Recommendations for good areas for a 2 bedroom with a 1400 pcm budget?

Hi everyone!

I am hoping someone can help point me in the right direction. My wife, newborn son, and I are heading to London very soon. We will be in temporary housing with the company for the first month and we will need to find our place and move in by the end of the month. Company is covering only the temp housing and the relo agent in the UK.

I am being relocated from Japan and being placed as a local hire, so no housing assistance. The rates in London look to be astronomical, even when compared to Tokyo and what we are paying now for a central location. We are looking for a price range of around 1400 pounds per month.

A little about us:
him: American born and raised but spent the last 8 years in Japan
her: Japanese born and raised (first time to live aboard)
son: 2 month old

Since we are coming from Japan, we would obviously like a safe neighborhood to live in (as most people do), but it's higher on the priority list. I will be working in central london (5 minute walk from Picadilly circus), so a convenient commute (direct or 1 train change) and less than 50 minutes door to door would be ideal.

Am I dreaming of being able to pay 1400 pounds per month to live in a nice area in London? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Check out the area around the Ealing Common tube station as it has a large Japanese expat community including shops and restaurants. This may help your wife transition and Ealing Common serves the Piccadilly line which will be perfect for you. Good luck!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-39801047.html

Just wanted to second the Ealing area.  You should be able to find a decent enough 2-bed flat in the area. 

As for timings--I used to travel from South Ealing to Leicester Square via the Piccadilly line. My walk from home to S.Ealing is ~10 minutes, and from Leicester Square to work was ~7.    So door to door, the trip was about 50 minutes.

My OH works with a lot of Japanese and most seem to live in this area. 

Thanks all!

@Shandy! That is an awesome fine. I will need to look at these. So it looks like the rent is 1500 pcm. What can I expect for utilities and council tax in this area? Would that put me at about 1700 pcm?

Any other recommendations for perhaps non Japanese but safe areas that I can get a 2 bedroom around 1300-1400?

Thanks!

Any other recommendations for perhaps non Japanese but safe areas that I can get a 2 bedroom around 1300-1400?

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Borough_of_Kingston_upon_Thames . It has nice districts such as Surbiton, Norbiton, Tolworth, Motspur Park etc. 

Zoopla - http://www.zoopla.co.uk/ also browse rental properties there.   

Thanks all!

What can I expect for utilities and council tax in this area? Would that put me at about 1700 pcm?

£350-500 as a rough estimate for expenses including council tax and that's because
council tax varies by borough and is roughly based on the size and value of the property.

Your other expenses will probably include gas, electric, water, tv licence, phone, internet, mobile phone. 

I was just going to pop on here and mention Kingston. You could probably find yourself a little house for the amount you are looking for. Me, I'm a big fan of Surbiton and its lovely little village atmosphere. There's a quick rail service into town from Kingston, about 30 mins to Waterloo, change to the Bakerloo line to Piccadilly Circus. Easy. If you haven't already, take a look at tfl.gov.uk for tube maps.

You may also be able to find yourself a nice purpose built flat (larger than a conversion) in and around the Upper Richmond Road/Mortlake/East Sheen areas, the outer reaches of Richmond. Close to Richmond Park, lovely little high streets with all sorts of amenities. You just get some plane noise is all.

I'd also take a look around the south east. I don't know as much about it, however you'll get more for your money in Forest Hill than you will in Wimbledon, both in Zone 3. After seeing this I'm ready to move there:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-38218955.html

The wife and I visited Ealing Broadway the other day. Absolutely loved it. Loved the energy there, how safe it felt, and the abundance of supermarkets, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants and misc shops. So far this is the place that we fancy the best and seems as similar to the area we lived in Tokyo.

Does anyone have any other recommended areas that are similar to the Ealing broadway area and may have affordable housing in our budget range of 1200-1500 pounds per month?

Thanks all!