Is northolt, west london an okay area to live?

[paige8039]

Im considering buying a property to live in the area. It's a 1 bed top floor maisonette, £240,000, no service charge, 945 year lease

I often drive through it and feel glad I don't live there! Loads of traffic and nothing particularly nice. Look a bit further out, there are nicer parts of Harrow or Pinner which might be affordable?

Not really.

It’s an OK place to live if you want to be in Greater London and have £240k to spend.

Personally, I’d rent more centrally or move out of London

Pinner and Northolt are both zone 5, Harrow straddles zone 5 and zone 4 and some parts are little different from Northolt.

OP: do you know the area at all? Its not leafy suburbs like eg nearby Pinner, Ruislip, Ickenham but its changed a lot in recent decades simply because its more affordable. You simply won’t get a maisonette in the leafy areas for that price, you might get a small flat if location is more important that size/lease length. You could look at Uxbridge if you want to go further out.

Have a wander around and see how you feel about it, look at local services and transport and see if that covers your needs. Then decide if the maisonette in Northolt is a better option for you than something smaller in a slightly leafier area.

Not really. It's just an extremely nondescript suburb. I doubt there's anything especially exciting or stunningly beautiful there. Maybe it's near some nice green spaces?

I'm sure there's plenty of decent enough quality housing. It's barely London in my eyes so wouldn't be my cup of tea.

£240k seems expensive for the location unless it’s a huge / very swanky flat?

And no service charge? That seems odd. What happens when the roof needs replacing?

It's a maisonette rather than a flat which ups the price.

If its the place I think it is then it is by the parks and in the leafier, low rise area - this also ups the price compared to the areas. This area has gone up a ot in price over recent decades. Assuming I’m correct the only cheaper comparable maisonette there needs gutting and a full refurb.

For maisonettes the situation for major works and buildings insurance is usually defined in the lease - definitely needs to be understood but not unusual to have no direct service charge.