First Flat in Romford..opinions?

[Nady91]

Hello everyone,
My partner and I are buying a flat in Romford, near London road. I have been there a couple of times and it didn't look so bad. The village seemed nice, it has shopping centres, a cinema and a 24h gym. Schools seem fine too. Is someone living in Romford now? How is it? I have read articles that say it is a nice area and articles that say it is the worst. I believe in London all areas are mixed, there is no good or bad. However, I would like to have some honest opinion from people living in Romford now.
Thank you

First - get this pushed over to "Property"

Romford is "News" but often for the wrong reasons .

There is good shopping to be had and in London Road you're quite central . Easy enough to get the Lakeside , Westfield Stratford .M25

Traffic is busy (and some of the most idiot drivers known to mankind)

School catchments can vary and a school can go from Outstanding to Good/Needs Improvement quite quickly .
There will be many new flats being built (re furbishing some now at Waterloo Road) and near Queens Hospital and the Industrial Estate at Homebase . This will add to traffic/parking/schools/GPs caseload

Crime levels are a worry yes . My DS says Romford Station is always heaving with Police at night .
Go onto some local resident WhatsApp type reviews .

Having said this I love the place ( and it ain;t a Village , though plenty of Village Idiots )
Good few parks
And once CrossRail gets it;s act together .......
No Underground that;s the only downside but easy enough to get to either Central or District .

I don't venture out at night personally but at my age I have no reason to be out late .

I know people on "Property" rave about Walthamstow/Leytonstone/Leyton but they;re way much more crowded

Think about re-sale value and what attracts you to this flat , is it attractive to another buyer ?.

And loads of gyms
Sapphire&Ice
One in the Brewery (PureGym)
One near Sainsbury (Nuffield)
Fitness First (near Lidl)
and one in the market (cannot remember the name)

Thank you for this. I don't know hoe to push this to property though . The flat is almost new and it is attractive to other buyers (long long lease, good furniture). It is our first property so I thought that with crossrail coming up the value of the flat could increase

Have you been there at different times of day and night? Where do you live now so people can make a comparison. There are many flats in Romford so I'm not sure the value will go up much but you will be close to shops and station so it will always hold its value and rise with general property price rises. I too think 'village' is totally the wrong description.

Hi there, @Nady91 - we've now shifted your thread over to Property/DIY. Good luck with your move!

I guess it really depends on what you're used to and where you're moving from. I live close to Romford and have grown up nearby. I've always felt safe there, but admittedly haven't been there much since covid.

As far as public transport goes, it's amazing. Can get the fast train to Stratford in 9 mins, then pick up the central line. As London goes, I don't think it's a bad area at all.

I have to agree with other posters though... it's definitely not a village

Shopping in Romford is OK, the market isn't worth bothering these days.

Queens Hospital has a bad reputation, hugely in debt and poor outcomes.

Good bus services including night buses, trains good and will be better when Crossrail opens (only 4, 5 6 years late...).
London Road is busy with traffic all the time, it's never quiet - I wouldn't live directly on the main road, but I live on a road off it (a bit further into London).
Romford town centre is dodgy at night, I wouldn't go into any of the pubs after about 6pm.
I don't know anything about schools.

It is our first property so I thought that with crossrail coming up the value of the flat could increase

This is unlikely. The Crossrail related price increases were baked into property prices years ago when Crossrail was first announced/started (almost a decade ago).

Romford is absolutely fine. Good shops, entertainment, parks etc...

Thank you!

I recently moved to Romford on a road off of London Road and so far so good, our road is nice & quiet - transport into London is brilliant from both Romford & Chadwell heath, trains come every 5 mins or so. I have to admit I haven't really been around Romford station late at night so I'm not to sure about the area in the evenings but during the day seems absolutely fine & safe.

I always found the nightlife in Romford quite comforting actually. I was never nervous getting a bus from the station alone in the early hours, as it was always busy. I'd be far more nervous doing the same in a quieter area.

I used to live in Romford until a few years ago - Collier Row actually.

Can't say I ever felt unsafe at night, though I didn't go pubbing & clubbing.

Shops are pretty good, we didn't often feel the need to go to Lakeside or Westfield. The latter accessible without a car from Romford by train.

Trains to London pretty good, change at Stratford for Central Line then 1 stop to Mile End for District will get you just about anywhere in London.

Buses also not bad, but all the better if you are in walking distance of the town centre, especially if you can manage without a car. But parking was reasonable, unlike Reading where I am now - Labour council milks the car parks for every penny they can get.

Seems nice enough BUT the traffic is horrendous. Takes forever to get out of the area and loads of stop start traffic on a12.