A Hong Kong family consider moving to Warrington

[mgmismicgmic]

Hi all, we are a HK family and we are thinking of moving to Warrington next year.

Having a few questions, would be great if anyone can share their experience with us.

1. Are the good/outstanding primary schools easily oversubscribe in Warrington? Which areas they usually locate on?
   

1. Is it easy to find a short-term rent property in Warrington? We plan to buy one after landed, so need a "tentative home" with furnitures before we can move in.
   

1. Having browsed on Mumsnet and learned Chapelford was not a very recommending area in 2 or 3 years ago, is it getting better now?
   

1. How is Great Sankey? I knew it has a new railway station nearby, is it a safe place for kid?
   

Thank you all~!

[Potionqueen]

Consider one of the towns/villages in Cheshire? Take a look at Nantwich. Good schools, train station so rail it to Manchester/Liverpool.

Good luck.

[mgmismicgmic]

@Potionqueen

Consider one of the towns/villages in Cheshire? Take a look at Nantwich. Good schools, train station so rail it to Manchester/Liverpool.

Good luck.

Thanks! I will look at this place

[mgmismicgmic]

@AldiAisleofCrap

I would choose South Liverpool rather than Warrington. There is a direct train to Manchester from Liverpool and much more to do.

Sounds good, do you mind sharing me the name?

[AldiAisleofCrap]

The train station is Liverpool South parkway. Areas in South Liverpool I would recommend are, some parts of Aigburth , Cressington, Mossley Hill, Allerton.

[AldiAisleofCrap]

And Woolton.

[Redcrayons]

I would choose South Liverpool rather than Warrington. There is a direct train to Manchester from Liverpool and much more to do

The direct train between Manchester and Liverpool goes through Warrington!

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

Manchester and Liverpool are not busy in the same way as Hong kong.
You might be pleasantly surprised.

That said, I live in a small town and love it (totally different area).
Not many jobs though.

Are you set on England?
Lots of work for a project manager with experience of cultural projects in Dundee, for example!

Best of luck with your move.

[mgmismicgmic]

@mencken

you won't get a short term (under six months) rental from any reputable landlord in England, unless it is a holiday let. This is due to our rental laws.

please read the document here which tells you about tenant rights and responsibilities in England.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent

any reputable landlord will do lots of checks on you and meet all the requirements. do not rent from anyone who does not. With no UK credit history, you will have a bit of a struggle to rent.

Oh that's a very important information! Thanks! No wonder I find so hard to find short term flat. So my only option is find a BnB here?

[AldiAisleofCrap]

@Redcrayons The direct train between Manchester and Liverpool goes through Warrington!
Yes it does , am not sure what your point is? Mine point was South Liverpool is nicer than Warrington.

[AldiAisleofCrap]

*my

[mgmismicgmic]

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

Manchester and Liverpool are not busy in the same way as Hong kong.
You might be pleasantly surprised.

That said, I live in a small town and love it (totally different area).
Not many jobs though.

Are you set on England?
Lots of work for a project manager with experience of cultural projects in Dundee, for example!

Best of luck with your move.

Yes very likely on England, and probably in the middle regions.

We used to look at Bristol, the houses are quite costly.

[Purplehairyphone]

For rentals, you may have better luck looking on Airbnb for a short term rental. Good luck with your move OP.

[mgmismicgmic]

@GreyGardens88

I heard the commute on the train between Warrington and Manchester is horrible. Are you set on Warrington to me it seems like a pretty unremarkable town and as a pp said the countryside around isn't very nice. If you're set on the NW I would choose Liverpool or South Manchester

What's wrong with the train?

[Embracelife]

Try Airbnb for short term

[mencken]

...but it will cost lots. In practice it could well take six months for you to buy a house, so you'll need that rental anyway.

I suggest a holiday home or airbnb when you arrive, then a six month rental.

please do read that guidance document. Most UK landlords are honest, most UK tenants are honest. But some of each group are not and bad landlords prey on ill-informed tenants. You see it a lot on here.

[breadcakebiscuits]

Agree with PP that you should take the rental anyway. As it’s not an a tourist area there won’t be many Air BnB listings, but I haven’t looked and could be wrong.

There are unscrupulous landlords but IME the letting agents are much better in the NW - it’s a much smaller market so there’s more trust between agents, landlords and tenants.

Rightmove is the website you need. Just put in Warrington and adjust the radius.

The stations on the line are not equal. Sankey station now has just two commuter trains to Manchester a day. If you go just a stop or two down the line to Hunts Cross or Widnes there are still three or four trains every hour. Warrington West is the main railway hub, with lots of trains in both directions, but the surrounding area is not the quiet green space you wanted. Don’t rely on buses to get you to trains. Except in the main towns there are very few services.

In your shoes I would rent a flat or small house in Liverpool or Manchester, and start there. The established Chinese community in those cities can help you settle, find work, schools etc. They may even be able to guarantee your tenancy for you if you don’t have a GB credit record, but Manchester in particular has a very cosmopolitan population because of the university, so you should find agents know which landlords are most helpful.

[Evelefteden]

@Alfiemoon1

I am in Thelwall and think it’s a lovely safe village with nice schools. House prices are slightly higher on this side of Warrington though

The next village over from me I’m in grappenhall

I love it here. It’s on the other side to Great Sankey and totally different. My kids go to school in great budsworth which is a beautiful rural area. No power stations

South Liverpool is a bit too industrial for me.

[BatleyTownswomensGuild]

Good Luck to you. I can't imagine how frightening it is living in HK right now.....

[RedCatBlueCat]

Manchester and Liverpool have some great Chinese communities (London and Birmingham are 2 more with big Chinese communities), so Warrington is a reasonable base. I dont know the area well enough to comment, but a 6 month rental wouldnt be excessively long. Unless you have the cash from the sale of a property in HK in order to buy outright, I very much doubt you will have the finances and credit history in the UK to have a house in a shorter time.

How old are the kids? That will affect school answers.

Good luck. Moving internationally is stressful. To do it in such a short timescale will be tough. Take it easy on yourself

[sashh]

Not sure if you have heard of the situation in Hong Kong now, sad to tell we don't have much time to get everything well prepared step by step.

Yes I'm aware of the situation, although it is grim the news about getting a UK passport must be welcome.

You might want to consider looking at council housing, depending on the changes proposed to immigration it might be an option at least for an initial home.

breadcakebiscuits

Not a very helpful comment, having had friends, family and work colleagues who have 'fled' (Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Zimbabwe and Chile) not all situations are the same and sometimes it is possible for one family member to travel while family stay behind.

[TW2013]

It can take months to buy a property in the UK - took us almost 6 months just due to paperwork, that is without any issues with mortgage. If you have enough money to pay a few months rent in advance it can be easier.

In terms of learning to drive there are intensive residential courses which it might be worth investigating. There are easier and harder places to pass pick a residential course in an easy place.

[Lostinengland]

Agree that maybe Airbnb for a few weeks, then 6m-1year rent, then you will know where you want to be or can ask questions with better local knowledge.

Maybe bring the minimum to live with with you and ship and store the rest for when you find a proper rental.

I’m so glad you’ve found mumsnet, you can ask anything here, about schools, grocery shopping, setting up bills, life and culture. Good luck in your journey.

[Pinkdelight3]

You can get serviced apartments on shorter lets than six months. We used similar for three months when we were having the house refurbed.
These kinds of places - www.ebutler.co.uk/

[Pinkdelight3]

(they cost more than longer term rents so six month rent might work out cheaper even if you don't stay there that long)

[Pieceofpurplesky]

I would look at places such as Frodsham
Or Northwhich (specifically Winnington Village for houses).
I am not a fan of Warrington and find the nicer areas more expensive.