No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Dowbocop wrote:Snowcannon wrote:No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Making the biggest move of my life! From Liverpool to London. I start my new job in London on the 1st of October but haven't found anywhere to rent yet. Any advice would be much appreciated from those who have rented in London.
I'll be working in Elephant & Castle however do not want to live there as I heard it isn't too nice. I like Greenwich but feel the commute might be too long. Anyway guys any advice you can provide would be great i.e. locations, rent privately or agents etc
Also is it really that competitive? I heard you have like half a dozen people after each available room so you end up having to be interviewed by the current flatmates/landlord.
Yes it is very competitive. If you go for flatmate-listed adverts then most likely you will be 'interviewed' and they choose whoever they like the most. For agent/landlord-listed adverts, it tends to be first-come first-serve, which is easier but then you run a higher risk of not getting on with your roommates.
Greenwich is certainly a nice area, but bear in mind it is very touristy. That may grind after a while.
How long of a commute are you willing to accept? What is your rental budget? What kind of area are you looking for? The suggestions made so far for areas are pretty sound.
Though if you go for Clapham/Balham, the Northern Line is pretty horrendous at rush hour. You could also look into Herne Hill, 2 stops from E&C, a nice area with a good park on your doorstep.
It's a miracle nobody dies falling off the central platform at the Clapham stations. I rented in Colliers Wood for a year in 2013-14 and getting on the tube there was okay as it was just before the daily Tooting pile on, but it was getting busier. Again, my wife used her brother's car less than a dozen times in a year when we were there. I know you're a bit of a car fan but I wouldn't say it was worth it.
Herne Hill and Streatham are nice areas. Beckenham is very quiet and verdant too. When I worked in London I could get from Camden (north side of Zone 2) to Orpington (Zone 6) in 90 mins (door to door, i.e. including 20 minutes walking to my work at Orpington). If you're good at catching trains on time then you can do some long journeys quite quickly.
Thanks! I just heard from my sister to avoid overground/national rail and instead make sure I stick to a tube station because on weekends the trains are unreliable and may not be running a good service. Is this true?
The Overground is very reliable in my experience, every fifteen minutes on the dot. It was garbage when I was a kid but since they did it up it's very good. I only ever use it at the weekend to visit my sister and it's punctual. There was a big planned upgrade project in the past couple of years which certainly knocked out the Golders Green-Walthamstow route for a long old while. That may cloud her judgment.
Like everyone though, I'll only have detailed experience of a very small part of the network so my experience might be very different to someone living in Richmond or Peckham. The buses are good as well though, so if, say, your closest NR line is shut and there's no replacement bus service, you could potentially go to along a different line and get the bus across. It all depends on where you live, but a lot of places will have multiple train/tube links if you're not averse to a short/medium walk or a bus journey.