[movingtoUK]

I will be moving to London with my wife and small children as an Intercompany transfer from NY. We are just starting to do our homework and have a ton of questions, we would appreciate any help we can get:

1) I will work in Canary Wharf, what are good places to live less than 40 minutes from there by tube? What about E1,E2,E3 and E14? NW6 or NW10?

2) We may be able to afford up to a 500Pounds per week rental, is that enough to get a 4 bedroom house? How much would be the council tax for such a property? Do we or the property owner have to pay the council tax? How much are the utilities (electricity, gas, water, telephone and cable)?

3) I will be going with a Tier 2 work visa, will my wife be allowed to work?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Weebie]

I will be moving to London with my wife and small children as an Intercompany transfer from NY. We are just starting to do our homework and have a ton of questions, we would appreciate any help we can get:

1) I will work in Canary Wharf, what are good places to live less than 40 minutes from there by tube? What about E1,E2,E3 and E14? NW6 or NW10?

2) We may be able to afford up to a 500Pounds per week rental, is that enough to get a 4 bedroom house? How much would be the council tax for such a property? Do we or the property owner have to pay the council tax? How much are the utilities (electricity, gas, water, telephone and cable)?

3) I will be going with a Tier 2 work visa, will my wife be allowed to work?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

1

Parts areoudn therer are a bit sterile but one of the better parts of london. On If you're on the Jubilee line it does'n't take long to get to teh wharf.

2

Yes

3

Yes

 

[Joppa]

I will be moving to London with my wife and small children as an Intercompany transfer from NY. We are just starting to do our homework and have a ton of questions, we would appreciate any help we can get:

1) I will work in Canary Wharf, what are good places to live less than 40 minutes from there by tube? What about E1,E2,E3 and E14? NW6 or NW10?

You can also look for areas on the Essex side, where property prices are lower and you may find environment better for a family (green space, good schools, personal safety etc).

2) We may be able to afford up to a 500Pounds per week rental, is that enough to get a 4 bedroom house? How much would be the council tax for such a property? Do we or the property owner have to pay the council tax? How much are the utilities (electricity, gas, water, telephone and cable)?

In the vicinity of Canary Wharf, most accommodation are flats - detached houses are rare and much more expensive. You have to move further out to find a house with garden etc. £500/week for a 4-bedroom house is quite a modest budget (equating to a property price of less than £500,000) and you need to go into the suburbia. Council Tax will normally be payable by you, the tenant, and will depend on property prices. At a guess, around £1500 to £2000 a year. Reckon around £1000 to £1500 a year for utilities - gas, electricity, water; £400 for telephone and £500 for cable/satellite. It will be cheaper to get a bundled deal for satellite/cable with telephone and broadband. Plus £200-300 for contents insurance. If you run a car, about £1500 in fuel, £500 insurance, £2000-£3000 in depreciation, £150 in road tax and £300 in servicing/repairs (all annual), for a typical family car new or less than a year old. Cheaper if you get a reliable but older car.

3) I will be going with a Tier 2 work visa, will my wife be allowed to work?

As stated, yes, she will be allowed to work or engage in self-employment without further permission.

 

[jlms]

There are several places in close proximity to Canary Wharf that could be of interest.

In London proper you have Blackheath and Greenwich areas, depending where you would be, you would have easy access by DLR (light train) to CW.

I actually have a 2 bedroom flat in North Greenwich, I lived there for a couple of years, and really loved it (North Greenwich is next to Canary Wharf in the Jubilee line, so commuting is relatively easy and would be a bonus if you need to run home errands of any kind).

Development in the Greenwich Peninsula is continuing now that the recession has eased a bit, so it is worth paying attention to this.

I know there are bigger flats for rent, there are many families with small children in the area. I don't know what the situation with schools is, so that could be an issue (local people send their children to the primary school in the peninsula, a big secondary school with an arts vocational component is planned for later this year).

The postcodes you mention are of areas that are in one of the poorest boroughs in London (and the country), Tower Hamlets. I would avoid E2 and E3 (around the notorious Hackney area, from where traditionally the Cockney criminal gangs come, nowadays it is simply run down and poor). Some places in E1 could be OK, but the problem there is that amenities are lacking.

E14 is in what used to be a very poor area, but the money from Canary Wharf is slowly rubbing in, so in close proximity to Canary Wharf and in the areas with river views you will have very good housing, but in other areas in the Isle of Dogs (that is the name of the area) you will find some of the problems associated with inner city living (some crime and some degree of gang related violence, social deprivation). Keep in mind that this is not remotely close to how bad it can be in some US innercities. Most of London is eminently liveable and enjoyable, I think E14 would be fine in general but open your eyes to make sure you spot any potential problem areas.

E14 has the advantage of having very good amenities (all the shopping possibilities in Canary Wharf, as well as big supermarkets and lots of small shops) easy access to Greenwich (which means museums and green areas), you have even got a farm there London city farm Mudchute Park and Farm . Cinemas are easily available in Canary Wharf's outskirts (West India Quay), and Greenwich, including an art house, one short Tube ride away you have Surrey Quays shopping centre with more shops and cinemas.

I saw very smart houses in Rotherhithe (Canada Water tube), which has a shuttle ferry to Canary Wharf.

Some of my former colleagues with small children preferred life out of London, they were in Tunbridge Wells, South End or even Hove (close to Brighton) The commuting can be quite tiring (train+tube), and tremendously expensive, but many people are up for it.

You may have noticed I have not talked about car. If you live in London proper you may not need one (we have one and we use it only on weekends if at all, but we have no children).

If you live out of London you will need a car, which is quite expensive (as summarized by another poster).

Good luck and welcome to the UK.

 

[movingtoUK]

Thanks!

Thanks for the responses! We are doing more research based on them.

 

[movingtoUK]

Thanks a lot for all the detailed information!

 

[tictactoe]

North London Best, but for access to Canary Wharf, think of the A13 as entry point by car, and the further East you go the better, Romford possibly, but best would be the smart new houses at Chafford Hundred (on network rail station), adjacent to Grays Essex (a lot of city workers rent/buy houses there), which is also adjacent to Lakeside London's fashionable regional shopping mall, and has many US companies represented there. Don't bother with the E. areas if you have children.

 

[Jessica_Williams]

Another great area you could consider is Greenwich. Ridiculously convenient for Canary Wharf (10 minutes on the DlR, or you can get the boat!) and such a sweet area. Loads of history, the great big royal park for the kids, lots of lovely property and good schools nearby. Lots of families there too, plus it has the advantage of being so close to everything, having a mainline station (15 minutes to Charing Cross for Trafalgar Square, 10 minutes to London bridge), yet it feels like a town, not inner city.

I know my post seems really overenthusiatic about Greenwich but I lived there for two years whilst working in Canary Wharf and loved it.

 

[tictactoe]

But of course Blackwall tunnel, if using a car can be hectic, it's a rail option Greenwich But it is a fantastic location, last night I drove from Colney Hatch interchange A406(North Circular) to Lakeside in 30 mins, so it's not distance it's time. Average by car speed is 4mph in central London. But I believe a car is needed, unlike Boris Johnson (Mayor) who wants us to walk and cycle everywhere, at some point in time you need a car (as the tube/nat rail never goes close to anything you need, i.e. a Tesco for groceries etc.

Another great area you could consider is Greenwich. Ridiculously convenient for Canary Wharf (10 minutes on the DlR, or you can get the boat!) and such a sweet area. Loads of history, the great big royal park for the kids, lots of lovely property and good schools nearby. Lots of families there too, plus it has the advantage of being so close to everything, having a mainline station (15 minutes to Charing Cross for Trafalgar Square, 10 minutes to London bridge), yet it feels like a town, not inner city.

I know my post seems really overenthusiatic about Greenwich but I lived there for two years whilst working in Canary Wharf and loved it.

 

[Mr Sides]

Move to the Suburbs

Agree with the previous post, Southend is a nice area, with some excellent private and public schools. Commuting to Canary Wharf is OK from Southend. To be nearer to London look at Upminster. Both towns have good access to the C2C train line.

fisks, period, co, period, uk for house / flat rentals!

All the best,

Steve

 

[tictactoe]

Totally agree, with Southend, I smell the Candy Floss, and doughnuts now! Not sure why they have torn up the road by the Pier though, are they resurfacing it, seems to take forever? Upminster, is OK. Not sure about South Ockendon though, not keen on that area! But generally if you can be in reasonable commuting distance, the further out the better. Two reasons, it's cheaper and cleaner!!

 

[KimiGonzales]

Hi guys,

I am hoping to move to London from Glasgow. I would be working in Canary Wharf and would like to know of areas to rent a house / apartment nearby. I would be willing to do a commute of up to 1 hour everyday. I currently live ion the outskirts of Glasgow in a good catchment area with lots of greenery in the surroundings. It is a quiet area which is exactly what my wife and I would like to replicate in London. Our budget will be between £900 - £1,200 per month.

Does anyone have any recommendations of where we should be looking for properties to rent?

Thanks.

Kimi.

 

[KimiGonzales]

Hi guys,

I am hoping to move to London from Glasgow. I would be working in Canary Wharf and would like to know of areas to rent a house / apartment nearby. I would be willing to do a commute of up to 1 hour everyday. I currently live ion the outskirts of Glasgow in a good catchment area with lots of greenery in the surroundings. It is a quiet area which is exactly what my wife and I would like to replicate in London. Our budget will be between £900 - £1,200 per month.

Does anyone have any recommendations of where we should be looking for properties to rent?

Thanks.

Kimi.

Any thoughts guys? I have just received a verbal job offer today so need to start thinking about the best place to move...

Thanks.