» Accommodation in the London Area FND’s Blag: Just Another Personal Wobsite

Published in January 9th, 2008

Posted by FND

As most of of my friends and followers already know, I will be joining Osmosoft in a few weeks (more on that at a later time… ).

The problem: Finding accommodation in the London area is a major challenge.
So let’s tap into the wisdom of crowds here — help me get my bearings to find a nice, affordable flat to live in.

These are my main criteria:

General Area

I wouldn’t mind – indeed, I would prefer – living a little outside the city, up to about one hours’ commute from Osmosoft Towers in central London.
I have friends in Hatfield, so the Hertfordshire county might be a good place to start with. (This might have the added benefit of being reasonably close to Stansted Airport.)

Local Area

The neighborhood should be reasonably clean and safe, of course, but I don’t need to live in an excessively posh or upscale area.
Good public transport connection as well as close proximity to supermarkets and retail stores are essential (I won’t bring my car).
Being near a sports club would be nice, as I intend to take up table tennis again (though this isn’t a major concern).

Housing

I would prefer not to live in a house share (if I end up in a house share anyway, I would probably insist on ensuite facilities).
I imagine a nice flat with one or possibly even two rooms (in addition to bathroom and kitchen).
It should also be furnished to some extent, at least with regards to basic appliances like an oven/stove and a fridge.

Since I’m not entirely sure yet what to budget for these requirements, a few rough estimates might save me some trouble there.

I would immensely appreciate any help you might have to offer!

5 users responded in " Accommodation in the London Area "

Phil Whitehouse said, in January 9th, 2008 at 15:28

Hey Fred, from the sounds of it – and knowing your budgetry expectations (~£500-600 pcm), I think you’re looking for somewhere just outside the London Zone 6 border. I grew up in Epping, which is North East of London on the outskirts of Zone 6. It’s a medium sized town, and the last stop on the Central Line (red underground line), which means you always get a seat in the morning. It’s a pleasant town, got a decent sports centre and shops, etc.

Also worth bearing in mind that, if you’re not on the tube map, then you have to get from the main line terminus to Osmosoft Towers and back every single day. Central Line appeals as you just have a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station each day. Therefore the other stations at that end of the Central Line (Loughton, Woodford, maybe even as far in as Snaresbrook) are also worth checking out. The towns on the Epping branch of the central line are much nicer than those on the Hainault branch. No offence meant to anyone!

For what it’s worth, I’d put less dependency on the Supermarket than you have, as people in the UK are increasingly doing big shops online (tesco.com, asda.com, etc.) and then smaller shops inbetween for things like milk and bread. However if you meet your other objectives you shouldn’t be too far from a supermarket anyway – I just thought this might help you narrow your search.

I wonder whether the appeal of living close to your family members might decrease slightly after the initial novelty has worn off? Probably not, but worth bearing in mind – you might want your space back.

So far as the Hatfield area is concerned, I see St.Albans as an upmarket version of Hatfield. Both would meet your needs, I think. Welwyn Garden City might also be worth checking out. Maybe worth checking out the train routes in these areas, so you can consider the towns accessed from the same main line stations.

No idea what the prices are like in these areas, but as with everywhere there will be a range of options and you might well find something good for you.

HTH….

FND said, in January 10th, 2008 at 09:39

Thanks, Phil, that’s truly helpful!

I had thought about St. Albans and Welwyn Garden City, but just assumed it was too expensive. But I might have been wrong there, so I’ll revisit that.
I like the idea of Epping and surroundings, so I’ll definitely look into that.

Also good to know that the shopping can reliably be done online (I remember carrying home bottles of water, juice etc. when I was living in Hatfield – no fun!).

As for living close to my family (indirectly, via Stansted), I doubt that’s gonna change a lot…

Again, thanks for taking the time for this!

BenJam said, in January 15th, 2008 at 01:37

F! I didn’t know you were joining osmo… My two pence would be that you should, if you choose to get the central line, avoid the east. I currently live in Leyton, just before woodford. Its cheap and woodford itself is nice but, the journey sucks. So much so that I’m moving back to Birmingham and commuting in every day lol.

Good luck and look forward to meeting you at some point!

BenJam

FND said, in January 15th, 2008 at 08:56

Thanks Ben, I appreciate the input!
What’s so horrible about that journey – the time, the people?
As far as I can tell, once you’re at the tube station (getting there might be the biggest problem), you hop in and ride straight to the center – sounds quite comfortable… !?

BenJam said, in January 20th, 2008 at 23:57

the time isn’t too bad, my housemate does it daily to tottenham court road. It’s just the people and the fact that the services are always screwed on the weekend. The people is the main thing, I feel genuinely uncomfortable using my phone on there… I’m a pro ‘pocket iphone’ user! Ther are other reasons too but we’ll chat on Jabber if you like

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Accommodation in the London Area

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