Moving To/Living In London Megathread - ALL QUESTIONS TO GO HERE

silvervixen84

Rickmansworth is so pretty. I was considering living there when I moved over with my friend, but we decided on Ruislip in the end.

What about somewhere like Chiswick or Ealing?

djpbarry

djpbarry wrote: »

St. Alban's is supposedly one of the most expensive places in the country to live, so that may not be an option. Potters Bar is completely dead. There is literally nothing there. If you need to be commuting into Euston (or that general area), then Surrey/Sussex doesn't really make sense.

So, how about somewhere in the vicinity of Watford? Rickmansworth, for example, is quite nice.

My friend lives in Sussex and he can get into Kings Cross (then a short walk to Euston area) in under 45 mins. Not bad at all. I have checked out Potters Bar and it looks pretty rubbish. I've looked at Rickmansworth as well but a bit concerned about the massive Tube journey - I'd rather take an overground service than have to stand for an hour on the tube each way. Looks lovely, though and am considering it, although the flats still seem very expensive? I see Chorleywood has overground service as well as the Tube. Haven't looked at Chiswick or Ealing at all yet. Pretty much going through every place in or near London, bit by bit! I swing from 'fck it, let's just live in Muswell Hill' to 'what about St Alban's? Really hard to make a decision.

Louche Lad

Gerald Curved Elevator wrote: »

My friend lives in Sussex and he can get into Kings Cross (then a short walk to Euston area) in under 45 mins.

The only way I think your friend can get to King's Cross from Sussex in 45 minutes is by getting the Gatwick Express from Gatwick and then the Victoria Line and only if he was very lucky. You certainly can't do it in that time from Horsham or Haywards Heath or somewhere else people live.

Louche Lad

Louche Lad wrote: »

The only way I think your friend can get to King's Cross from Sussex in 45 minutes is by getting the Gatwick Express from Gatwick and then the Victoria Line and only if he was very lucky. You certainly can't do it in that time from Horsham or Haywards Heath or somewhere else people live.

You definitely can. I've done the commute myself with him 3 or 4 times. It takes 45-50 minutes between getting on the train and arriving at Kings Cross. He's on the Brighton main line but not as far out as Haywards Heath. It's not the best commute in the world, but it's a lot better than I imagined it'd be when he told me he was moving out there. Trains run 24 hours and go at least every 10 minutes, meaning the service is actually better than the Underground. That's when everything runs smoothly, though. I wouldn't fancy being that far out myself.

exiledelbows

Gerald Curved Elevator's right. There's a very regular First Capital Connect service from Brighton to Bedford that runs via London Bridge, Farringdon and Kings Cross/St Pancras. FCC's stock is ancient though and from doing the parallel commute from Brighton (to Victoria) for six months it's notoriously unreliable.

djpbarry

Gerald Curved Elevator wrote: »

My friend lives in Sussex and he can get into Kings Cross (then a short walk to Euston area) in under 45 mins.

Sure, when the trains are running, which they frequently are not. It's one of main reasons I'm always hesitant for fly into/out of Gatwick: if the trains aren't running, you're screwed.

Gerald Curved Elevator wrote: »

I've looked at Rickmansworth as well but a bit concerned about the massive Tube journey - I'd rather take an overground service than have to stand for an hour on the tube each way.

Rickmansworth has an overground line to Marylebone (same line Chorleywood is on) - not ideal, but not a million miles from Euston either. You can also get an overground from Watford straight into Euston. So that's three options.

I'm not trying to big up Rickmansworth in particular here - I pretty much just picked it at random as one of the places north of London that I sort of know. But, the point is that if you move out M25 sort of distance from central London, commutes tend to get a little complicated. But, it's a bad idea to leave yourself reliant on only one means of getting into the city, not matter how good it might look on paper.

Gerald Curved Elevator wrote: »

Looks lovely, though and am considering it, although the flats still seem very expensive?

Relative to where? You'll get a two-bed flat in Rickmansworth for less than a one-bed flat in zone 2 or 3.

enda1

Somewhere like Woking or Guildford is very good re irregular commute to London.
To give an idea of price a Saturday return and railcard to London is £11.10 (with a Network railcard £28/year)
Southwest Trains are very reliable I find.
Waterloo to Euston is quick too on the Northern line.
Woking itself isn't sensational, though parts of it are lovely and very safe.
Guildford is quite nice with loads to do.

djpbarry

djpbarry wrote: »

Sure, when the trains are running, which they frequently are not. It's one of main reasons I'm always hesitant for fly into/out of Gatwick: if the trains aren't running, you're screwed.
Rickmansworth has an overground line to Marylebone (same line Chorleywood is on) - not ideal, but not a million miles from Euston either. You can also get an overground from Watford straight into Euston. So that's three options.

I wasn't aware the line was that bad. My friend has only had problems on a handful of days and I've never had an issue using that line to get to/from Gatwick. Didn't know Rickmansworth had overground services - that makes it much more attractive.

I'm not trying to big up Rickmansworth in particular here - I pretty much just picked it at random as one of the places north of London that I sort of know. But, the point is that if you move out M25 sort of distance from central London, commutes tend to get a little complicated. But, it's a bad idea to leave yourself reliant on only one means of getting into the city, not matter how good it might look on paper.
Relative to where? You'll get a two-bed flat in Rickmansworth for less than a one-bed flat in zone 2 or 3.

That's the issue. Most of the flats there seem to be 2/3 bed. It doesn't really matter to me whether or not I have an extra bedroom, I'd rather just pay less for a one bed. It doesn't make sense to pay the same rent as I was paying before, plus have to buy a much more expensive travel pass.

enda1

What's your 1 bed rent expectation?
£800-£900?

enda1

enda1 wrote: »

What's your 1 bed rent expectation?
£800-£900?

Maximum, yeah. I could go up to £1000 if it were somewhere close to central London on a good bus route or near a Tube station but not much more than that. The further out it is/the more expensive the travel costs, the less rent I can pay.

enda1

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-36039670.html?backListLink=%2Fproperty-to-rent%2Fmap.html%3FlocationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E1474%26insId%3D1%26minPrice%3D700%26maxPrice%3D900%26minBedrooms%3D1%26maxBedrooms%3D1%23_includeLetAgreed%3Don%26houseFlatShare%3Dfalse%26locationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E1474%26maxBedrooms%3D1%26maxPrice%3D900%26minBedrooms%3D1%26minPrice%3D700%26previousSearchLocation%3DWoking%26radius%3D0.0%26searchLocation%3DWoking%26searchType%3DRENT%26sortByNewestListing%3Dfalse%26useLocationIdentifier%3Dfalse%26box%3D-0.57310%2C-0.54409%2C51.30879%2C51.32601%26popupPropertyId%3D36039670&fromMap=true

That's 25 minutes direct to Waterloo and from there 7 stops on the Northern line to Euston.

Playboy

enda1 wrote: »

Waterloo and from there 7 stops on the Northern line to Euston.

That would be fun in the morning given how croweded the northern line gets!

enda1

Playboy wrote: »

That would be fun in the morning given how croweded the northern line gets!

True. But I think she said she'd only occasionally go into London, would be mostly working from home.

Maybe the fella then...

Jamey

Anyone have any advice regarding savings/money when moving over to London.

Should I just keep my savings in my Irish bank account and withdraw in London at ATMs? What are the charges like?

Is it better to bring as much cash as possible (probably not, right?)? Or should I look to open a British bank a/c asap and move funds over to that?

Louche Lad

djpbarry wrote: »

Sure, when the trains are running, which they frequently are not. It's one of main reasons I'm always hesitant for fly into/out of Gatwick: if the trains aren't running, you're screwed.

For several years I commuted on the Brighton Main Line, passing through Gatwick twice a day. I very rarely had a problem. About once a year there would be a suicide which would cause hours of delay, but apart from that I was mostly on time.

djpbarry

Jamey wrote: »

Should I just keep my savings in my Irish bank account and withdraw in London at ATMs? What are the charges like?

Probably quite high - check with your bank.

Good idea to keep your account in Ireland though if you can (you should be able to). It's handy to have access to a Euro account.

Jamey wrote: »

Is it better to bring as much cash as possible (probably not, right?)? Or should I look to open a British bank a/c asap and move funds over to that?

Just open an account as soon as you can. For example, Lloyds will allow you to open an account pretty easily:

http://www.lloydstsb.com/current_accounts/new_to_the_uk.asp

I'm sure there are other options.

Once you have your account open, use something like Currency Fair to move cash into it - much cheaper than sending it from your bank and probably quicker.

Playboy

djpbarry wrote: »

Once you have your account open, use something like Currency Fair to move cash into it - much cheaper than sending it from your bank and probably quicker.

Wasnt aware of currencyfair .. Cheers

djpbarry

Playboy wrote: »

Wasnt aware of currencyfair .. Cheers

I use it fairly regularly. Exchange rates are pretty good and it rarely takes more than about 24 hours to complete a transfer.

Jamey

Thanks for that info djpbarry!

Zippy1991

Cheers man.

I'm starting to get pretty worried about the tube in the mornings. Everyone has said the tube is jammed so that sounds like a nightmare to be honest.

I may run in to work but I actually don't know if there are shower facilities etc. I suppose I should get on to HR and start asking a few questions like that. It's max 8-10km from what I can see so would be a nice wee run from google maps, anyone actually know it though?
Cycling could be an option too although my bike is at home for the foreseeable future.

I literally have no idea what I'll be at for the weekends and that. I have a place to stay for the first month but have to find a place myself for end of April looking for a two bedroom apartment if possible.

I suppose people coming over from home is fun but need to rely on more than that to enjoy myself. When are the next boards beers planned? How often are they?

Are nightbuses dangerous?
Are Taxis mental expensive?
How much on average is a pint?

That reads weird, I'm only a bit mental really!!

enda1

A 2 bed just for yourself? You'll basically be paying for peoples hotel room out of your own pocket. It'd be an expensive gift!
Correct me if I'm wrong Playboy but I'd guess you're talking an extra £300+ per month for the extra bed in Balham.

I've never found nightbusses dangerous, but they are dreadfully slow from North to south. You usually have to change for another bus in Trafalgar Square too.

Taxis are expensive, but not too bad. Maybe £35 from Angel to Balham?

For a pint, it really varies a lot, much more than in Dublin. Really you'll pay between £3 and £6.

Somewhere like Denmark Hill / Peckham Rye could suit you also for working in The City and being a single guy.
Check out the full Oyster Map

Jack B. Badd

Hi Zippy1991,

Whether the tube is a nightmare or not is usually down to the line and how far/where you have to travel. If you're looking for a 2 bed apartment, you'll probably be travelling a fair bit depending on your budget so that might compound the tube problem. Check out http://www.tfl.gov.uk for alternative travel options for your area.

Re cycling, you could ask your company's HR dept whether they do a bike to work scheme which would allow you to get a bike quick an spread the payments over a number of months. Or there's the Boris Bike option in the short-term. Personally I've found nightbuses fine (usually central London to North West Zone 2).

The details of the next beers aren't posted yet but it'll probably be early March and they're usually once a month.

Playboy

enda1 wrote: »

A 2 bed just for yourself? You'll basically be paying for peoples hotel room out of your own pocket. It'd be an expensive gift!
Correct me if I'm wrong Playboy but I'd guess you're talking an extra £300+ per month for the extra bed in Balham.

At least £300. You can find a nice 1 bed for £900 but a nice two bed is £1,350+. If you go towards streatham or tooting then you can get better value and still be close to the amenities in Balham and Clapham.

I have a job in London secured for the summer, but not for after that and I'm not even sure I want to continue living in London.

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone know of short-term accommodation (3 months or so - July, August and maybe September) that doesn't cost an absolute fortune? It would be for myself and my partner.

seachto7

Hi all, coming over for a third interview with the same crowd on Tuesday. Arriving in Stansted at 8 30. Is it possible to get from Stansted to Islington by bus? My plan being to drop bag in accommodation, then continue on into Bressenden place for 2 pm.

Any advice on the bets way to do it?

Jack B. Badd

seachto7 wrote: »

Hi all, coming over for a third interview with the same crowd on Tuesday. Arriving in Stansted at 8 30. Is it possible to get from Stansted to Islington by bus? My plan being to drop bag in accommodation, then continue on into Bressenden place for 2 pm.

Any advice on the bets way to do it?

The National Express coach from Stansted to Golders Green takes about an hour and costs a tenner. From there you can take the Northern Line to Euston and transfer to the Victoria to get to Highbury & Islington - this should take you a further 30 mins. Check out the tfl website for info.

enda1

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

The National Express coach from Stansted to Golders Green takes about an hour and costs a tenner. From there you can take the Northern Line to Euston and transfer to the Victoria to get to Highbury & Islington - this should take you a further 30 mins. Check out the tfl website for info.

Or bus to Stratford and overground 14 minutes to H&I

Muffinman1

Hi Everyone,

Writing this on behalf of a friend but he'll be using my account.
Here's his words.

Hi baically my girlfriend and I are interested in moving to London but have a few queries and would like to be able to get feedback.
My girlfriend and I are both 25 with decent qualifications. My girlfriend has a degree in Office Management and experience in a factory while I have a Higher Certificate in Business and Computing and 5 years experience in Accounts Assistand and Administration roles. I'd just like to explore what is the realistic version of things in London.

Like what are our chances of finding a job in London and what is job market like over there? We aren't fussy and expecting to be walking in to big paying jobs and know it'll be low paying hard work but that is the type of people we are that want to work hard. Just we have fears that we will go over and find nothing. Also we know we need about £4000 starting over and can save that but can anyone recommend the best value areas to rent and places to be aware of. Also any other info would be great.
We'd be prepared also I should note to take jobs outside our field and any additional info people may have would be great such as where to stay when first moving over, good recruitment agencies etc to apply and any info that is beneficial. The Irih Centre had a good booklet and it helps but its much more assuring hearing stories from people who have experienced it first hand and are aware of what the economy, job situation and other aspects are like in UK (which I know is only slightly better than here) but more importantly London.

seachto7

enda1 wrote: »

Or bus to Stratford and overground 14 minutes to H&I

Thats the one I think.How long would this trip take in total?

S.M.B.

Is there any reason why you need to take a bus?

Train to Seven Sisters and Victoria line tube to H&I would be the quickest way to get there I'd imagine.

About 50 minutes or so.