Where to live

Hello everyone. New to the board. Looking very seriously at a position in England. I posted similar post in the transport section, but that was more about the logistics of getting around. The position I am looking at is located in Bracknell. We are used to city life and would prefer to live in central London. I have been looking around online at flats and it gets very confusing. So many areas and zones. From what I hear Paddington Station and Waterloo would be the easiest stops for commuting to Bracknell. That said, what would be the best areas to focus the search on. Ideally, we would like to spend around 1200 pounds a month. I anticipate travel to Bracknell to be 2-3 times a week. I would be willing to sacrifice a little commuting convenience for a better place to live. I welcome comments.

Hi eastcoast2uk,

From the sounds of it, you've decided that you want to live in London and have the commute out to Bracknell 2-3 times a week. This is fine of course, and Bracknell on South West trains route goes back to Waterloo as the big train station in London, so if you were to live around there, you know you'd have less underground and bus etc changes to do. If you choose an area or location close to some of the stops along the route of the train, they'd also be potentially suitable and as a general rule of thumb, the properties you'd rent would be larger - eg 2 bed flat instead of 1 bed in and around central London.

You are right about so many areas as London, greater London and the surrounding home counties of the South East of England are very densely populated and places are very close together. I think you'll need to look at maps, read up more opinions here on UKY, read independant reviews and look at property websites to filter the amount you'd like to spend and evaluate all options and make a shortlist based on your requirements.

I'd personally suggest living a little further out so that you have a quick ride into Central London whenever you feel like it, and the commute to Bracknell is shorter as well. The major positive being that most likely, your £1200 budget for rent will get you a nicer place to live in.

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Hello and welcome!

DTM makes some excellent points.  You might want to think about areas outside of London itself.

Have you considered Reading? It is a large, vibrant city with much to offer (great food, shopping, a football team with a stadium for concerts, even a Costco!)    Hubby used to work in Bracknell and we lived in Reading.  It was a very easy commute.

We lived in Lower Earley which is probably a bit too suburban for you, but there are many other areas to choose from.  A budget of £1200 could get you a detached house in the burbs or a swanky flat downtown by the river and close to Reading Station.  And the commute into London is a breeze!

Just something more to consider.  Best of luck!  

The suggestion of Reading is probably a good one.  To be brutally honest, your budget will not get you much in Central London and by that I mean Zone 1.  £1200 near Paddington might get you a studio.  Heavy emphasis on the might.  South of the river near Waterloo Station in areas like Kennington, Elephant and Castle and Lambeth, you have a better chance of finding a 1 bedroom.

London is about 659 square miles.  Get a tube map, train map and map of London to see what you're dealing with.  If you are set on living in London, look for places along the Northern and Jubilee Lines which both go into Waterloo.  The farther you get away from Central London and Zone 1, the more you get for your money.  The best way to know if a neighborhood is for you is to spend some time walking around.

Some property websites:

www.rightmove.co.uk
www.findaproperty.com
www.primelocation.com

Neighborhood info:

www.upmystreet.com

Just an fyi, and you may know this, but keep in mind you typically have to pay Council Tax each month in addition to the price you are quoted for rent (if the tax is included, the listing will probably say it's inclusive of council tax). So if your rent is 1200, you may have to also pay something like 150 council tax on top, so that's 1350 you need to have in your rent budget each month. (The tax rate differs, so it may be less, but you'd want to make sure and ask).