# House location in London for a young family



## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

Hi all, we will be moving to London from the Mideast in the first week of September 2012. Our kids are 4 and 7. The biggest worry right now is the house location. It should broadly be based on the following factors:

1. Not more than 20-30 mins commute from Paddington Station, which my office is close to (Kingdom Street).
2. There should ideally be very good state schools nearby.
3. Rental budget around GBP 1,500-2000 p.m. (we plan to rent for 6-12 months after which intend to buy).

Would greatly appreciate any inputs on the location. From some of the threads, I have gathered Ealing fits the above criteria. Any other locations you could guide us to, as the choice one sees online is just overwhelming. Thanks.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

riding-high said:


> Hi all, we will be moving to London from the Mideast in the first week of September 2012. Our kids are 4 and 7. The biggest worry right now is the house location. It should broadly be based on the following factors:
> 
> 1. Not more than 20-30 mins commute from Paddington Station, which my office is close to (Kingdom Street).
> 2. There should ideally be very good state schools nearby.
> ...


London is about 659 square miles so a property search can be daunting. A good place to start is looking at neighborhoods along the tube and train lines that go into Paddington. What do you expect to get for your budget? To be honest, London is expensive and your budget is going to limit you to Zone 3 and farther out depending on what you want. You may have to consider a longer commute. 

To be able to enroll in a school, you need to live in the school's catchment area. However, you are not guaranteed a place in a school just because you are in the catchment area. As you can imagine, good schools are oversubscribed and while your child will get a place in *a* school, it may not be the school you live nearest to. Also, as school generally starts the 1st week in September places will have already been filled for months so you will probably have limited choice. School info:

Ofsted | Find an inspection report

Schools, learning and development : Directgov - Parents

You'll come to the UK with no credit history. Unless you have a lot of money (40-50%) to sink on a downpayment, you'll need at least a year to build up a credit history. Additionally, in the past week many UK banks have had their own credit down graded by the major rating agencies so expect purse strings to get tighter.

**Edited to add

The website I had provided for neighborhood information appears to have been taken over by a property search website and I could find no neighborhood info on the site so I've deleted the link. Alternatively, I would suggest looking at council websites for some information about the areas. For example, Ealing happens to be in the borough of Ealing:

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/site/


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

thanks for the comprehensive advise on schools nyclon. On landing, do you think its easy to get a rental within a week through an agent? Or should I opt for an expensive relocation company, like LRS. I have already narrowed a few places based on my budget (gbp 2000 p.m.), good schools and proximity to paddington (ealing, harrow etc.).


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

I totally recommend Ealing for a young family. Moved here 7 years ago and we gave a baby and 3 year old. Loads of things to do with the kids there and nearby - easy access to the motorway for weekends away in beautiful places like Bath, Devon, Somerset, Wales.

The Ealing 135 Group is a fantastic network for parents of kids under 5 - might be worth joining if you're youngest is still 5 or under then.. Then organise events like spring family fairs, Christmas and Halloween parties, Easter events, open houses, picnics in the park, summer holiday activity days for the little ones, Saturday craft sessions, regular open houses, meet up groups for working mums, first, second time mums, etc - nights out for the parents, nearly new sales, babysitting circle, trips to museums, theatre and SO much more. Quite a few Americans are members - 2 of them on the committee. 

Don't worry though you won't be pigeon holed in a group of Americans if you don't want to just hang out with your own nationals as I didn't - Ealing is EXTREMELY cosmopolitan. When my brother comes over to visit from Hong Kong he calls Ealing the true home of the United Nations! I have friends and neighbours in Ealing from Literally dozens of countries including America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, The Caribbean, France (they even have French speaking schools here up to 18 yrs!), Ireland, China & HK, Brazil, Iceland, South Korea, Belarus, Spain, India, Lebanon, Iraq, Italy, Estonia - and so many more, a wonderfully multi cultural upbringing for our kids - of course all London is amazingly diverse and bursting with different cultures (much more so than I found in 2 years living in New York) but Ealing just seems so wonderfully mixed, a true melting pot with more mixed marriages than I've seen anywhere else in the world leading to loads of bi - even tri lingual children!

Ealing is zone 3 but well connected with 3 different tube lines and the mainline train to Paddington (10 mins). Hanwell just up the road is cheaper than Ealing central (same borough) and also linked to Paddington (less regular service) - not on tube but well linked by buses and great schools.

Ealing has a lot of good primary schools - some of the best ones are very popular though as you'd imagine so try to live as close as possible to one. Little Ealing, Fielding, Hobbayne (Hanwell) are some of the best state schools, then there's 2 great Catholic schools (mount Carmel, St Joseph's) and a Church of England (Christ the Saviour) amongst others. 

Lastly Ealing as I say is well connected by public transport and motorways. Fab shopping mall 4 or 5 tube stops away - Westfield - Paddington 10 mins direct - but also nicely contained with a good selection of shops, libraries, restaurants and pubs. Oh and fab parks - Walpole with its duck pond and lovely cafe, Lammas with its tennis courts and fab indoor and outdoor children's play areas, Bunny park in Hanwell with its cafe, maze, large countryside feel and FREE mini zoo with a pig, wallabies, peacocks, monkeys, rabbits, chickens, budgies, prairie dogs and more!

As you can tell I love living here. When we first ce here I wanted to live in the centre but so glad we came here - it still has a very much London feel but on a sunny week day in Bunny park I feel like I'm in a country village and it's much friendlier than most places in any big city. 

Another place I love though is Chiswick - gorgeous, also very family friendly, not far from Ealing but more expensive, not quite as friendly and not so well connected to Paddington + only on 2 tube stations. 

Feel free to ask any more questions I haven't covered


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

wow...thanks expatathome, what a reply. really useful and important advise. i m pretty inclined towards ealing (have read nice things about it) and hopefully you can help me towards it. just a few more concerns, if you kindly bear with me.

schooling is a major issue, especially since we will be arriving only in early september, i cant apply earlier as all state schools require an address. how big of an issue would this be, considering the immense pressure already on places (I went through the 'ealing grid for learning' site where it lists remaining places). i m assuming i won't get into the top tier or first choice schools immediately, and would have to settle in a mid-tier one. where do u you think we have better chances, hanwell or other parts of ealing? needless to say, where we take our house is quite dependent on the school location. though i would prefer it close to a tube, if possible. the connections are indeed excellent to paddington.

another basic question for someone quite new to all this, does one need to keep a car? especially if we are in hanwell, with the tube a bit far off. or for my wife to drop the kids if the school is far. how feasible or normal is it for people to keep a car in ealing?


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

No problem - I had some amazing help from people on a forum like this when I was moving here so glad to be of help and ask as much as you like.

Must admit though I'm not an expert on the UK (or any!) school entry system yet but know places in London are very competitive compared to other parts of the UK outside the big cities but to be expected I guess. We moved to the road we are on in Hanwell last year partly because it's 5 mins walk from Hobbayne school which is rated as outstanding. Children we know who go there all love it and they really embrace its diversity with international days, each month featuring a new language and culture for the kids to learn about (last month was Japanese) The school has a lovely friendly atmosphere. The school has just in the process of expanding, meaning it loses the green field space it had but hey that's a luxury in London and means more spaces. Best thing is to call the schools - there's also an advisory organisation you can call especially for education from pre-school to secondary - cant think what it's called offhand but will get back to you on it. I rang them recently to esquire about the free nursery places for over 3s and the lady was very helpful. Also ring the schools I mentioned themselves and local estate agents should also be familiar with catchment areas as usually a good selling point. I won't lie it's not an ideal time to arrive in September, but you'll work it out. Hobbayne school is the Bunny park end of Hanwell. Framfield and Milton roads are in the catchments for it and full of young families. The other side of the Uxbridge road you have Old Hanwell, also nice - best school round there is st Marks I think, heard Oaklands not so good.

Hanwell has very regular bus links - not as convenient for tube but you get more for your money. West Ealing is also cheaper than the popular areas of Ealing like Pitshangar (lovely with great schools and fab park but prob priciest area), south Ealing and Northfields (the latter has some of the best schools and like Pitshangar a lovely range of independent cafes but more costly.

We lived inbetween Lammas and Walpole parks nr Northfields for the first 6 years and lived it but pregnant with baby 2 had to move somewhere bigger. Basically our 3 large bedroomed house with 2 big bathrooms and a decent sized garden close to a row of handy everyday stuff shops and good schools and nurseries, 2 nice parks - this cost us prob £100,000 to £150,000 LESS than an equivalent sized house where we used to live near Northfields. And it's only a 20 min WALK from our old place - London prices are all very postcode conscious and on Ealing W7 and W13 addresses are usually a fair bit cheaper than W7. The slight inconvenience of a bus ride to the tube is worth it but then in not commuting any more. Think trains from Hanwell are every 30 mins v 15 mins to Ealing Broadway but then coming back you could always get the bus back from the station.

Don't be tempted by the cheaper prices ib Acton or Greenford - still Ealing borough but the former is probably one of the most crime ridden parts of west London (still not TOO bad compared to crime in East London though and certainly nothing like the violent crime rates in the US) and the latter where we tried for 6 months is DULL as hell!!

Re cars - hmmm - i would definitely hold off a little while but most people I know with kids have a car in Ealing - just gives you much more flexibility though with regular public transport which you soon get used to and online grocery shopping you can manage without. Re parking - in our old apartment we were lucky enough to have off street parking - and most purpose build blocks do - now we've sacrificed that for a bigger house - much of Hanwell is terraced housing which is partly why it's cheaper and on street parking (most houses in Ealing don't have dedicated parking). We can't always guarantee parking outside our house but it's free for is or visitors to park and if you avoid arriving home at school pick up times it's usually possible to park within a few houses down.

Will try to get you that local education trust number later today.

Let me know if there's anything else


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Sorry - meant to say West Ealing is cheaper but not very nice - a bit run down and not good schools (though to be fair, some there have fewer than 5% of children speaking English at home so think primary schools spend most of their tone getting the kids fluent to be able to teach them - no ones fault, except perhaps the parents who could have tried harder to prepare their kids, many of whom were even born here and there are dozens of free English classes around from pre schoolers to adults, just so silly of them!


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

thank you so much, this is fantastic. on the basis of above, i am now quite inclined towards pitshanger and northfields/south ealing. as i explore further, i m sure i will bother you again with some queries. thanks again.


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Both of those are lovely - Pitshangar perhaps slightly closer to Ealing Broadway station. If you look at a map the area between the station and Pitshangar is all very nice and super convenuent but definitely the costlier end of town. Do let me know how you get on! 

This might be of interest: www.ealing135.org.uk


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

so far, my top school choices are Fielding, Little Ealing, Hobbayne, and Montpelier. Am inclined towards Hobbayne as it offers the shortest commute to Paddington, compared to the other three. Also, looks to be less competitive admissions-wise. 

Do you think the area around Hobbayne is a beautiful and family-friendly place to live in? I know you said some positive things above, but there are more bits and pieces areas in Hanwell, as I understand. Just dont want to be in a position later of having to regret not moving into the Northfields/South Ealing area. Our budget is quite flexible, so the price factor is less important. We are thinking long-term for atleast the next 5 years or more. Any particular catchment streets you recommend near Hobbayne?


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

The area around Hobayne is definitely family friendly. Yes Hanwell is a mixes area so there are council estates around but they are further back - on a map more toward Castlebar road. Hanwell broadway itself is not that great. There's a nice arts cafe fir the kids and a cheap and cheerful gym. However Hobbayne school is about a 15 min walk from there on a fairly busy but nice road Greenford avenue - Selection of local shops and a couple of restaurants, cafes. You also have two fab parks - Cuckoo park (the community centre in its grounds used to be a Victorian workhouse where Charlie Chaplin stayed as a kid). Then there's Brent Lodge park aka Bunny park which I think I mentioned before has a cafe, maze and free animal centre with a butterfly house, wallabies, peacocks, monkeys and more. ALso a golf course with a bar - run by a lovely American guy called Tom.

Basically if you go onto www.streetmap.co.uk and put in a local postcode eg W7 1NH - the box with the arrow in it is roughly where you want to aim for. Poets corner- including Shakespeare, Milton road and others, Framfield road, then the other side of Greenford ave the roads near Brent Lodge park eg Cuckoo lane, Golden manor road.

Hanwell has a fab community feel and is super friendly. We've just had the annual carnival!

That said if you can afford Pitshangar lane well worth considering. Not sure what schools serve well but I think they're all ok. Again look at a map and check out area between Ealing broadway station and Pitshangar lane, around the cricket club, Mount Park road, etc - all v nice and convenient for Ealing Broadway station and shops, about a 10 to15 min walk away. Good for bus routes too. Expect to pay at least £2000 per month to rent a 3 bedroom house round there - prob £200 to £400 PCM more than Hanwell.

Northfields is lovely too but yep prob not so convenient for transport as it'd be quite a walk or a bus ride to EB station.


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

thanks again, going through all the streets/maps you indicated, i feel like i am an ealingiite already! cant wait to get there.


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

the other options i m looking at are close to the grange school, which i heard is decent. i could then get them on the waiting list for little ealing.

second option is ofcourse near north ealing school, considering that pitshanger is a nice place as u have written. and get them on montpelier's waiting list.

unfortuately, have noticed that hobbayne doesn't have a decent back-up school nearby (unlike the above two options). so may find that the kids may have to go to study at a far off semi-decent school until Hobbayne okays them.


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## helenmarino (Apr 30, 2011)

Sorry to put a dampner on this thread - and you have been very helpful - but in terms of schools the reality is that you will have very little choice. Most schools with an OFSTED rating of outstanding or good are totally oversubscribed and in addition to this to be top of the waiting list you will need to live approx 200-300 metres form the school maximum. In the UK the waiting list goes off proximity to school, so you could have been waiting for your preferred choice for 6 months and be top of the waiting list, but if someone else joins the waiting list and lives nearer to the school they will 'jump the queue' so to speak. You will most likely be allocated a school in the borough and you will have little choice unless you live very close to the school. 
I have just done a property search for a family in Richmond and they were top of the waiting list but only because the property was practically next door to the school!
Also most local authorities will not let you even apply until you have an address (i.e. signed tenancy agreement) and you are physically in the country.
There is a real shortage of rental properties at the moment so be prepared to act fast, I'm not sure you will get much more than a 2 bed apartment for £2,000 pcm.
Sorry if this does not sound very optimistic but unfortunately it is the reality of the situation at the moment.
Please reply back if you need any more clarification on schools, if your children are 4 & 7 they will be coming in at Reception and Year 3.
Thanks, Helen Marino


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

With respect you refer to Richmond - one of the most expensive boroughs in London!

In Ealing and especially Hanwell it IS possible to get a 3 bedroom place for around the £2,000 mark. I pay £1,750 PCM for a 3 bed, 2 bathroom place with a garden a few metres away from an outstanding rated school. Distance is probably as you say a factor in why we've been told our kids will definitely get a place at that school.

OP - knows places in London are v competitive for the best schools and that's why she's talking about back up schools. On that note back up school for Hobbayne would be Mayfield - a smaller school, not outstanding rated - but don't read everything into Ofsted - parents of numerous kids I know who go there are all v happy with it and it is smaller. If you can in anyway claim you or your husband are Catholic (not sure how strict they are) st Joseph's catholic school down the road also very good.

OP - best to start looking at websites like right move to get an idea and call your favored schools ASAP to get advice directly from them.

Don't deny that you're coming at a very awkward time for schools as you need to get accommodation sorted before you can apply (think/ hope I mentioned this before). If there's anyway you can get over a bit earlier to sort that out than it might be a very good idea.


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

thanks helen for your concerns. this is precisely the reason why we would seeking to rent a place next to the top schools (Hobbayne/Little Ealing/Fielding). Perhaps you could help in the search? We land on sep 5. And hope to see as many available furnished rental properties (2/3 beds) as close to the schools as possible. Once we have the tenancy agreement ready in that week, we go the In Year Admissions Team of the Ealing LEA. We have already talked to them, and they required the children to be physically present when we apply. Therefore, there was no point in doing an earlier separate trip. They have assured that even if we dont get a place in our top school, they will place the kids within 2 weeks to some school till such time that we get into our preferred schools. I am also monitoring the in-year waiting list updated every week for Reception and Yr 3.

In the meantime, I have looked at various advertised properties, to get a feel of the prices. And expatathome is right, we can make do with a decent place in 2,000 pcm. And thanks, Mayfield does like a very decent school. I noticed a majority of kids are Black African, should that be of concern? Any views on st. marks down the road?


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

St marks is other side of Uxbridge road in old Hanwell which is nice and meant to be good. Backup school there is Oaklands I think which is just ok I think.

Re Mayfield - prob quite a few of African origin yes but people I know with kids there are mixed - East European, British, African and Indian descent. There's a site somewhere my husband found when we were looking (maybe ofsted or council) that gives you ethnicity breakdown but I don't think Mayfield is too composed of any one particular nationality though prob more East Euros than Hobbayne as they tend to be on lower incomes if newly arrived and that is the slightly cheaper end of Greenford avenue. Honestly have only heard pretty good things about it. Although not rated as highly as Hobbayne some like the fact it is smaller - as primary schools go Hobbayne is pretty big with several classes per year. 

Good luck - it's stressful enough moving to another country, without doing so at the start of the school year but I'm sure you'll all be just fine.


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## helenmarino (Apr 30, 2011)

*Schools Advice*

Great advice from expathome re the different areas. As you are coming into the school as an in year admission it is really a question of how long is a piece of string as you will be allocated a place on a 1 in 1 out basis at your preferred school. Existing pupils siblings will take priority and then it is off proximity. Catholic schools are not often an option unless you are catholic, in which case you will need a baptism certificate and proof of church attendance from your current priest - very strict entry requirements these days! Recently some authorities have made special 'bulge' classes i.e. an additional one off extra class in Year Reception where the authority is struggling to place everyone. 
You will be allocated a place however it may not be at the school of your choice. I am presuming your children will not turn 5 or 8 until after September? In which case as I said they will be YR and Y3.
****
Helen


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

thanks folks. we r not catholics so that option is off the table.


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Well it was a long shot - neither are we but it was worth mentioning just in case.


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

How's the move going now?


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

hi expatathome, thanks for checking up. we are busy with packing up here in Qatar. I am arriving on Sep 9 in London, will likely take a hotel in Ealing for 7-10 days (Hotel 55 near North Ealing station), and house-hunt for a 2-3 bed rental during that time, and then call over family around Sep 16. Do you think a week is enough time to find a rental? 

After much contemplation, we are thinking the rental should be in the catchment area of North Ealing/Monteplier or Fielding/Grange. I had seriously thought about the Hobbayne catchment area before I talked to an acquaintance who lives in the pitshanger area who advised me not to go into hanwell at all from a liveable area point of view (perhaps he is biased?). Anyhow, i plan to come with an open mind, and haven't completely ruled out hanwell.

of course, i do not expect our kids to get into any of the top schools immediately, but that they would get into the top of priority list as we would hopefully get a close place to live in. they would be going to a back-up school till then, which I realize could be far off. one school with vacancies still showing is the Three Bridges primary in southall. i guess we would have to get a car immediately to cater to the long commute to the back-up school in the beginning. 

the mid-term plan is to go from a rental to buying our own place, in about 7-8 months time. would the ealing council change our place on the waiting list of the schools if we were to deviate into an address out of the catchment area?


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

You'd really want to avoid that Southall school if you can - miles away in an area with horrendous traffic and it is an area where levels of English are spectacularly low - even road and train station signs are in Indian


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

But the Ofsted lists it as an 'Outstanding schools'!?


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

It may well be outstanding - to be fair I know nothing about it but outstanding can mean it has excellent teachers - brilliant at teaching kids who start school not knowing a word of English - and very well run. Do your own research though - as I say I've never actually heard of the school but would be surprised if it was less than 95% Indian population (of newly arrived or non integrated immigrants which is a different matter for me - I have no problems sending my kids to a school with a similarly high proportion of British Indians from families speak English or who make an effort to get their kids to learn English pre school. However you can always kick up a fuss once they're in. I'd just worry that it's harder to get them moved once they've started somewhere.

Re Hanwell - it is prob looked down on by someone from the 'posher' Pitshangar but is a great community. That said, if you can afford the sized property you want in Pits I'd go for there too! A bit nearer central Ealing as well.


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

hmmm...well i have indeed heard similar negative reports about southall and its schools, so thanks for the heads up.


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## lsac (Jul 27, 2010)

expatathome said:


> Don't worry though you won't be pigeon holed in a group of Americans if you don't want to just hang out with your own nationals as I didn't - Ealing is EXTREMELY cosmopolitan. When my brother comes over to visit from Hong Kong he calls Ealing the true home of the United Nations! I have friends and neighbours in Ealing from Literally dozens of countries including America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, The Caribbean, France (they even have French speaking schools here up to 18 yrs!), Ireland, China & HK, Brazil, Iceland, South Korea, Belarus, Spain, India, Lebanon, Iraq, Italy, Estonia - and so many more, a wonderfully multi cultural upbringing for our kids - of course all London is amazingly diverse and bursting with different cultures (much more so than I found in 2 years living in New York) but Ealing just seems so wonderfully mixed, a true melting pot with more mixed marriages than I've seen anywhere else in the world leading to loads of bi - even tri lingual children!
> 
> Feel free to ask any more questions I haven't covered



Waouh, this place sounds like the place to be if you look for a cosmopolitan neighbourhood! We are French but from Asia, so we are just looking for such a neighbourhood. We may move to London next year with our 5 and 3.5 year old. Ealing seems to be a really good place to live in with young kids. I'm so happy to have found this thread. And thanks for your contributions.


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## helenmarino (Apr 30, 2011)

lsac said:


> Waouh, this place sounds like the place to be if you look for a cosmopolitan neighbourhood! We are French but from Asia, so we are just looking for such a neighbourhood. We may move to London next year with our 5 and 3.5 year old. Ealing seems to be a really good place to live in with young kids. I'm so happy to have found this thread. And thanks for your contributions.


I wouldn't say Ealing is the best place to live in London . Yes it does have nice areas but having lived in most parts of London if I had a choice then yes I would live south of the river and not north, but with a family I would go for Wimbledon or Richmond upon Thames or maybe Putney. It really depends what you want. If you want excellent schools and a less expensive area then Kingston upon Thames is for you and is very family orientated - great area and right on the river - but not as cosmopolitan as somewhere like Putney.

It really comes down to personal choice so please no one be offended about not really liking Ealing!!!

Hope this helps - it really depends on what you want!

Helen


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

No offence taken. Richmond is pretty but no where near as diverse and costs a fortune as dies Wimbledon. Both feel far more suburban and stuck out on a limb. Great if you're rolling in money though I'm sure. I find Richmond quite stuck up - and Kingston I don't even consider as London - it's Surrey - as are the other two practically.


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Best thing to do if you're not sure is stay in a hotel for a few weeks whilst you suss out a few favored areas. Not always practical though I guess.


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## riding-high (Jun 6, 2012)

i have heard good things about both Ealing and Wimbledon/Putney areas, those were the final two choices I had to make. In the end, Ealing trumped as its train journey to my office in paddington is a mere 10 mins versus the 30 mins from Wimbledon. Most other things appear equal: good schools, green areas, and almost equivalent rents/home values.


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## Natalie2b (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi there! We are wanting to move to London and are considering Ealing too (my husband would be getting of for work at Hayes & Harlington). Hopefully you can give me a little more info about expenses in the area. We are hoping to spend around GBP 1500 for housing, but need to make sure I am allotting enough for other household expenses. Expatathome, can you give me an idea of what my council tax will run? I found the amounts on the council website, but have no idea what band it would be. Also, how expensive are electricity, gas & water bills? How much would train fare from Ealing to Hayes & Harlington be? The whole point do moving over is to be able to travel & I want to be very careful to not end up spending more than I budget. Any help/info is greatly appreciated!


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Before I answer this, are you just a couple or a family. £1,500 is a manageable budget, depending on which area you live and how big a place you want, but do you want it to include council tax. For our council tax when we had a 2 bedroom apartment in a nice part of central Ealing we paid about £110 a month.


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## Natalie2b (Aug 11, 2012)

We are a family of 5. We have a 3 bedroom house here and am okay with a 3 bed there. Is 1500 enough to not be in a dodgy part of town? Do the rent amounts normally include the council tax? I have been looking on Zoopla.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Natalie2b said:


> We are a family of 5. We have a 3 bedroom house here and am okay with a 3 bed there. Is 1500 enough to not be in a dodgy part of town? Do the rent amounts normally include the council tax? I have been looking on Zoopla.


No, council tax is not included. Council tax is roughly based on the size and value of the property so if you are looking for 3 bedrooms, you will probably be in the upper few bands but there is no way of predicting. Other websites you can check for properties include:

Rightmove
Primelocation
Findaproperty 

For train info check the Natinal Rail Service website.


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## Natalie2b (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks for responding. I finally found where to get prices on the national rail site. We can get a season pass for just under 80 GBP. My understanding is that the council tax is cheaper in larger areas, say closer to Paddington Station - but the rent is higher and we have less chance of having a garden. Correct?

How do I go about budgeting for utilities? Are there any sites for that or can someone give me a idea of how much to budget?


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Around Paddington you won't get a 3 bed for less than £2,000 PCM excl bills and that's without a garden. In Ealing - as that's what I know best - you could get a 3 bed for £1,500 but your options still won't be limitless eg you may not have a garden and might have to be flexible on location (personally I'd avoid Acton, West Ealing and Hanger Lane) or garden. Though Ealing is so full of beautiful parks on your doorstep you don't really need one. Have a look on Rightmove for different areas. Chiswick you'd be 2 bed max. Ruislip is very suburban but very pleasant and well connected on two tube lines, not so great for getting to Paddington I don't think but cheaper. Re utilities prob budget £125 for council tax in west London PCM and very roughly another £100 PCM for others incl water, electricity And / or gas and landline. Very hard to advise you accurately on that as obviously depends on consumption (apart from water unless you have a meter) If you can do without a landline these days and make do with your cellphone which presumably you'd have anyway and Skype then that'll save a bit. Have left out broadband as this varies too widely and depends on your package eg if it includes cable TV, free landline calls etc but look at Virgin, Talk Talk, BT sites as they should give you an idea.

Oh and TV license - compulsory if you watch TV is £145 per year.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Natalie2b said:


> Thanks for responding. I finally found where to get prices on the national rail site. We can get a season pass for just under 80 GBP. My understanding is that the council tax is cheaper in larger areas, say closer to Paddington Station - but the rent is higher and we have less chance of having a garden. Correct?
> 
> How do I go about budgeting for utilities? Are there any sites for that or can someone give me a idea of how much to budget?


I think your calculation for a rail ticket is off. Paddington to Hayes and Harlington ticket prices:

National Rail Enquiries

The farther away you get from Central London, the more you get for your money. £1500/month near Paddington might get you lower council tax, but it won't get you a 3 bedroom flat (I'm not even sure it would get you 1 bedroom flat) much less a garden.

This site might help you determine a budget for utilities:

Energy Comparison of Gas & Electricity | Broadband Deals & Mobile Phones | uSwitch.com


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## Carol Norwell (Dec 22, 2008)

You may not have considered....but you stated you are willing to move 30 mins away from Paddington, have you considered 30 mins by train? my son lived in Reading for years...not far from where we lived in Newbury. Reading is 30 mins directly to Paddington Station...you will get much more for your money...in terms of rental a huge house with large garden etc in a lovely area of Reading....and there are some good schools. If you bought there you would save a fortune and have a nicer house. Reading is also very multi cultural...has a superb new shopping precinct and is sufficiently close to London with excellent rail links to have evenings out in the capital.


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## Natalie2b (Aug 11, 2012)

My husband's job would be at Hayes & Harlington, not Paddington. Paddington was another area I had considered sine it is a straight shot on the train to Hayes & Harlington. Ealing, obviously, would be much closer and cheaper. I am hoping we will have more than 1500 for rent, but am trying to estimate on the conservative side since we don't have an actual offer in hand yet (still in the early stages of talk about a transfer and I want to make sure we can actually live on what they offer .

I have considered going farther out the train line, the opposite way (Slough, Maidenhead...) but wasn't sure if we would need a car going out that far. Rent would be less, but we would then have expensive insurance and petrol costs. Can you get by farther out without a car? 

The 80GBP for a season pass above was for Ealing/Broadway to Hayes & Harlington. Would Reading be a really long commute and would it be worse with everyone commuting into London?


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## Carol Norwell (Dec 22, 2008)

Natalie2b said:


> My husband's job would be at Hayes & Harlington, not Paddington. Paddington was another area I had considered sine it is a straight shot on the train to Hayes & Harlington. Ealing, obviously, would be much closer and cheaper. I am hoping we will have more than 1500 for rent, but am trying to estimate on the conservative side since we don't have an actual offer in hand yet (still in the early stages of talk about a transfer and I want to make sure we can actually live on what they offer .
> 
> I have considered going farther out the train line, the opposite way (Slough, Maidenhead...) but wasn't sure if we would need a car going out that far. Rent would be less, but we would then have expensive insurance and petrol costs. Can you get by farther out without a car?
> 
> The 80GBP for a season pass above was for Ealing/Broadway to Hayes & Harlington. Would Reading be a really long commute and would it be worse with everyone commuting into London?



Hey.....if you are working in Hayes and Harlington the last thing you want to do is move closer to central London to live....its more expensive the nearer to the centre you get. If you check out the Hayes and Harlington rail line... Hayes & Harlington - Crossrail and start looking for properties for rent in those areas.Use Trovit or Gumtree to search for rental properties...if your office is near a train/tube station then you can manage without a car..In the UK many people commute via coach or train. The trains are busy....but its not like Japan...if you commute half an hour....it wont be that bad. My husband commuted for 18 years...from Newbury...an hour into London and my son did the same...then moved to Reading and it was half an hour. Look for nice areas near where your office is...and then you enjoy more time at home....less travelling.


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## Natalie2b (Aug 11, 2012)

Well, my thinking is this ( and please correct me if I a wrong here) that Ealing is two stops on the rail from Hayes/Harlington, so commute costs are about 80 GBP per month on a season pass (Ealing/Broadway to Hayes & Harlington). In Ealing we definitely won't need a car and the schools are pretty good, family oriented, green & leafy... Plus only about a 10 min ride on the train. 

Heading farther out I have read that Slough isn't necessarily the best area, so that would put us in Reading.... That would put the season pass at 200ish GBP per month. And if I understand correctly the council taxes may be higher due to less people to absorb costs... So that would have to make the rents markedly cheaper that Ealing, which I didn't really get that feeling from looking on the net (again, might be wrong). So, would there be a better quality of life? Am I miscalculating the costs?

I am definitely not opposed to living farther out, but Ealing seems to have so many things going for it. Are there other locations/considerations I am missing here? I really do appreciate everyone's help!


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Definitely forget Slough - no one lives there from choose and it's the butt of jokes!

I'm an Ealingite and biased but personally I think you'd have a better quality of life here than Reading (ok but pretty ugly and dull town) You can easily survive without a car which will make up for property difference and trains from Reading to London are always packed - and probably the most expensive rail season ticket in the country. Ealing is green with dozens of parks and green spaces. It is suburban with its own community, but still feels very much part of London. That said do your research - you might prefer to feel totally out of the metropolis in which case Reading will suit you more. Maidenhead is quite pleasant too.


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## Carol Norwell (Dec 22, 2008)

Natalie2b said:


> Well, my thinking is this ( and please correct me if I a wrong here) that Ealing is two stops on the rail from Hayes/Harlington, so commute costs are about 80 GBP per month on a season pass (Ealing/Broadway to Hayes & Harlington). In Ealing we definitely won't need a car and the schools are pretty good, family oriented, green & leafy... Plus only about a 10 min ride on the train.
> 
> Heading farther out I have read that Slough isn't necessarily the best area, so that would put us in Reading.... That would put the season pass at 200ish GBP per month. And if I understand correctly the council taxes may be higher due to less people to absorb costs... So that would have to make the rents markedly cheaper that Ealing, which I didn't really get that feeling from looking on the net (again, might be wrong). So, would there be a better quality of life? Am I miscalculating the costs?
> 
> I am definitely not opposed to living farther out, but Ealing seems to have so many things going for it. Are there other locations/considerations I am missing here? I really do appreciate everyone's help!


If you like Ealing go for it....you are renting so its not critical...if you dont like it later, you can change before thinking of buying. I wouldnt buy in Slough....you are right...not the best area...but Windsor next door is a great area.... As far as council tax on property goes...you can check those on the web...each area will have its own rates....it doesnt work the way you suggest...ie...less people higher taxes...some councils charge high...some charge less...some provide good services...others poor services....but go with your gut...have you visited the areas? I am from North West London...and believe me...each little area is totally different to the next....so Ealing is so different to Hammersmith.....and Acton...all next to eachother...more difficult with children as you dont want to keep changing their schools...you really need to get to the UK superquick and spend a few weeks in a serviced flat whilst looking around.....do your homework re: schools...how well they do in inspections...which you obviously have....look at costs of renting and council tax....what the local transport is like..do they have regular buses....look at the crime rate in the area you choose...libraries...what is the local hospital like? GPs....your local doctor needs to be good.....if you are not working....and want to integrate...you need to know there are clubs/groups/gyms/societies...book groups whatever...that you can sign up to and make friends....so much to think about....at least you are renting...so you have breathing space....good luck!


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## Natalie2b (Aug 11, 2012)

We are hoping to have a visit soon and scope out the areas. Just trying to narrow it all down and have an idea of what we want when my husbands work tells us what they can pay him over there. Ealing def looks very promising,but I have looked at Winsor and really haven't ruled anything out at this point... Thanks for responding!


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## expatathome (Jun 24, 2012)

Well it'd be pretty easy to check out Windsor, Reading and Maidenhead at the same time. Best of luck! Also think Ruislip might have direct train to Hayes, definitely worth checking out too.


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## Carol Norwell (Dec 22, 2008)

Natalie2b said:


> We are hoping to have a visit soon and scope out the areas. Just trying to narrow it all down and have an idea of what we want when my husbands work tells us what they can pay him over there. Ealing def looks very promising,but I have looked at Winsor and really haven't ruled anything out at this point... Thanks for responding!


If you look up the train line Cheap train tickets, get UK train times & fares | thetrainline you can see how frequent trains are and get an idea of costs...though season tickets obviously cheaper... but trains are not cheap in the UK....and you dont always get a seat. The roads are worse...too many cars and traffic jams
...so trains probably the best of the bunch....


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