two weekends before you need to move in May is not sensible.

Don't get me wrong I know we are lucky to have this opportunity but to be honest at the moment I feel anxious and worried not excited.

I have been told to look at longer commutes, but he will be doing 9 to 6 days anyway and I want him to see DD awake, otherwise what is the point?

St Albans to Victoria is a stinker of a commute.
You should look at places on the direct overground line to Victoria - how about Sussex or bits of Kent? You can be in Brighton in less than an hour, and is a common way for peeps moving out of town (who want more space) to go.

How willing is your DH to commute. Haywards Heath direct into Victoria. Although you need to factor in travel costs. St Albans would be madness. Just get the train lines into Victoria and follow them until you can afford it. I paid more than that rent for a 1 bed flat in West London 7 years ago!

Definitely start finding out how much the train will cost if you're looking at places quite far out. However, your DH's work might offer an interest free season ticket loan for his travel (which can be a good way to pay for it). If you're on a tube route however, it can be quite good value as your season ticket will also include buses right across London and trains within your zones too. Great for getting out and about at the weekends 'for free'.

www.tfl.gov.uk has tube ticket prices and you can put tube station names into Google maps to find out where they are.

You could look at East Herts if you want to be North of London and near to St Albans/Hemel area. I'm in Cheshunt which is relatively inexpensive for this area and there's lots to do with kids. The overground train to Tottenham Hale takes about 10 minutes and from there you can get the Victoria Line.

If you need 3 bedrooms, you might find places like Finsbury Park and Stroud Green too pricey. Walthamstow is cheaper and lots of families have moved there who have been priced out of the more expensive areas on the Victoria Line. Walthamstow village is lovely and there are several family-friendly cafes and lots of activities for young children in the wider area. I have a toddler and visit family there almost every week and there's always lots to do. I live and work in a much more "real" part of London myself though, so may have a different perspective on the area, but I would say it might be worth checking out. Also, you'd be on the right side of London to get to your family/friends in St Albans.

we have a house, with a garden, in st albans for our budget and a childminder, though she may be overly honest (we told her where we'll be renting, and she made a comment along the lines of we can't help our budget can we .

we are signed up for 6 months and if the commute grinds him down we will move, after looking at the teeny tiny gardenless places we could get in Dulwich and Beckenham I had a complete wobble, so we are trying a long commute for him, which I feel guilty about, but as he said he would rather have a longer commute and look forward to coming home, rather than think where to go at the weekend every weekend to minimise the time we have to spend there. tootired appears to be the guru on this, we just can't get anything like we are used to for our budget, so it's a compromise - maybe I will be lucky in years to come and his job will move back north again. Thanks to everyone for support

Hi inneedofagin,

Just wondering how your move went. Just found this thread and of great interest as I'm going through a similiar move now - renting our house out, moving to London for job and feeling soooo stressed by the whole thing that I just want to bury my head in the sand!

Would love to know how it turned out for you and where you ended up living.. and any tips you have.

I have posted a thread about my own flat elsewhere on the forums...

Paper Angel ;-)

think about schools first, then find house

if you need state schools sort catchment areas first then find house

and don't believe estate agents,
check with actual schools

good luck

use to live in london with young kids and its fab.....LOADS to do

we were in Battersea/Clapham....fab parks, free 1 o,clock on Wandsworth Common.....under 7's play place with free arts, dance, bikes for kids....loads on kids....its not called Nappy Valley for nothing!