best areas to rent in west of london

[mumoffour57]

Hi everyone,
I hope some of you lovely people can help! Son may be starting a job near Osterley in the not-too-distant future. We do not live in london and so haven't got a clue as to where he should be looking for somewhere to rent. He doesn't mind a bit of a commute and is looking ideally to house-share, at least at first, preferably in a decent area with plenty of shops/nightlife.
Thank you in advance for any help which can enable him to draw up a shortlist of possible places.

First question that has to asked is what's his budget?

Ealing is good. Hammersmith is also popular - the H91 bus goes out along the great west road. Chiswick probably a bit too family-oriented.

If the job is near any of the mainline stations, you could try Putney as well - it's about 20 mins

If it's working for a certain TV broadcaster look at where the free shuttle buses run from

Twickenham, Teddington, Richmond.

There are plenty of houseshares in that area.

Look along the Piccadilly Line. Maybe Northfields or Ealing. We are in Uxbridge but this is the wrong branch but cheaper than Ealing etc.

Hounslow is a bit rough but isleworth is nice. Anywhere along the Piccadilly line is fine going into London but fewer young professionals the further you go out. Hammersmith, barons court would be nice if I was young. I live in Ealing and love it-he can stay in our spare room if he is stuck. He will pay about £500 a month plus bills even in most shared houses. What is his job? (Nosy).