[mrs brody]

I'm planning on moving to London for work soon and wanted some advice on where are the nicest and safest areas to live, which aren't too expensive!

I'm thinking of areas in South East London, can anyone reccomend some nice places?

Thanks in advance!

[zaali]

Where abouts will you be working?

How much of a commute do you want to get to work?

What's your budget?

Are you looking to house share, own place, studio etc?

[mrs brody]

Working potentially near Waterloo, would like a commute under 20 mins, looking for a 1 bed flat ideally, budget of around £700-£900 per month.

[TelevisionUser]

I think the thing to do is look at the crime maps that are on the internet and do searches such as this one: http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=d...w=1024&bih=600

I hope you find a safe place to live.

[Croctacus]

Greenwich, Lee, blackheath, Eltham all with commuting in 20 minutes and you should be able to get something in the price range. All pretty safe areas too.

[tothegrand]

Rotherhithe is nice.

Jubilee line straight to Waterloo.

[Migster]

Under 20 minutes is a very short commute, so will restrict your options. I don't know what the average is, but I would have thought it is at least double that. I live in N London zone 3 and my commute to the City is 45 - 50 mins door to door.

[Syntax Error]

Originally Posted by mrs brody

I'm planning on moving to London for work soon and wanted some advice on where are the nicest and safest areas to live, which aren't too expensive!

I'm thinking of areas in South East London, can anyone reccomend some nice places?

Thanks in advance!

The phrase, "aren't too expensive" & London should never appear in the same sentence.

If you're planning to live in London, it's going to be expensive.

You're better off in the outskirts, or even just outside London in places like Staines for example.

Transport links are good, so commuting shouldn't be a problem (unless your name is Eric Pickles who thinks 37 miles is too far to commute & warrants a second home).

[j4the1]

Originally Posted by Croctacus

Greenwich, Lee, blackheath, Eltham all with commuting in 20 minutes and you should be able to get something in the price range. All pretty safe areas too.

I was about to write this, I live here.

[Abomination]

Bromley/Orpington are quite good... they may not offer much in and of themselves but are largely safe, offer quick commutes into London (Victoria and Blackfriars from Bromley, Waterloo and London Bridge from Orpington) and are minutes away from the country as well.

[rjb101]

How about Forest Hil, Penge ect. Safe enough and 30 mins to Waterloo, though thats not door to door though. Trains - you will have to change - or a 176 bus.

[striing]

Originally Posted by mrs brody

I'm planning on moving to London for work soon and wanted some advice on where are the nicest and safest areas to live, which aren't too expensive!

I'm thinking of areas in South East London, can anyone reccomend some nice places?

Thanks in advance!

Everywhere in London is mixed. You get phenomenally expensive next to slightly less expensive within walking distance and you have to be sensible and have your wits about you where ever you are. I moved out for a while and got used to walking around without looking over my shoulder - and managed to get mugged in one of the most expensive areas of the City within a year of moving back just because I forgot that you need to keep your eyes and ears open. Don't get me wrong, I think it is the best place in the world and I will never leave again - but it is not like anywhere else. The only way you'll find your feet (and see whether it really is for you) is to look for yourself.

There are lots of places on the bus routes to/from Waterloo where you will be able to rent a one bed for £900 (£700 no way!) - but come and look.

Oh and there's no such thing as a 20 minute commute (unless you live within walking distance). Realistically you have to allow an hour to get form anywhere to anywhere due to massive overcrowding and frequent delays (if you use the tube in busy areas you'll find yourself queuing just to travel cattle class at commuter times).

[tigragirl]

Sidcup is nice and an easy commute

[Abomination]

Originally Posted by striing

Oh and there's no such thing as a 20 minute commute

I live in Bromley, which takes just over 15 minutes to get to Victoria by train, and less than 10 minutes more to get to Waterloo on the tube. By bus, the journey takes over an hour and a half to get to Victoria alone, and it'd be a 13 mile walk. I guess the only down side is that if the trains aren't running, you've got a long rail replacement service to take... but I've only known it to happen once in about six years.

From Orpington, the journey takes no longer than 30 minutes to Waterloo, only adding the extra time due to stopping at every station en route.

[striing]

Originally Posted by Abomination

I live in Bromley, which takes just over 15 minutes to get to Victoria by train, and less than 10 minutes more to get to Waterloo on the tube. By bus, the journey takes over an hour and a half to get to Victoria alone, and it'd be a 13 mile walk. I guess the only down side is that if the trains aren't running, you've got a long rail replacement service to take... but I've only known it to happen once in about six years.

From Orpington, the journey takes no longer than 30 minutes to Waterloo, only adding the extra time due to stopping at every station en route.

What about door to door (from Bromley)? You've said it's 25 mins on the train and tube - if they run perfectly. You obvioulsy need to add in some time to get from the train at Victoria down to the tube line. And what about from your home to the train and from Waterloo to where ever you work? I think unless you've got a boss who doesn't care what time you get in, allowing less than an hour is risky no?

[Shappy]

Originally Posted by striing

Oh and there's no such thing as a 20 minute commute (unless you live within walking distance).

Very true. The best you can hope for is about 30 mins. I used to live in Swiss Cottage and work in Westminster and that was 30 mins door to door (only a few stops on the Jubilee line). However, I was paying through the teeth to live in a posh area only as a lodger (with a nightmare landlady).

[zaali]

If you are working near Waterloo you might want to consider looking out toward the South West, try Surbiton, Berrylands, Kingston, Raynes Park etc.
By 20 minutes I hope you mean justthe train/tube part? 20 minutes door to door + 700-900 + 1 bed flat + nice area and all in London isn't going to happen.

You'll either need to up the budget or commuting time or downsize your expectations.

[allhitradio]

If you really want to minimise your commute, you could do worse than Tooting, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon etc towards the end of the Northern Line. There was a Location, Location, Location recently around that area and it looked quite nice - lots of trendy shops and cafes. I've looked on Rightmove and there are a few one bed flats within your budget.

I get what people say about looking further outside London, e.g. Bromley, Orpington, but it wouldn't be living in London as such. It's definitely suburbia - I should know, that's where I was born and raised! I moved into London when I started work and although I lived in a crumby little studio flat, I had the time of my life. So, my advice would be to be a central as you can afford and try to keep the commute to a short walk and the Tube if you can.

[Abomination]

Originally Posted by striing

What about door to door (from Bromley)? You've said it's 25 mins on the train and tube - if they run perfectly. You obvioulsy need to add in some time to get from the train at Victoria down to the tube line. And what about from your home to the train and from Waterloo to where ever you work? I think unless you've got a boss who doesn't care what time you get in, allowing less than an hour is risky no?

Agreed, allowing less than an hour would be risky and it really depends on how far you have to walk from the corresponding stations. I'm lucky in that I live less than 5 minutes from the station so that end of the journey is no concern.
In the past I've always been lucky to have never had to travel far from the London-end for whatever purpose, but I guess it differs for everyone.

[Johnbee]

I used to live in Fleet, Hants. and train to Waterloo. Quite a long way, so season ticket needs budgeting for, but very nice and very fast, some trains have zero stops, and you can cycle to the station.

However, I am answering as a family man. If you are single or couple without children, you might prefer being closer to the centre, or on a tube line. (The reasons I said Fleet include that you can go in by train, and not ride the tube, which is travel hell). I also lived in Wimbledon and my parents lived in Morden. Such places are what you might call safe, but they are not cheap.

[mrs brody]

Thanks everyone for all the advice, this is really helpful!

[Darcy_]

Originally Posted by zaali

If you are working near Waterloo you might want to consider looking out toward the South West, try Surbiton, Berrylands, Kingston, Raynes Park etc.
By 20 minutes I hope you mean justthe train/tube part? 20 minutes door to door + 700-900 + 1 bed flat + nice area and all in London isn't going to happen.

You'll either need to up the budget or commuting time or downsize your expectations.

Nice one bed flats in Surbiton and Kingston are not cheap either and if you add in travel costs, will probably cost just as much living somewhere more central.

If you want safe, then I would say most of SE London would be out.

[striing]

Originally Posted by Darcy_

If you want safe, then I would say most of SE London would be out.

Outrageous.

Okay I'm biased, but although SE London has a bad press there are some great areas and the transport links are very good (even though once you get past Brixton we're off the tube line).

I echo the earlier sentiment that there's not really much point in moving to London and then not living in London. I wouldn't call areas such as Bromley, Orpington etc London. To me London means the ability to walk home from the centre of town if necessary (or by desire in my case - it takes about an hour and a half but I like it) - so the zone 2/3 border. Futher than that and you may as well be anywhere.

There are areas in the SE that I wouldn't recommend unless you're extremely hardy (Camberwell Green for example - that's one place that has stalwartly resisted any form of gentrification!) but other areas are fantastic.

I'm slightly concerned about the fact that they're building new student accommodation in my area - but that's probably my age.

[supershopper]

nowere London is full or criminals, better off move to manchester

[Flowerfairy69]

I live in nunhead and love it - 25 mins to work and the friendliest area I've ever lived in. You'd definitely get a flat for less than £900 pm