Last minute move to London...........what neighborhhood??!!

Hello there,

We are moving to London for 6 months from Budapest in January and are in need of some advice....My wife, baby and I are moving there, looking for a 2 bedroom flat now in or around South Kensington. Our monthly budget is around 1600-1700 pounds and would like a place close to the tube, some green, shops/restaurants etc. Any specific advice on neighborhhods/areas within South Kensington? Even Earl's Court, Baron's Court maybe....

Since this is our first move, we really appreciate any help you could give us!

Thank you in advance,

Zsolt

Hi Zsolt,

At this level of the Rental market your budget means you can choose some extremely desirable locations, Kensington, Chelsea, Maida Vale, Earls Court, St Johns Wood etc etc.  These are areas close by to South Kensington. You don't have to worry too much about being near to the tube, shops/restuarants  etc, everything is within walking distance or at least a very short bus/taxi ride away. Each of those areas has a tube station and are close by to main artery roads leading into central and as well as connecting to the circular and great west roads etc etc.

Take a look at www.rightmove.co.uk - you can search specific areas and rental levels according to how much you'd want to spend.

I actually live over by Slough/Heathrow area and so I dont know specifics about the area(s) you're looking at, except to say they are definitley the higher range and generally very well to do, safe, desirable locations - You won't really go wrong living around those areas basically !!

Hope this helps !

Cheers! Dennis! West London UK!!

I actually have to disagree with Dennis...you have a rather small budget for those areas to get a two bed apartment...I know it's crazy but it is true.  The areas you are talking about are amongt the most expensive...I did a search for there and only saw 4 properties listed which is not much.   When I looked with my flatmate for a place for the same price range in a less expensive area we struggled a bit to find a decent flat...it took a while.  So - are there other areas you'd be willing to check out or are you wedded to that area?

i'm with one tiger on this...but unfortunately have no advice.

what other areas can you look in?  i know my good friends are moving out of their 2BR in Kensington and it was £475 a week.

Wimbledon, Clapham or even Putney might be a good place to look - green, family-friendly but not as pricey as Kensington/Chelsea.

Not that I have any advice, but did the OP mean £1600 HOUSING budget or total budget? What percentage of a total monthly budget is usually allotted to rent in London? Does the 1/3 rule apply there?

Hmmm,
I just logged into the rightmove website and did the following - Rentals, typed 'South kensington', chose 'this and 1 mile around' , flats & apartments, 2BR and max PCM as £1750 - it's come back with over 100 listings!! Some of the listings look absolutley fabulous! lots of refurbished apartments, some brand new developments for around £350-400 Per week! I can't see any of those being 'crappy' or 'not very good' - whilst I don't know individual street names that alot of them mention, I can't imagine the 'general area' as being anything 'lower down' in the range of London areas!

I see what courtney meant with the 'deciphering' of the OP's description if that was a total budget or simply just the rental budget they have available - I've read the prior sentence and I'm understanding it as the 'rental budget' - If he means thats their total budget for everything, then it seems those areas are pretty much out of the running!

Cheers! Dennis! West London UK!!

I did the 1/2 mile range so perhaps that's why there was a difference...but I would also encourage the OP to check out the locations...I've lived in St Johns Wood (ex-council flat for £1500/mo) and there are places even there that I wouldn't want to live - yes, even the posh neighborhoods have a few scary streets!  I'd hate for someone to look at the website, see what appears to be a cool new place but then find out it's in the midst of a not so nice area.

What percentage of a total monthly budget is usually allotted to rent in London? Does the 1/3 rule apply there?

IME, it needs to be much higher than the usual 1/3.

Also, to the original poster, don't forget Council Tax. It can be a significant chunk of change. I used this website to check council tax for places we were considering:

http://www.voa.gov.uk/

Good Luck with your search.

IME, it needs to be much higher than the usual 1/3.

Thats what I was suspecting. OK Londoners.....approx what percentage of your take home are you budgeting towards housing? Inquiring minds want to know. 

Definitely more than 1/3 but less than 1/2 when you include rent, council tax and other household bills.

I would try zone 2, more bang for your buck.   If you have some time, look in Loot or thegumtree or moveflat.  I just looked at rightmove and was not impressed with the selection.  I am moving to NW London though, not as desirable an area.

I live in NW London and love it...I'd also suggest looking at Golders Green - has good links to the city via Northern Line and MANY links via bus

You could try Battersea/Wansdworth.  There is a lovely big park, you could be very near the river, there are some great properties within your budget, and you'll have the lowest council tax in the country. It is zone 2, but transport links into town are brilliant.

Victoria