Where in London to definitely avoid (no judgement)

[PenisesAreNotPink]

I've been researching areas, every time I find a property in a road I like I do a google search on crime - and obviously lots of areas that come up are rife with crimes I'm particularly nervous of owning teenagers, knife crime.

So what areas/roads are particularly challenging?

My current favourite areas are kilburn, cricklewood, kennington, borough, Greenwich, Westminster (westminsters my favourite but only get 300 square feet max for my money and I really need a 2 bed)

Cricklewood and Kilburn used to be dodgy but have gentrified out of recognition in the last decade. Probably still some dodgy estates and streets - look round at 11pm on a Saturday night. The others are generally nice but expensive - and are areas people go to socialise so may get targeted by pickpockets etc.

What's your budget and where do you need to commute to?

Honestly, I would struggle to think of an area within zones 1-3 that I wouldn't walk alone in at night, and it's only because I don't know them as well that I wouldn't extend that further out.

You are so, so, so so unlikely to be stabbed anywhere in London. And as are your teenagers, unless they are involved in that world, which I'm assuming they're not!

I think the term 'rife' is overstating it a bit, really, no matter where you're looking, as it implies it's just stabby central, when actually what it is more likely to mean when the stats are up is that there is a specific problem with a gang or gangs who have had a few bad confrontations.

That said, if you do find it a bit disarming then Cricklewood is what I would call one of the less-nice parts of London, and Kennington doesn't have a marvellous rep.

On the other hand, an awful lot of very nice people live in those areas having a very nice time and neither committing crimes nor having crimes committed on them!

If you're just asking us to be mean about crap parts of London... Northfields, Brentford High St, Acton central, the part of Hornsey Rd that is GRIM, and maybe Brent Cross or Tottenham Hale (not the bit by the river) would win my grotty prizes. Oh and Canning Town.

I've lived in London for 33 years, all my adult life, and there is no post code I would avoid apart from Croydon. There are more postcodes outside of my spending power than those which I could afford.

Is crime worse in London than anywhere else in the UK?

Westminster is central and thus enormously expensive.

I quite liked Brent Cross - I've travelled in and out of there at least once a week over the last 20 years

Can't really afford it though. We've got 400k and we need 2 bedrooms - or a 1 bed where you can still fit a sofa and tv in the kitchen - there's a 1 bed in Kennington about 5 minutes from the Imperial War museum that fits it (cut the living room in half to make a bedroom, still room for a sofa and tv in the kitchen)

Kennington is where most MPs live so they can walk to work. It's fine, bar the odd incident.
Just as I moved to the Brixton Road, the Standard helpfully published a map showing all 50 shootings that year in south Lambeth, with Brixton Road highlighted down the middle. Every one knew the person who had shot them and was either a criminal themselves involved in drugs or stolen stuff, except one where they were a neighbour of a dealer - and it didn't say they were innocent. If you aren't involved in crime, London is a safe city.

I have been mugged once in 25 years, but it was an opportunistic kid who asked for my phone and then asked if I didn't have anything worth having. :-)

I thought London was relatively safe

murder rate hits 42 year low in London

How amusing! Shaska's post is nearly correct other than the areas she slags off.

Northfields has gone through a huge leap over the last few years and now is quite £££ for West London. Acton high street is really pretty grim but the 'poet's corner' end, and Churchfield Rd are really lovely. Acton is about to hit the boom time as well due to Crossrail and a 2 bed maisonette easily sells for £500k there now. If your budget is healthy you could do a lot worse than looking at the up and coming Crossrail areas which will go through a huge regeneration over the next few years, especially in West London. Sure those areas might now be very special now but if you can grit your teeth and see the long term gain you'll really benefit.

Remember that London is a city of class divides - £2-3 million houses sit very close to some of the poorest areas in the city. So in terms of areas to avoid, they may be a matter of roads, as opposed to whole 'areas' iyswim.

I feel safer in London than I do my relatively low crime town.

I would avoid Tottenham, Edmonton and round there.

Westminster must have the highest crime rates per resident, surely.

Literally no crime in Westminster streets weirdly - only crimes are outside Houses of Parliament (anti social behaviour) - it's totally empty at weekends in the mansion blocks down the side streets

North fields is so middle class!!

Northfields, Ealing, Middlesex?

Way too far out - is that where you mean?

Sorry OP, it is far out from where you were looking. I just couldn't believe a Pp has deemed it as grotty.

I would love to live in central London, but not in a place that empties out at weekends or is only inhabited by super wealthy bankers et al.

Am surprised you can buy anywhere in Westminster for £400k, tbh.

Can I suggest queens park? North Ladbroke grove?
Have a look on zoopla and there's a tiny little area where I used to live. It's still Westminster borough, but it's north of harrow road. They have like a triangle of roads 1st, 2nd, 3rd avenue etc. have a look there. 2 up 2 down artisan cottages. They are pretty well priced and the area is really nice.
I assume you prefer north/north west london. Avoid harlesden (spelling?) some areas of willesden- but to be honest there are dodgy parts in every borough.
I live south of the river now and absolutely love it.

As Greenwich is on your list of favourites, why not hop on the 199 bus from there and head towards Catford? Even The Guardian recommends it! The large terrace houses are fantastic, there's lots on in the area, decent transport links, good schools and £400,000 could get you a 3 bed house with a garden.

I would say Kennington is a pretty nice option especially for location. There are some totally nice streets and then some less nice if you are getting nearer to Elephant and Castle although that is really changing at the moment.

That's the nature of London - amazingly expensive beautiful houses on one street and then on the next street it can have a completely different feeling.

The only way of knowing if you will be happy and feel comfortable is by visiting the street.

I lived in Kennington for 9 years (moved earlier this year) and it was lovely. Incredibly safe feeling. I didn't particularly enjoy walking through the subway at Elephant and Castle at night by myself, but the Kennington Rd/Kennington Cross parts (rather than the Kennington Lane bits) were great. Not sure there are that many 2 beds for 400k though.

I would avoid willesden, harlesden, neaden. Cricklewood is rapidly gentrifying and is having plenty of money spent on it. Kilburn is ok if you choose carefully. Kensington has a lovely park.

Ha, FantasticFixit - this is why I was loathe to name areas! Northfields is just so... nowhere.... but it might be more to do with my dealings with it, which of course is the same for anyone's feelings about anywhere. I definitely wouldn't tell anyone it was unsafe to live there, just that I personally don't like it, and same for the other bits.

I'm an east london person though, and get right uppity when people slag off the east, so I know where you're coming from!

But at least you can still buy something nice for half a million in the east, and it's close to things that aren't Heathrow unlike Acton

You can't really afford Northfields anyway OP. But IMHO it's much much nicer than some of the soulless areas you've mentioned. But clearly location is more important to you than space, community, green space or indeed anything else. I guess you don't know London at all if the thing you're worried about is crime?

Can't believe you'd rather put a bed in the kitchen than commute another 15 minutes though...!

Harlesden and parts of Hackney are the only places I have felt truly unsafe in London.
I live in Greenwich and have never had an issue, but there is crime occasionally serious crime, but when you hear about it, it's always in the context of two guys who are "known to the police" having a brawl in a pub. I've never heard of anyone being mugged but there are burglaries and cars stolen.
For your budget, locally these would be my picks for best location with a bit of cash left over for improvements. The second is on the doorstep of a secondary school
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31824006.html?premiumA=true
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46031800.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-44973796.html
This is Blackheath rather than Greenwich but v close to Thomas Tallis School [amazing facilities] and a lot of bang for your buck

We've just sold our lovely 2 bed flat in Forest Hill for 400k - might be worth a look? Easy commute to London Bridge too.

If the OP is looking for a 2-bed flat and would settle for 1-bed, I doubt there are any children involved at present.

I don't want to tempt fate but I've lived in London for 35 years and never been mugged. Burgled once, and that wouldn't have happened if we hadn't had a security weakness after some building work that we just hadn't noticed.

Apologies, just seen the reference to owning teenagers.