Where to live in London (or nearby)

[TKJ]

Hello Parents,

I am looking for advice about where to live in or around London with a child. We are looking for somewhere relatively safe, with green space, and good daycares and schools.

My partner and I and our 2.5 year old daughter are coordinating a move to London in January. We are both Americans but have been living in Germany for 4 years. My husband has a job (academic) that is exciting but doesn’t pay a lot so our budget will be around 1500. We will have visas connected to his work. We are really hoping for at least a one bedroom but dreaming of a little garden or a two bedroom. (We currently all make it work in a studio but it has a garden!). We are open to a commute obviously (but hoping to keep it at or under an hour from central London - Euston station) and I definitely would prefer some place that had a community vibe and as I said some easily accessible green space.

Any advice on where to look would be so so welcomed. So far I have identified North Chingford, Loughton, Buckhurst Hill, Epping as possibilities but really looking For anywhere else (north, east, south, west! Any of it good!)

also any advice on how to make it work with two jobs (I don’t have one but I will need one!) and daycare with longer commutes also welcome :) things to know etc.

I also any positivity/advice generally about London with kids will warm my heart. We love the city but I am extremely nervous about the move and there can be a lot of doom and gloom about living in London - right now I am looking less for warnings and more for advice about how to make it work in an expensive city! We have been living internationally for a while and the truth is everywhere we have looked to live - Europe and in the US seems pretty challenging with kids (and careers) but people make it work. So if you are making it work I would love to hear your wisdom.

thank you in advance

£1500 a month?

score London off your list
and indeed surrounding areas

One bedroom?

1500 isn’t getting you anything in those areas of Essex. You’ll need to go further, basically to somewhere on the mainline but not near a tube station.

£1500 would get you a two bedroomed house with garden in Ashford, which has a fast 38 minute train link to St Pancras (virtually next door to Euston).
But the trade off is huge commuting costs.

Will you be able to access childcare support or work within the terms of your visa?

What’s your total household income? You might be surprised how much people in London are spending as a % of their income on housing.

And - where does he need to commute to, as that makes a difference to where is sensible.

That budget is absolutely tiny - I'm sorry to say that you have no chance in securing what you want anywhere near London or the surrounding areas

Please could you clarify your housing budget: do you mean £1500 a month and rental? If so that’s a v low budget. Transport can also be expensive, so would factor that in.

If work is near Euston and you decide to look at the counties surrounding London for befter / cheaper housing options you might wish to look at commuting from areas with trains going into there or Kings Cross. If you commute coming into a station like Waterloo (southish) or Paddington (west) crossing London adds time/cost/hassle to the commute.

Prices of train travel from different commuting places vary a fair bit.

I loved living in London with small DC. Found it challenging to find adequate childcare, for us it was the main stress.

Move your search to south east London and you'll find something in Sidcup, Bromley, Bexley, Orpington all in zones 4,5 & 6. The overground trains go straight to Charing X, Victoria, London Bridge & Canon st in under 30 mins from there. Then it's a short tube ride to Euston. I set thr filter within 3 miles of Orpington on right move & here's what I found:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Orpington.html

If you’re saying near Euston I take it he’s at UCL. North London is much much much more expensive than south. But he can travel into Victoria or London Bridge, which are terminals serving south London and south of London) and get the tube up to Warren Street, for example (I was at UCL so I know the area!).

I don’t know anything about rental budgets though, so can’t help you there.

There are a few one bedroom flats around this price in the Honor Oak / Forest Hill / Sydenham / Catford borders areas. Not sure they’re the nicest flats but the area as a whole is ideal for this age kids, lots of green areas, groups and activities, good primary schools for London when you get there. You’d have to be super careful on streets and areas but I do think it would be possible. And the transport links are good and as its zone 3 not too expensive. (I spend about £9 a day to commute).

Those properties start with house shares do you really want to do that with a child, I wouldn’t?

is the 1500 for rent, what about bills?

Will you be working?

1500 is very low.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164870243#/?channel=RES_LET

This flat is a 1 bed with a shared garden right by Bromley South Station (zone 5) & takes 25 mins straight to either St Pancras, Victoria or Charing X.

You could find something in Epsom Surrey for that budget, just about but I don’t know how big it would be. Epsom is a town just outside London - it has train lines into 3 mainline stations including London Bridge ( if you need to go to East London). Schools here are very good ( all the primary schools are good and there are 2 single sex non selective secondary schools which perform well academically plus a couple of co-Ed schools. All our schools have uniform by the way). Loads of green spaces and parks. Epsom is not super exciting but a lot of people move here having been priced out of London so it’s not parochial. We have an art school ( University of Creative arts) and a well known dance / stage school so there are students around term time. Other areas around here which may work depending on your location Worcester Park ( lots of flats) Stoneleigh, Ewell, Banstead, Leatherhead. Chessington is cheaper but not as nice.

If Surrey is the wrong side of London for you I’d probably look at Kent.

I can't see how you can afford to do this and have any quality of life. Be very sure of your visa. Are you able to work?

Agree. As someone who lived there with a small child (and a very similar commute) it's great (personally, I would.avoid the dark depths of lower Sydenham, but that is a personal thing).

If it is UCL, they have a variety of thinga in place that might help you- check whether you are eligible for the relocation scheme that is in place, for example.

Or Lewisham / Hither Green - again be careful on exact roads and areas as some bits are nicer than others, but lots of investment going into Lewisham, the shopping centre is better than it looks and super good transport links. Or potentially could find something in Beckenham which is great for kids. The challenge is flats go super quickly for the most part so you will really need to be here already unless you want to start paying rent before you get here.

I would look at Epsom. Failing that look further away. You would love Alton, which has train connecting with London Waterloo.

Thank you this is sounding like what we are looking for

Euston is an easy walk from Kings Cross… with your budget maybe look down train lines into South east London which may fit your budget so via so Ravensbourne, Catford etc….

1500 or less is what we are looking to pay in rent. I am well aware it’s quite low hence looking for advice about communities that are commutable to central London (euston station). We are expecting very high childcare costs and commuting costs as well.

Op given your very small budget, I’m guessing money is tight

so you absolutely need to explore commuting costs before even considering an area

So £1500 month is actually your maximum?

Hardly anywhere in London you will find a 2-bed flat for less than 1800pcm. Bounds Green is a relatively cheap area and near very good school schools and also near the Piccadilly line.

Thanks, and yes it’s UCL and great tip about the relocation schemes thank you. Being foreigner we we are not always eligible for such things - but I am definitely going to investigate

How often will you need to be in London to work realistically? And how temporary would this first move be? Ie are you looking for somewhere to live until you settle and then move to somewhere once you have found your bearings?

If you only have to be in the capital once or twice a week for work, then your options expand significantly without too much of an uptick in commute costs. Reading, Slough, Swindon, Luton, Dunstable, Maidstone, Ashford etc or any of the surrounding villages. I don't know east of London well, so can't comment. But it is doable, and it is all about balancing out the budget.