Accommodation in London
The vast and densely packed London metropolis has accommodation options to suit every budget, lifestyle and predilection. A positive consequence of the economic crisis is that rentals have dropped by up to 30 percent and house prices by a similar figure. This means you can rent a 2-room house or flat for as little as £600 per month within 30 minutes’ commute of the city, and buy one for under £200,000. Prices drop even further once you move outside of London and beyond the ring-road.
One way of understanding the layout of the city is to use the underground Tube map: zones 1 and 2, correspond to the city centre and accommodation here will be expensive and difficult to find. Zones 3 and 4 contain a plethora of suburbs with semi-detached houses and tenement units. Zones 5 and 6 offer the cheapest accommodation but transport times into the city can easily exceed 1 hour during busy times.
North London has several areas popular with expats: leafy Hampstead Heath and bohemian Camden are close to both the city and some of London’s best parkland. Primrose Hill has lovely buildings and stunning views – rare in this predominantly flat city. Expect to pay though, and fight off celebrities like Kate Moss for the last Sunday paper. A little further afield are the discount suburbs of Wembley, Manor House, and Finchley.
To the east are the now gentrified areas of Docklands and Brick Lane, with plenty of historical charm and trendy little restaurants; and the large former working class East End with suburbs such Shoreditch, Hoxton, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green now dense with new media companies and coffee bars.
London’s South stretches across the Thames and includes areas such as Greenwich, Clapham, Tooting, Putney and Wimbledon, now thoroughly colonised by former colonials. Kew and Richmond are some of the most desirable and expensive areas of London, reserved largely for bankers and the extravagantly wealthy.
To the West, one can find the exclusive suburbs of Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Kensington, Earl’s Court and Notting Hill and further out the more affordable suburbs of Fulham, Shepherds Bush and Chiswick
When choosing your area of accommodation, think carefully about commuting time, proximity to supermarkets and your likely neighbours.
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