Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

I used to live 10-15min from the office.

Had sprog & moved to Cambridgeshire.

Commute takes 60 mins by motorbike & 80 mins by car. Distance is 65 miles & I work in Wapping, between City & Docklands. Try Harlow or Bishops Stortford areas. Both have trains into the city (Liverpool St) or M11 commute @ c. 30 miles to Docklands/City

Our house was in Bow. On street parking only. Used to rent a 2 bedroom flat out in Clapton (dodgy area of Hackney) for £550 pcm (couple years ago). That also had on-street parking. No tube access, though a train service into the city was 15 mins walk. Tube & bus access never bothered me as I had a bike/car at all times!

You may possibly get a flat in the docklands area with parking, but don't bet on it. Have a look at Rotherhithe/Surrey Quays. Recent Jubilee line extn makes these more viable.

Docklands is OK but anti-septic - hardly any amenities and empty at w/ends.

Jerome

There are pros and cons to living in Central London against living a bit further out and commuting.

Living right in the centre is very expensive. Where I live it is £170 a week for a studio flat (with 5ft high ceilings upstairs!) . However, I love the fact that I'm so close to work, and there is a buzz in central London that I've not experienced anywhere else (NY excepted). I have saved myself 2 hours a day by moving to Central London and I think my spare time is worth the extra expense (even for a smaller place). I also lived in Highbury/Islington a while back. Lovely place to live (when Arsenal aren't playing at home). Virtually as expensive as right in the centre, but takes longer to get into work. Apparently the buses (whatever they are) are good from here. Also Islington High St is a great place for socialising.

If you decide to live further outside London, do not live anywhere where you have to use South West Trains. I commuted from Farnborough to London for 5 years and the service is appalling. The Reading via Bracknell line is even worse. The service North and East of London is much better (faster/more frequent/cleaner/more reliable etc). Herts/Essex/Kent would be where I would start looking. Also, the closer to London, the higher the rent. Places within easy walking distance of train stations attract a premium. I would be very reluctant to leave any nice car in a BR station car park. Professional car theives regard these as an easy source of nice cars. The CCTV might as well not be there. They also know it will be several hours during the working day where there will be very few people about.

I would also check the price of car insurance wherever you decide to live before committing. Some areas outside London are more expensive than the centre.



[This message has been edited by Jerome (edited 28 August 2001).]

AndrewW

Hi All,

Due to my current contract ending in a couple of weeks, and the current ecomonic downturn meaning that there are virtually no decent IT jobs in Edinburgh, I am looking at the possibility of moving to London.

I know that a lot of you guys live down there and I had a few general (and a few specific) questions.

The jobs that I am looking at are all based in the center of London.

I am spoilt at the moment, and live in the center of Edinburgh, just 10 minutes walk from the castle.

I am told that it is possible to live just outside London and commute to the city centre in about an hour.

What sort of areas should I be looking at, what would I expect to pay to rent and just how bad is the commute (by train I assume?) into the city ?

The other option I have looked at is getting a flat in the docklands area. I know that this will be more expensive, but with the obvious convenience of being closer to work.

Does anyone on here live in the docklands area ? If so, what's it like to live there ? Is it possible to get a flat with a parking space (gotta have somewhere for the scoob) ? What sort of money is reasonable for a two bedroom flat in this area ?

Last but not least, can anyone recommend any rental agencies (preferably with good websites) ?

Please feel free to answer directly to the email address in my profile if you prefer.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Andrew.

Neil Smalley

Don't live in London. It's TOO expensive.
Move further out to the surrounding area. Herts, Essex,Surrey etc etc. MUCH Cheaper accomodation and only 25-30 mins away.
Get a map, and draw a circle around london, with the upper end of the circle at Baldock, in Herts and the lower end at Guildford, Surrey. Anything within this radius is about an hour away(including tube) from central london

I don't travel in everyday, but when I do go in, it's do-able.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Andrew

Neil is right! Not only will it cost you a fortune to live there but your car insurance will go sky high, ask Blow Dog about his quote of 18K!!!

I used to live in Islington, it was a 10 minute drive from the city but could take anything up to an hour to get there! Unless you lived somewhere like Docklands (hugely expensive) you'd probably be lucky to get off street parking, the alternative being parking permits which cost a lot and don't guarantee you a space

I now live in East Herts, it's a 40 ish minute train journey to Liverpool St station and I live 5 mins from the station this end. We're surrounded by open countryside and fast A roads but not very far from civilisation at all!

Sal

AndrewW

Thanks for the replies.

Jerome has hit the nail on the head.

I would rather pay a bit more (or a lot more by the sound of it) to live close to work and have an extra 2-3 hours of time to myself each day.

I've seen 2 bedroom flats in the docklands area for around £280 - £300 pw (reputeably with a parking space).

I know this is expensive, but if it frees up 10-15 hours of my time a week, then it sounds pretty reasonable.

Please keep the suggestions coming. I'm still not totally sold on the idea of moving, its just far too nice up here in sunny Edinburgh And the roads, mmmm

Andrew.

IanWatson

Andrew,
Have a look at the area round Clapham Junction/Northcote Road,
great location for City (10 mins to Waterloo), fantastic area for pubs/bars/restaurants, plenty of open space (Wandsworth and Clapham Common).
Rent for a two bedroomed place probably 1100 - 1400 per month, but it's Zone 2 travel, parking is OK (resident permits from Wandsworth council cost around 30 quid last year).

Oh - and I'm selling a one-bedroomed flat in the area if you're interested ;-)

Brendan Hughes

Sounds like you're less interested in commuting, but if you are, steer clear of Connex South East (and possibly South Central). They just lost their franchise, but don't change for another year or so.

BJH

AndrewW

Ian,

Thanks for the kind offer

Unfortunately, the wife and I will be returning to Australia in January 2003, where we will have to endure untold misery as we re-adjust to seeing the sun for more than ten minutes at a time ...

So I'm afraid renting is the only answer for us at the moment.

Andrew.

father_jack

Hi Andy - I'm in Edinburgh and have previously done the London thing for a couple of years - back here now tho (hurrah).
Don't do the live cheap and commute option - thats bollox (it will kill you) - I lived 5 mins walk from my work when I was down there. Plus London is mental fun so you want to be in it at the weekends.

The east end/docklands are the best bet. You'll be looking at £800min a month for a flat with a parking space (they do cheeky PCM rentals i.e. 28 days not a whole month so add on 10% to any quoted price). I got a flat in Wapping with nice views of Tower Bridge for that. All the modern flats/houses have parking, often underground.
Also you have easy access to Kings Cross for trains (not dorty whooers!) and London City airport is about £8 in a cab.
Anyway - I presume you've got a LTD. co. so get a nice flat and claim it on the co. and give it the big-un in Laaandaan.
p.s. do not ever EVER go south of the river.

Mike Burton

I moved to Finchley around 3 years ago. Nice area (apparantly). Cost a fortune to live down there. Hated the place in fact. Managed 9 months, before I moved back up north. I ventured South of KingsX on just two occasions for social reasons. Hated it. Too many people. The tube is an absolute nightmare at peak times IMHO.

Like you say, if work is only available down there, then you've gotta do it, but make sure its the type of place you want to live before doing it. My sister lives down there.... somewhere, and loves it. Repeats many of the comments made above about "happ'nin" etc. I hated it most of the time.

My rent was £400 per month on a room in a house.

--
mike

WillieF

Go on Andrew usethe bbs and give us your skillset you never know someone up here might find you a job that will keep you in the way you have become accustomed

AndrewW

OK Willie,

Since you asked so nicely

Bachelor of Science (Honours) majoring in Computer Science from the University of Sydney, Australia.

7 years commercial development experience.
7 years c++ experience.
6 years Oracle experience.
3 years web development experience.
2 years Java experience.

In that time I have worked in Financial Markets, Communications, Manufacturing, B2B E-commerce and Equities Research.

Been working at Sun Microsystems in Linlithgow for the past year.

Looking for another contract preferably using Java/JSP/Oracle/Web technology.



Andrew.

WillieF

you have mail

matt d

Well I've lived in 3 places near the City in the last 3 years, so got a reasonable knowledge of the area I don't like London but if you live there the centre is the place to be. IMO either live slap bang in the centre, or not in London at all (outskirts are not close enough and not cheap enough - might as well commute from Herts etc).

Docklands has improved a bit but is still a hole IMO. For not much more money you can live on the City borders which should be 10-15 mins walk to work max (or go a bit further, 15 mins by cab or tube). Absolutely tons of bars, restaurants, clubs, music etc. You can find quiet spots too, since the area is still not very residential - my last flat overlooked a beautiful church, no noise except for birds in the evenings, very peaceful yet 5 mins walk to loads of bars etc.

For a 2 bed flat there you are looking at 1250-1700 p/m depending on quality, modern ones have underground parking (essential if you have a car IMO). You will save 90-120 minutes a day, have no commuting expenses, and avoid crowded public transport hell. (Forget about trying to drive to work btw).

IMO best value for money areas are just east of the city. Some spots are still rough but there are a couple of nice places if you look around. Try near Spitalfields Market, Shoreditch, Aldgate, Whitechapel tube. Pay a bit more and get Clerkenwell, Islington - "nicer" but more expensive.

For nightlife Clerkenwell & Shoreditch are fairly good but a bit trendy, Camden & Islington are 10-15 mins by cab/tube and a bit more down to earth. No need to go further - I hardly go to the West End at all now.

If you want to save money, living further east (Stratford, Ilford etc) or north will gain about £4-5k a year, but will cost you an extra hour a day, plus it is not a nice place to live IMO - you'll have problems keeping a scoob there, crime is higher etc. On a London IT salary I would prefer to pay the extra £££ for quality of life.

Good luck and email me if you want more info.