London - nice area to rent for 45 year olds!

[LaFlottes]

We are thinking of renting out our house and having a couple of years perhaps in London.
This won't be for a little while, but we are doing some research.
We would be looking to spend between £1800 and £2500 per month I guess and would be hoping for an area suitable for a couple of 45 year olds with some nice bars/coffee shops/restaurants in walking distance and near a tube line into central London.
Any recommendations?
Thank you so much!

Yeah, no offence, but Stroud Green is still a shit hole. I wouldn't move to London to walk through piss under the Finsbury Park Bridge to get home every day.

Borough and London Bridge is a good call though. One of those magical places where you can feel old London, and stumble on odd views of streets and tunnels that take your breath away, and then two seconds later its shiny buildings and architecture firms. Magical! (If you like that sort of thing, obvs.)

Putney to Bank is slow. The District line is slow. Why would you go to this area if you needed Bank? (Although I hadn’t picked that up earlier). The Northern line going to south to Kennington (reopening in September) and Clapham works as does Bermondsey and the Jubilee Line East.

Borough and London Bridge can be pricey.

Richmond is perfect actually. It’s 45 minuets to Bank. It has bars restaurants shops parks the river all in one place. Beautiful part of London.

I used to live in Wanstead, right opposite the Memorial Green. It was lovely, a few minutes walk to two central line stations (Wanstead in one direction, Snaresbrook in the other). Nice shops, nice and green and you’ll get lovely places for GBP2500. There’s a few on rightmove in my old road, one in the actual building. Happy times

I agree with the people saying borough/London bridge. it's quite posh, quite safe and a 15 min walk to work for your husband.

Ealing Broadway area should hit your budget and your requirements and super close to central/ up west and east London/city via the central line. Plus easy to get out by car to other areas as long as your nerves can handle the Hanger Lane roundabout!

Definitely not Raynes Park unless it has been moved and /or rebuilt since I lived nearby! And Richmond is nice, but It isn't exactly London. I'd say Borough, its central and a very short commute for your husband.

Wanstead???

Come on people. Stop suggesting ‘village’ like zone 3 places.

The OP is moving for a brief London experience. Who the fuck wants to be fighting the god dam central line hell hole getting out to zone 3 every night?

Yes yes yes Wanstead is lovely and it’s a great place to live. If you are having children and want a house and garden! Want to be eating out and exploring London?

If you want a two bed flat and want to ‘do’ London and you have a nice big house up north waiting for your return - go central.

Stroud green is not a good suggestion either.

OP go zone 1 or 2 with an absolute maximum 10 mins walk from a tube. 5 mins much better. The more you can walk to the better.

Ealing Broadway???

Again seriously people. That’s like 18 stops on the central line to Bank.

For a 2 year gig I would prioritise a one bed flat in the best most central, nicest location possible.

Also OP it might be more cost effective to get a one bed then for you to rent desk space flexibly in a co working space, rather than get a second bedroom for you to work in.

Barnsbury, canonbury, Highbury fields all by Islington. Belsize Park, primrose hill, Marylebone (may be too expensive). Hampstead same.

Oh this is interesting, we are possibly aiming to do this in the future, when we retire ( years away). We want 6 months in central london. So agree with those saying zone 1 or 2. We would like to be around st. Katherines dock or thereabouts, wapping but walking distance to tower bridge. Will keep an eye on this thread.

I agree about if you are going to do London do it properly. Pimlico area you can walk to so many places. But if you want more flat for your money you need to go further out.

I used to live in Herne Hill and it is a fab area, very villagey but 8 minutes into Victoria.

When you move, look at walking distances. For many years I got the tube everywhere, suffering hot crowed trains not realising it would have been an easy walk. For example, you can walk from Waterloo to Bank in around 20 minutes.

I'm actually struggling to think of how to code areas of London by age.

Because you get all sorts, in all places.

So, other than easy journey to Bank, and reasonable journeys generally, what are you actually looking for?

I'd start by looking around Clapham North and Clapham South stations, or into Battersea for Clapham Junction area, or perhaps look round Waterloo (though would probably have to compromise on number of bedrooms). Kennington would mean not much on your doorstep, so would always be going in to Town. Round Clapham would give lots of places if you fancied a night out local, but is still dead easy to reach pretty much everywhere else when you want to.

Mansion flat in lovely Maida Vale.

Just listen to serb. I used to cry on the tube on the way to work in Ealing as it felt so out of central London.

One bed in Marylebone would be the dream. One bed in Clerkenwell would be amazing, or Shoreditch, or Islington, Belsize Park though further out than you think and less going on in Belsize Park and Hampstead at night than you’d expect. Paddington, then prob Notting Hill to expensive, ditto belfravia Kensington Chelsea, battersea or Bermondsey or borough.

Brilliant plan!

Good time to do it: rents are moving downwards at the moment and the prices quoted by agents are definitely negotiable. Look for flats in areas with lots of new build (eg King's cross, City Road end of Islington) but focus on flats which are not in the flashy developments with swimming pool, cinema etc- the rents are inflated to cover the service charges. Islington, Spitalfields, Bermondsey would all be a walk to work for your husband, which really improves quality of life- no sweaty tube in the summer

Also join a members club or London library or British library to get working space.

Kings cross is super fun, very urban but very cool, google etc all based there.

Places I've lived in and sound about right (although, not sure what the prices are like now…)

Greenwich / Blackheath
Wapping / St Katharine's Dock (I lived Cannon Street, next to Shadwell, which is a bit grittier, and Wool House on Back Church Lane which is very cool but a bit of a party zone)
Clapham / Brixton
Crouch End (although no tube, I don't think)
London Bridge / Borough

I am originally from around Richmond/Twickenham and while it is lovely, the commute can be long and it's not 'London'-London if that makes sense?

Agree you want zone 2 max, no suburbs.

Although to redeem Ealing, cross rail will transform the journey to London.

Ealing is fucking miles away. I also used to cry sometimes when I worked in Ealing. God, that awful journey.

I live in Central London.

It depends what you want to do. If you enjoy theatre, being able to stroll home is lovely, or being able to get up early to queue for day tickets for a sold out show at the National. And indeed knowing that you dont have to rush for a train because you can just jump in a taxi.

It also depends on how "edgy" you want.

My vote would be with Pimlico. Really central, good market, nice unflashy restaurants, not edgy, not too much traffic. A cental London village. You should have no problemgetting a two bed for your budget. (Note all lettings prices are negotiable and will vary by the quality of the tenant. A 45 year old couple couple wanting to stay two years, should be getting at least 10% off asking price. Try smaller agents like Dauntons who will provide a more personal service.)

But could understand why Borough might appeal. Quirky and buzzy, but a bit more mixed. Bits of Islington are nice, but the feel, to me, is affluent City banker/lawyer wife.

Or if you want a bit more on trend, you could look at where in Clerekenwell/Hoxton/OldStreet fits your budget

You will need a few trips to explore! Each area has its own feel.

If you are only here for a couple of years and can afford to live centrally, I would. There is no advantage in commmuting.

Central London is fun, and worth experiencing.