Help me choose an area where to live

[OztoLdn]

Hi,

We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 primary aged kids) moving to London very soon from Australia.
I have searched this group and googled extensively to look for the right suburb for us.
Out of the below areas, which one would you recommend?

• Herne Hill/North Dulwich
• Tooting Bec/Tooting Broadway
• Tooting/Furzedown/Streatham
• Ealing Broadway/North Ealing/Ealing common

We would like an area that is safe, with good state primary and state secondary schools (my eldest is in year 5), a nearby high street, good transport links, nature and parks.

We will be renting a 3 bedroom small house/flat, rent seems to be similar in these areas and commute to work (city Thameslink and Moorgate) will be similar as well (-+ few mins).

Any streets we should avoid?
You input will be appreciated :)

Out of those Herne Hill has the best name historically but I’d focus on living near the best schools tbh and your secondary options. You can travel to get to parks and most people do.

I saw that house a few days ago and it’s fantastic, for the extra bedroom we would be happy to pay £3,300.
My husband is a bit concerned with the transport links to the city, he has the impression that trains are not as reliable as the tube and don’t go as often but I believe that if we have a few options Thameslink, southern eastern and southern we should be ok?
do you know if they teach a language in the primary and secondary schools you mentioned?
Also, unrelated question but do they have “camps” in Primary and Secondary? I.e they go away for a few days with their class?

I have been looking at locrating to check for schools results, is that the best way to know if a school is good?

Herne Hill out of your list. But also perhaps the ED side of Nunhead (walk to Peckham Rye station), Brockley/ back of Telegraph hill and also Honor Oak.

There are often residential trips from year 4/5 up for a few days.

(I have lived in Brixton, Streatham, Herne Hill for 49 years, whilst regularly visiting nearby Crystal Palace and Tooting and none have ever been an ‘absolute no go zone’. OK, the odd easily avoided estate in Brixton in the bad old days but even those estates sport Foxtons boards now).

It all comes down to budget really.

I would love to live in Herne Hill now for proximity to Brockwell Park, and it had a farmer’s market at weekends etc. But it could be trickier for an in year primary place and you would need to be sure to be in the Charter catchment.

Streatham gets a bad rep because of the A23 but it is excellent for schools, has pockets of really friendly housing areas, the streets around Hillside Gardens are v close to Tulse Hill station for Thameslink and London Bridge trains, between Wavertree and Amesbury also walk to Tulse Hill or Streatham Hill , v quick bus to Brixton for tube from anywhere. And the High rd now has some excellent coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. Cheaper than Herne Hill.

Herne Hill! It's lovely. Markets and gorgeous brockwell park, right near Brixton, the lido, buses are reliable and regular, the pub next to Tulse hill station does delicious Sunday lunch etc. I miss it! We moved out when I was pregnant as didn't want to be in London at all but if we ever moved back that's where we'd go

Ofsted results. Or join The Times for a bit for power parent. Or the good schools guide - subscribe for a bit.

Schools in London are a really big deal, especially at secondary school. That is why I would prioritise that aspect - if you are renting you can always move to the better housing spot once you are settled into schools.

Hi OP, people usually north londoners don't realise how extensive the train services are here. The tube has its own issues and strikes and delays happen on many of the lines.
I don't want to brag but here in Honor Oak Park we have Thameslink service from Crofton Park and from Honor Oak Park both the Southern service into London Bridge and the overground/Windrush line that connects to the Elizabeth Line and Jubilee line and Shadwell which is the interchange for DLR.
And during the train strikes I have carried on commuting with relatively few issues just using slightly different routes.
And secondary schools can change very fast when a headteacher leaves or arrives.

I believe there's a good choice of languages at the secondary, not sure about primary. If Languages is important to you for primary school, this part of North Dulwich should also put you in catchment of Judith Kerr school, which is bi-lingual

www.judithkerr.anthemtrust.uk/home

For transport links into the city you can get train from North Dulwich into London Bridge or short walk to Herne Hill to pick up Thames link into Blackfriars, City etc.

How about West Dulwich? One station down from Herne Hill but you can also go to Tulse Hill and West Norwood to access two other train lines. Short bus ride from Brixton tube. Good schools.

Herne Hill/North Dulwich definitely. Make sure you are as close as possible to Charter School if that is where you would like your eldest to go as it has a very tight catchment, preferably under 500m. It's a great area and you can't go wrong with any of the local primaries. I don't know Streatham well but it's very traffic heavy and doesn't ever feel particularly safe.

Hi OP. Some alternative suggestions:

Wimbledon - Very good transport links and schools, bustling high streets and pockets of quiet. On the doorstep you have Wimbledon and Putney commons for long walks.

Teddington - not as well linked (i.e. trains to waterloo take 35 minutes) but absolutely beautiful area, victorian houses galore, on Bushy Park's doorstep and some really fantastic schools.

Richmond - same as above but very good transport links. Very pricey though.

Kingston/Surbiton - great transport links and good mix of state and independent schools. Close to Bushy, Richmond, Wimbledon, and Surrey hills for nature!

@Bear2014 . “I don't know Streatham well” That’s clear. (Apart from the traffic on the A23)

Crouch End and Muswell Hill.

I commute to the Herne Hill/North Dulwich area (I live further down the train line) and it's very nice. Child friendly, lots of cafes and restaurants, green space, the Lido. More street crime than my more suburban area though.

It is clogged with traffic round the edges due to the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

We have had a fair few train strikes but hopefully the govt will finally manage a settlement with the rail unions after the election.

There are likely to be more teacher strikes this year too.

Up until the last couple of years I'd have said the Overground is more reliable than the Tube but I don't know now. Southern and Southeastern are hard up and Thameslink seems to lurch from one crisis to another.

I have never lived there but I have lived within 2 miles of it for the last 20 years and have spent some time there. I took my youngest to swimming at the leisure centre for a year and in that time walking from the bus stop weekly witnessed several public urinations, random men shouting obscenities at people in the street, and someone running at speed having visibly just grabbed someone's phone. This was all at 2pm. We looked at a few houses up there last year but ultimately decided we didn't want DD (currently 10) to be wandering around the streets over there.

West Norwood.

Close to great primary and secondary schools, good housing stock and a great community vibe.

Cheaper and less sanitised than E Dulwich and H.Hill.

30 mins into London Bridge or Victoria, buses to Brixton tube in 15mins, and you can get a bus directly into the West end which takes around an hour depending on traffic.

The Thameslink isn't a particularly fast option.

I don't know about schools in all areas, but somewhere like Surbiton has fast trains to Waterloo (18 minutes for the fastest ones), has abundant schools, is by the river, has plenty of amenities.

Hi, as we are approaching our move to London, we are wondering a few things.
Ideally, we want to make a few appointments to inspect rentals before we leave Sydney so can inspect them a few days after we get there. Is it usual for agent to do this as long as all the listings are with the same agency?

If the property is available, how soon after been approved can we get the keys?

Any other tips to maximise our chances to get a property as fast as possible? I want to secure as soon as we get to London, so I can enrol the kids in school.
Thanks

Hi,

If you are looking at properties in the same area (& that area office covers all the properties ) then you should be able to arrange for an agent to show you what they have.

Where you are looking, some of the properties might be looked after by different branches/ offices but a phone call to the estate agent will clear this up quickly.

Rental properties tend to come on the market between 1-2 months before you can move in & the availability date should be on the website. You will be able to set up appointments at short notice.

Call all the relevant agents in the areas you are interested & be specific about what you are looking for, even if you can't see anything on the websites there is a pipeline of properties that are coming through & the agents are waiting to market, so you can get in early.

From what I've heard the rental market around Dulwich has cooled off a bit so not so much demand as at the end of last year.