Where to rent in London?

[AusFar]

My partner is currently negotiating a job in London with a base-rate salary of GBP140,000. I'm looking at what life would be like on that salary and would love some help working out where we could live on that salary!

We need a) good state schools for our little ones (a five year old girl and three year old boy) b) preferably three or four bedrooms, but could manage with two c) close to a tube station. We're not religious.

We have friends and family in the Primrose Hill and Hampstead regions. Ideally I'd like to live in Hampstead but it seems unlikely on our budget. Where else should we look?

About us: we are Australians, currently living in Glebe, Sydney. We're very progressive and left-wing. We work in academia/media. (I have a right to work but will likely take some time off, and then look at part-time work, so we're not factoring any income from me into our budgets yet).

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Hackney
or
Islington
might suit.
Camden, Kentish Town, Dartmouth Park and Tufnell Park although the budget would be higher. The school checker on Rightmove doesn't seem to be accurate anymore. You'll get information on schools from the relevant council's website and Ofsted. You need to visit really to see if the school ethos is what you want. Hackney, Islington and Camden are comparatively liberal though.

No tube in Hackney. It's overground to Liverpool Street - trendy and leftwing though.

Whereabouts is your DH going to be working as you'll want to consider his commute I'd have thought

Where he works will be key, journey time will be a factor. As a general rule prices drop the further out you go, so a good 3 bed home might be an option in the outer boroughs whereas in trendier locations you will struggle to rent a flat. Prices are crazy, that said so are Sydney's. If he's working on the Thames link route through London you might want to look along that, our friends live close to station but have countryside at their fingertips too, and a four bed house plus car etc shouldn't be an issue

Thanks! I was looking at Richmond but I wonder if that area is perhaps a bit posh for us?!

Richmond is lovely for families. Schools are good. Kew Gardens and Richmond Park are nearby. Transport links are good.

Richmond isn’t as posh as it seems, definitely less posh than Hampstead and very well connected to central by train whilst surrounded by lovely parks, you can have the best of London in minutes whilst not being surrounded by high rise buildings and offices. The Vineyard School is excellent if you can get in (if you’re going state do read up on how the entrance system works here, it’s not simple or easy) and you’d get quite a lot for your money there.

Richmond is lovely, but a long way from Hampstead and Primrose Hill and I wouldn't describe transport links as good. If you have small children and are planning to be near friends and family when you come to London I'd talk to them and see what areas they suggest. London is massive - we lived in Ealing when the dc were small (not a million miles from Richmond and with much better transport links) and had friends in the north (Highgate and Islington) who we rarely saw because it took so long to get there.

M

Oops! Muswell Hill or Highgate are near your friends and family in Hampstead / Primrose Hill. Both lovely areas; slightly cheaper (v expensive though!) than those areas. Near them is Alexandra Palace, also lovely and slightly cheaper too. Or Crouch End. All going outwards; e.g. further from central London. Kentish Town or Tufnell Park are also nearby but going in towards Central London.
I suppose the nice parts of South London are slightly cheaper than the nice parts of North London though.

I'd look around Queen's Park, West Hampstead. Also Tufnell Park just south of Highgate. Cheaper than Hampstead/Highgate proper but easy to get to Hampstead and good transport, lots of families etc.

Agree with pp that Richmond is a long way from Hampstead. Richmond is really lovely (I live here). You'll encounter the odd person who thinks they are rather special but mostly we are all just chugging along together like everyone else. However, you'll find it a pain meeting up with your family in Hampstead if you live here.

Where is he working? A ten mile journey can take half an hour or two hours depending on where you're going to/from

£140000 gives you a lot of leeway. All the places in north London I mentioned have good state schools and are basically middle-class, left wing areas, with lots of nice parks / woods.
I would check out Alexandra Palace (I'm biased!) . It doesn't have a tube but it has an Overground into London and the City.

Crouch End, Muswell Hill, Alexandra Park, Bounds Green, Harringay Ladder - all nice places with great schools that should be within your budget.

It’s very easy to get from Richmond to Hampstead on the overground.

Yes also Bounds Green and Bowes Park (near Bounds Green) .. a couple of miles out from Hampstead.

I'd look at Islington but it depends where the work commute is.

Stoke Newington would be right up your street culturally speaking and is on the tube map these days thanks to the overground. I don’t have up-to-date knowledge of the schools, however.

Where does DH need to commute to?

I’m afraid in many areas you may find that faith schools are the best option locally (not just C of E, however - many of the areas mentioned have superb Jewish schools).

Kentish Town or Tufnell Park – very close to Hampstead and Primrose Hill, excellent schools, Hampstead Heath on your doorstep, and very good public transport into central London.

You can get the overground directly from Richmond to Hampstead Heath. We do that journey a lot to meet up with friends. Depending on where your husband needs to get to and based on your other requirements, I'd suggest that Richmond or Muswell Hill would tick all of your boxes. Highgate is nice too, but the state schools, especially secondary are not as good as MH. East Finchley is a nice family friendly area too. If he is working in the east of the city, places like Greenwich or Blackheath could be options too.

I work in Islington and love the area, some beautiful flats and houses around here and good connections.

Yes, one of the key deciders might be where your DHs work is. London is a massive city and it can take a really long time to go from one side to the other

If your son is 5 you won't be at standard entry point for schools. I'd check Camden, Barnet local authorities etcs list of schools with vacancies, if you want a state school. See which of them you would be happy with and it might help you narrow down options a bit more. Hampstead is nice but Finchley might offer a bigger family house.

Islington school are crap, so are most of Hackneys
you need north london
this one is near a great school, Coleridge
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-57607206.html