need suggestions on areas to live in london.

[bargainbuyss]

Hi everyone,
my family and i are planning to relocate to london or suburban, we will be renting at the moment at least for a year or two, with 3children( 12yrs, 10yrs and 9months.) we are looking for quiet, family friendly areas of london. we need idea from families about the areas they live or have lived before, or visited. please we need your help. we are working family on a tight budget.

[bargainbuyss]

threefeethighandrising:thanks, actually considering watford, seems reasonable rentwise and easy commute. very helpful link aswell, appreciated. mrsoakenshield: thanks a lot.

[MrsOakenshield]

there's more than one station in Wembley so find out which one he'll be going into and work out of town from there (Wembley isn't actually all that expensive for London which means you'll definitely need to be further out - but again, watch the commuting costs). North-west London isn't cheap.

[threefeethighandrising]

Or you'll get more for your money outside London - this is 2 miles from Ricksmansworth tube - if the journey to the tube is reasonable, might be worth a look?

[threefeethighandrising]

Is is easy to get to your DH's work from Wembley Park? If so that opens up all the areas near the Metropolitan line too, like Pinner, Northwood, Ruislip etc.

[threefeethighandrising]

Oops, a bit of a (bracket) fail there!

[threefeethighandrising]

A couple more (I enjoy this - can you tell? )

Another 3 bed in Watford £1050

And another 3 bed £1200

In your shoes I'd give Watford and those other stops going (North out of London) serious consideration, it'd be an easy commute to work for your DH (which is priceless in London! I've never had less than a 45 minute journey to work living in London, and usually over an hour). Also it might not be too pricey if he doesn't need to go into zone 1 on a regular basis.

Also there seems to be a choice of Ofsted good and outstanding infant/junior schools (I didn't look at secondaries).

What's it like to live there? I have no idea!

Here's a tube map to help with your search

And here's a map which also shows rail services

[threefeethighandrising]

Plenty more in Watford, but I need to go to bed :)

[threefeethighandrising]

3 bed near excellent infant / junior schools (on paper) £995 Watford

[threefeethighandrising]

Watford looks promising - anyone know Watford well?

2 bed house near Ofsted Outstanding rated infants & junior schools £850

[threefeethighandrising]

Could you squeeze into a 2 bed? This looks nice, at £1150 near Bushey station.

Local primaries look good on paper.

[threefeethighandrising]

To be cunning / to think like a Londoner, you need to look at transport links to Wembley (not distance as the crow flies) and focus your search that way.

[piprabbit]

Wembley would be a PITA of a commute from Essex - sorry about that.

[emilialuxembourg]

Watford too far?
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-39412024.html

[bookishandblondish]

If he's working in Wembley, then the only area suggested which makes sense is East Croyden ( direct train) - otherwise I'd be looking North West ( harrow, Wembley, willsden etc) otherwise he'll spend two plus hours commuting.

[bargainbuyss]

quintessentialodear;will look at that option may be later, but just to settle in first and see how it goes. mrsoakenshield: He works in NW(WEMBLEY) very expensive rentwise, so not an option. lalalonglegs: thanks, very helpful. sat1977: will check those areas aswell, thanks. Whatkatydidnt: Is croydon nice?.mothershipG: NW(WEMBLEY). forevergreek: that is one of the major reason, why we keep the budget at that 1k/mth for rent. piprabbit:thanks.

[piprabbit]

You could look at Essex - Chelmsford is the county town but there are lots of towns around Billericay/Benfleet/Wickford/Rayleigh etc. that are all around 30mins commute from Liverpool Street. But I think you might even struggle to find something for £1000 unless you are able to make compromises.

[forevergreek]

That's a very tight budget in our area we can't even get a studio apartment for that.

I think you need to look outside but bare in mind that high commuting fees occur. So cheaper house/ higher commute in money and time.

Would £1000 include commuting fees? Ie Woking to London was £3200 ish a year for a ticket in 2011, I presume higher now

[WhatKatyDidnt]

I think East Croydon might be a good bet. Decent 2 beds and some 3 beds for £1k/mth. Fast trains into central london, if that is where your jobs are. Also agree with suggestions of Anerley and Penge.

[MothershipG]

To be frank for that kind of money you're not looking at the nicest areas unless you are prepared for a significant commute and then you have to factor in the additional time & expense.

Where in London is your DH's job? As if you want to minimise the commute that will narrow down your search area.

[sats1977]

South Norwood, Anerley and Penge are all affordable areas and close to the lovely Crystal Palace Park which is great for kids. Good transport links to Central London too (15 -25 mins).

[lalalonglegs]

I've had a look on rightmove, within a 15-mile radius of Croydon. There are three-bedroom properties out there at £1000pcm or less but they are generally flats, a long way out and ex-council.

[MrsOakenshield]

where in London are you/DH going to be working? As a general rule, south London is cheaper than north, and south-east London is cheaper than south-west. You will need to factor in commuting costs to your monthly budget too.

[QuintessentialOldDear]

If you are planning on buying, what sort of budget will you be looking at? Could you get a shared ownership flat through your profession? Some offer nursers, teachers, police officers, "vital workers" good deal on shared ownerships in new builds. If you cant afford to rent in an area you like, and with good transport links to where your dh needs to be, it could be worth investigating these options.

[AKissIsNotAContract]

For that sort of money your options will be limited to places like Croydon, Dagenham, Bexleyheath.

[QuintessentialOldDear]

London is extremely expensive. I think you need to look at areas such as Croydon, Catford, Lewisham, or even Bromley (which is in neighboring Kent).

Council tax can also be high in London, and vary from borough to borough. For example, Richmond is 3k per year for a 3 bed house, whereas Wandsworth (the cheapest borough) is only 700 per year.

Transport is also expensive if you need to use trains.