Looking to move, any suggeations?

DH and I currently live in a flat in the Ealing area.  We pay 1k a month, not including council tax and utility bills.  The flat has a serious damp and mould problem.  It is very inefficient in regards to heating so we have to pay through the nose to keep it at a comfortable temperature or walk around in warm clothes; you can feel drafts coming in everywhere.  The water heater is also old, and we have to wait at least 30 minutes for the water to be warm enough to have a shower and enough of it has accumulated in the tank. Our commute is one hour and 45 minutes and involves four changes of various bus/tube combinations.  We get out at 6pm, so the time we are both home, and get dinner cooked, we literally only have time for dinner, maybe quick washing, and bed.  If we stay up to allow ourselves time to be together and do some leisure activities, we are both exhausted the next day because we were not able to get enough sleep the night before.

DH works at Charing Cross or Embankment, and I work at Russell Square, King's Cross, or Holborn. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for places to move?  We have heard from colleagues at work that rents are much cheaper if you go south or east.  Somone told me that rent for a one bedroom is only about 600 quid in Croydon and it takes about 45 minutes to get to central London.  Something like this would be nice, if the area is okay and all.  If the rent is that much cheaper, we can absorb an increase in travel costs.

I think this really depends on what type of neighborhood you are looking for?  Are you looking for urban or somewhere with more of a suburban feel?  We live in the furthest part of Surrey (on Hampshire border, which is lovely and leafy and suburban feeling) and even from there, I can get to Charing Cross in under 1:45.  

I think this website is really helpful: http://www.commutefrom.com/index.html

Look into Nunhead and Peckham Rye.  There is a direct train to St Pancras that takes 25 mins, and trains to London Bridge that take about 10 mins.  I used to rent round there and it's a nice area with pubs and eateries.

We live in Crystal Palace, and WE LOVE IT.

We pay 815 for a nice, warm, newly remodelled one bedroom flat with off street parking, in a Victorian building, and we pay 130 for council tax.

We live 4 minutes walk to the trains, and a 3 minute walk to the park, and a 6 minute walk to the centre of town.

We have great train links, including the Overground.

We have a huge, very cool park - look it up, it is a really cool park. Very unique! And, the park has a very affordable sports centre with a huge pool.

We have trendy cheese shops, cosy pubs, and gastro pubs, tonnes of cute cafes, several antique shops, 4 charity shops, several little clothing stores, hair salons galore, 2 bike shops, 2 veggie cafes, a great bookstore called Bookseller Crow, and a big Sainsbury's.

The area is high up on a hill, and we have a view of  London. You can see the Shard from the centre of town.

I have been told that the local schools are good, but I have no kids, so I cannot really personally comment on that. What I can tell you is, from what I have seen, that when school lets out, and the kids are all over town, they are very well behaved.

The area is also ethnically mixed, which I really like.

We have never felt 'unsafe' here.

They have regular community events, and they love to 'keep it local' and people are very friendly.

If you would like to come visit the area, PM me on here, and I will be happy to show you around.

Also, just down the hill from us is another area called Gypsy Hill, and it is super close (5 min walk to centre of Crystal Palace downtown area), but a bit cheaper - It is also nice there.

We looked in Croydon, and it seemed to really have no 'vibe', and parts of it were dodgy, so we ended up here, and we are VERY, VERY HAPPY with that choice.

Lewisham?

It takes about 20 minutes to get from Charing Cross to Lewisham by train, and the trains are frequent, about every 10 minutes, without changes during the commuting hours.

Your journey is about 35 minutes taking the DLR and changing at Bank.

Here's the sort of thing you could get in Lewisham, within five minutes walk from the station, for the same you're paying now -

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-36200041.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-31770922.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-39609734.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-36105835.html

It's a nice enough area, I know lots of people who really love South East London, and you're really close to lovely Greenwich for the weekends

When you hear of rent prices like this it really makes a mockery of having a nationwide minimum income for sponsorship.

Lewisham is a great area. My friend lives there, and loves it.

Many of the rental units in Lewisham are in more 'modern' buildings. (Modern, as in not Victorian, or Edwardian! LOL!)

Many are 1950's former council housing - So, they are often less drafty than many of the older buildings!

Unless you get an older one with *newer* windows - That was what we looked for and rented - good windows are important!