Looking for an affordable nice place to live for London/Maidstone commute

[Tortoise7]

Hi all, I am moving back to London after a failed attempt at living in Newark and commuting to central London. My husband got a job in Maidstone and we need too move back to London, but I can't find a place that is affordable for us (looking for a rent of less than 1800... Is that impossible?), where people are diverse and inclusive, and it's within commuting distance of both London and Maidstone. I read here that Maidstone is not very nice...

About me: I am 40 and still haven't been able to find a place to settle down and get a mortgage, and I really want to find the place for us. We lived with my in-laws when we were in London first, but they live in Richmond and that is completely unaffordable for us. I was happy in the beggining when we moved north to Newark because everything is much cheaper, but after spending some time here I don't like it at all (sorry if you are local), and I am scared of a repeat. I used to live in Sheffield and loved it there, but my husband works in heritage and the opportunities outside London are almost nonexistent.

Any advice would be appreciated ❤️

is he going to go by train? Then why not live really pretty centrally (I don’t think you could afford Lambeth, but maybe Southwark - Camberwell for instance for a 1 bed flat) and embrace London for a bit rather than trying the suburbs proper? Lots of creative types. Otherwise the nice areas out that way are Bromley/Beckenham which might be a little bit like Richmond.

You can get trains from Bromley South to Victoria and Maidstone East.

Trains from Bromley South to Maidstone and fast trains in the other direction to London Victoria mean you could start your search around there. Beckenham is nearby and has more flats to rent and I can see on Rightmove there are a couple within budget but you'd have to connect via Bromley South to get to Maidstone.

People generally commute into the big city, as it pays better and property is cheaper out a bit. This seems to be the opposite, so it is not surprising you are struggling wiyh budget. Do you have a job in London already? If so, which station do you need? Are you planning on living in London long term, or will you need to move out again to buy? Have you actually considered Maidstone, or are you just going by what you have heard? Would it make sense to Airbnb or cheap hotel there for a few days to actually try it? Then your husband would potentially cut the commute costs for saving for mortgage.

Just go to Maidstone for the weekend and explore it and visit estate agents who'll give you the low down on the best areas to suit you

Thanks everyone! I forgot to clarify that I am working in central London, and he will be working in Maidstone. I work from home some days, so I don't need to go to the office every day, which helps

Check out Penge. It's commutable to both Maidstone and central London, it's diverse and has an amazing community, great schools and lots of green spaces but still cheaper than other areas as not yet discovered.

I live in Kent. Maidstone is fine! You could live pretty much anywhere in Kent and be able to commute to Maidstone or London.

Maidstone is far nicer than some of the areas of London that are being proposed! It's a green county town on the river, huge park, you can meet most of your shopping/amenity needs in town or otherwise get to Bluewater in under 30 mins. On the outskirts, there are lovely old fashioned villages and village pubs.

Still a smattering of good independent cafes etc amongst the chains. The best nightlife in this part of Kent. Maidstone is less safe than it was a decade ago, but that's mainly BECAUSE of people moving out or travelling in from South London, it's a lot safer than Camberwell or Penge!

It's also a darn sight cheaper to buy somewhere - you can get a 3 bed terrace with a garden for the same as a cardboard box in South London. There are fast trains from Maidstone West to Kings Cross during the week. If you have children, one factor to consider is that it has a grammar school system, but it has good schools and there's plenty to do with little children - lots of community groups, farms etc.

How big a property do you need?

South Norwood has excellent connections and is still relatively affordable. Definitely not Richmond but worth looking at if price and connections were a priority.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150991178#/?channel=RES_LET

I live in Kent in a village with a commuter train into Victoria. Look at some of the sole street train stations and work out from there. Easy to get to Maidstone too

You could have a final ball in South East London: agree about Penge; Beckenham is nice, Bromley South would be convenient. If you want "London" I don't know whether the old "East End" is priced out nowadays: Mile End, Bow, Poplar.

However as a Maid of Kent (and from East Kent), I'd look at some of the Maidstone Villages: Bearsted and Smarden for example, or venture further for vfm and look at Faversham.

I used to live in Kent ( near Sole Street actually) and agree with others, who suggest considering Kent to live in.

Other places to consider Paddock Wood, Headcorn, Marden, Staplehurst. All have stations with direct trains to London.

I know Maidstone (and areas to the south-east of it) quite well. Like any place, there are good and bad parts of the city. Bearsted is nice (as is nearby Penenden Heath) but train to London is 1hr 15mins. Plenty of nice villages surrounding it, though those to the north are dearer. Large towns nearby include Rochester (20 mins drive from Maidstone; train links include faster service into St Pancras), which I quite like, though don't know it too well. Ashford has good rail links to capital (38 mins fast service to St Pancras), and is cheap and very diverse but again there are nice and not so nice areas. Really depends what your other wants and needs are...

I'm near sole street and it's lovely here.! Five minute walk to the station, into London in 40 minutes in a morning and short drive to Maidstone

I grew up near Maidstone, Larkfield, my auntie still lives there. I visited her a couple of weeks ago.

the green belts at Aylesford and West Malling are being built on. Currently Aylesford A20 is a nightmare. Basically it’s very very built up.

my cousin rents in Ditton for £1200 but all she’s been a tenant there for five years and apparently that is a low rent, and she says there’s very little to rent anyway. She likes Ditton. Lots of supermarket choices within ten minute drives. Also right on the junction for M20 motorway.

trains to London from West Malling and Barming.

you may be better looking Gravesend, Northfleet as that might give you an easier commute but rents are probably higher. Might be worth looking Rochester area too.

I definitely wouldn’t move back to Maidstone but I love being out in the sticks and Maidstone is very much a concrete jungle in my opinion.

From a buying perspective my other cousins are buying in Harrietsham/Lenham and surrounding area.

Most people will live in Maidstone and commute to London. It’s much cheaper that way.

Depending on where he works in Maidstone, you’ll need to be on either the Maidstone East line (out of Victoria) or the Paddock Wood line (out of London Bridge, Waterloo, Charing Cross).

The Weald side of Maidstone is the nicest in my opinion. And it puts you closer to Tunbridge Wells which is much nicer for shopping and restaurants than Maidstone.