Best being such a subjective term, here is a look more specifically or accurately at the best areas of London in which to rent a room based on some differing, but as well some of the most popular, search criteria those looking to share and rent in The Capital go by to do so.
The Most Affordable Area(s)
London and cheap are not two words that often, if ever, go hand in hand. In fact, often described as one of the most expensive cities in the world, London is in 2016 more expensive than ever to live in with many of its residents paying more to rent a room than those living outside of The Big Smoke pay to rent an entire property. That said, there are a number of London locales which to this day remain significantly less expensive to live in when totting up the rent costs, and here is just one of them.
Located in south-east London, Bexley is as it stands is one of the most affordable boroughs of London in which to rent right now. Not quite as cheap as Croydon, albeit, but far preferred due to its wealth of green spaces and more fashionable and leafy ‘feel’ than more industrialised, concrete clad Croydon, Bexley is situated in the outer limits of London and as such currently provides residents and commuters with no direct underground access to Central London. Hence, those commuting to and from Central will have to make use of its numerous bus and three over ground suburban rail lines, accessing Central London most easily via Dartford.
This said, with average rents being so low and Bexley being such a leafy and pleasant suburban area in which to live (proving affordable does not have to mean living in a ‘rough’ area), the borough is well worth exploring as an affordable option for those on a tight budget. This is especially true as Crossrail services are planning to provide services from Abbey Wood station in Bexley direct to Paddington from December 2018, which will dramatically improve travel times and access to Central London for Bexley’s residents.
To learn more about Crossrail’s plans, visit the Crossrail website. Meanwhile, for more information about both Bexley and as well more ideas of where in London it is still possible to rent a room for an affordable amount, continue your reading via The Telegraph Newspaper and specifically by giving their 2016 article: Where in London Can You Afford to Rent, a read.
The Most Affluent Area(s)
Some of the most expensive places in which to rent a room in London are perhaps unsurprisingly also some of the most central locations, with area surrounding Hyde Park in the West and Covent Garden in the heart likely to set you back between £1,600 and £2,300 every month, according to figures provided for early 2016 by the Londonist website. Hence, it is no wonder the most popular zones in which to live in London for those wanting a central location are not in fact in the centre but zones 2 and 3 – with zone 1 being very much the home of the rich and famous exclusively.
If money and budget are not an issue for you though, the best, currently most popular and as well one of the most affluent Central London locations in which to rent a room is around the area of St. Paul’s, where you can expect to pay an average of £1,153 per calendar month according to statistics featured on the Business Insider website, where you can also see a mapped out breakdown of London which has been brilliantly colour coded to highlight the most expensive and most inexpensive areas in which to presently rent a double room, as well as all those in between. Hence, for more information and to gain a very clear picture of what renting a room in The Capital is likely to cost you, head over to the Business Insider website.
The Best of Both Worlds
Providing almost half of London’s entire rental supply, according to the Homes and Property website figures, East London is made up of ten of London’s boroughs and covers one of the largest areas of the county. Historically, east London has also provided some of the cheapest and in times gone by least affluent and amenable accommodations in The Capital.
These days, things have of course changed which is for its residents and those planning a move to London somewhat bittersweet; on one hand, East London has never been more happening, fashionable, up and coming, well linked, serviced by the underground and exciting, especially for those living in its most ‘hip’ locales surrounding Brick Lane and contained in the Shoreditch area of Hackney, or Tower Hamlets which provides perfect access to the Business hub of Canary Wharf. Now the whole east of London has become so popular and so much safer, this has on the other hand has of course driven up rent prices, which you can see for yourself by doing a quick room search via the London Fox Lettings website.
Despite the rise in rent costs, east London is still the best location for those wanting to enjoy the best of both worlds when living in London. A cultural hotchpotch, east London is a hotbed of curry houses, fine dining restaurants, boutique shops and boho bazaars, making it one of the most exciting, diverse and yet affordable London locations for those wanting to live near the centre or The City itself.
