Man of Honour
I'd suggest you get a passport and stop being so insular and visit the world a bit for some cultural edification.
How is London affordable now?
- Thread starter FL630
- Start date
- Joined
- 4 Jan 2013
- Posts
- 3,783
The UK has more civilised culture than anywhere else in the world. Probably why half the world wants to move across here.
Yea I was referring to San Fran
Croydon is horrific in places. I've had the displeasure of being on a tram where it's kicked off between rival groups of yoofs twice. Now I just get a taxi from the station to where I need to go when I have to visit.
Croydon is the only place I've had completely random people start on me in the street - quite a bit of Croydon is alright though. There is a band across that part of London through to St Mary's Cray that is a mismatch of nice areas and parts where you'd be stabbed for your shoes though.
London is a great city, I have never felt on edge or at risk there, ever, not once that I can recall, even when bombers were down the road or near where I am trying to kill people.
But I have also been to many of the worlds major cities, Paris, Rome, NYC, Chicago, Madrid, Berlin, Dudley and many more, so have some experience of what big cities are all over the place. I also don't find London dirty in most places because, well it's not. I see many people talk about it being dirty and dangerous after their 2 or 3 lifetime visits and I laugh. Now would I live there hell no, wouldn't for all the money in Stoke....perhaps Wolverhampton too....but I can see it's a great city and one of the world top cities for history, stuff to do, dining out, partying etc etc.
But I am a country bumpkin. Give me fields, quietness, nobody near me, silence in my garden but all within a 20 minute drive of civilisation and I am happy. I could not do the city, maybe 30 years ago but not these days. I enjoy working in the square mile, but I enjoy getting out of it more.
But I have also been to many of the worlds major cities, Paris, Rome, NYC, Chicago, Madrid, Berlin, Dudley and many more, so have some experience of what big cities are all over the place. I also don't find London dirty in most places because, well it's not. I see many people talk about it being dirty and dangerous after their 2 or 3 lifetime visits and I laugh. Now would I live there hell no, wouldn't for all the money in Stoke....perhaps Wolverhampton too....but I can see it's a great city and one of the world top cities for history, stuff to do, dining out, partying etc etc.
But I am a country bumpkin. Give me fields, quietness, nobody near me, silence in my garden but all within a 20 minute drive of civilisation and I am happy. I could not do the city, maybe 30 years ago but not these days. I enjoy working in the square mile, but I enjoy getting out of it more.
Soldato
I would say that it is overpriced - although one generally earns more in London, the cost of housing is relatively higher than living in other UK cities. I apologise profusely for the Daily Mail link (and realise that it's from a couple of years ago), but London has the highest proportion of take-home salary spent on rent.
edit/ BBC link also has London areas as being the most expensive places to rent in a relative sense to salary.
Man of Honour
Yet we spend over £5bn abroad on holidays. So we must want something from the rest of the world.
And similarly we have 100s of thousands moving away.
- Joined
- 4 Jan 2013
- Posts
- 3,783
We all like to get sunshine nothing wrong with that. As to moving away, prob because we're losing the culture...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21511904
Yea, it is (but im Currently in one of the less nice areas, moving soon). I heard from people here that it's actually gotten better, but even growing up in India, this was a real culture shock. London as someone else said, especially central like Soho or anything, wouldn't feel at all concerned even at 3 in the morning.
he was talking about San Francisco btw.. there is currently a rather big homeless problem over there - it's quite a liberal area, climate is nice and lots of people can't afford the rent any more thanks to tech companies and their employees taking over and pushing prices higher
I know. He was quoting me. I'm also talking about SF.
ah, I got thrown because your location says London
Lets remember what happened on 23rd June 2016.....that is no longer true.
- Joined
- 4 Jan 2013
- Posts
- 3,783
This I don't. The British voted to regain their ability to influence their future.
Frankly I find it a bit eye raising this idea that because we don't want to be joined at the hip to other countries that we are somehow diminished. Feels very much like a particular political viewpoint of borderless states has worked on more than a few.....
Crossrail doesn't go all that far south unfortunately, it basically goes out as far as Reading via Maidenhead / Slough etc so not much help for the real Southwest which is stuck with Waterloo rather than having a direct route into the city.
Also the ship has sailed to some extent, I think Slough registered the highest annual house price rise in the country fairly recently (~20%).
As for the main topic, I basically consider London unaffordable (or at least not personally justifiable) in terms of decent housing (i.e. family home in a reasonable area). I'm sure there's a few gems still to be had but apart from the very wealthy or those who have already got on the London property ladder and banked hundreds of thousand in appreciation it is difficult to find anything appealing. Even mediocre areas with relatively high crime you can still be talking over a million pounds for something livable and it would be really depressing spending that sort of money and finding yourself feeling uncomfortable in your own home.
Lots of interesting reading here. I will have to agree, that for someone who has spent the vast majority of his time in London for the last ~5 years (but not lived there) I have never felt in danger. Don't get me wrong, there are areas of E or NE London I'd rather not walk down on a dark night by myself, but that's a normal thought to be having as a human being. As for central London, I have always felt safe there, even solo at 3am on a Saturday Night.
I've done a lot of property searching and I'm quite shocked at how expensive even the "worst" areas are. I can afford it, that's not the problem, I just feel it's exorbitant for what you get. The surprising thing is I can find a double room in a shared house with 5 others for £800 a month + bills, or I can pay £900 for my own 1 bed, no brainer what I'd rather do!
I'm still half tempted to move outwith the M25, not sure where, but the costs will be considerably more reasonable and so long as my commute is no more than 20-30 mins I'm okay with that. Luckily my work tends to either start at 5am, 11am or maybe 1pm depending on what shift I'm on, so I can avoid the worst of the 8-9am traffic. The only downside of living outside the M25 is I may loose out on the enjoyment of living in London socially, so it's a decision I'll have to make if I pay to have a great life or save a bit to enjoy life in a few years time.
Either way, paperwork is signed at work, I am 100% moving South, it's now just a case of deciding where to live.
I've done a lot of property searching and I'm quite shocked at how expensive even the "worst" areas are. I can afford it, that's not the problem, I just feel it's exorbitant for what you get. The surprising thing is I can find a double room in a shared house with 5 others for £800 a month + bills, or I can pay £900 for my own 1 bed, no brainer what I'd rather do!
I'm still half tempted to move outwith the M25, not sure where, but the costs will be considerably more reasonable and so long as my commute is no more than 20-30 mins I'm okay with that. Luckily my work tends to either start at 5am, 11am or maybe 1pm depending on what shift I'm on, so I can avoid the worst of the 8-9am traffic. The only downside of living outside the M25 is I may loose out on the enjoyment of living in London socially, so it's a decision I'll have to make if I pay to have a great life or save a bit to enjoy life in a few years time.
Either way, paperwork is signed at work, I am 100% moving South, it's now just a case of deciding where to live.
Outside the M25 you're looking at closer to an hour door-to-door. Certainly if you're coming from the East/North of the M25 into the city. Longer if you have to cross London once the overground has spat you out.
Unless you're planning on driving in, in which case you've utterly lost the plot.
Unless you're planning on driving in, in which case you've utterly lost the plot.
Outside the M25 you're looking at closer to an hour door-to-door. Certainly if you're coming from the East/North of the M25 into the city. Longer if you have to cross London once the overground has spat you out.
Unless you're planning on driving in, in which case you've utterly lost the plot.
I work at City Airport, so London isn't really London as in London, if you see what o mean
We just like slumming it
London though is far cleaner and nicer than Rome or Paris.
both are a lot more run down and rome is horrific for all the ***** trying to sell stuff to you/beggars.
i think it helps that for most of London the buildings are either brick, or Portland stone. not plastered like they are on the continent, pealing/flaking plaster looks terrible quickly but brick and stone look good unless something major happens.