Where to live? - Watford/St Albans/Hemel Hempstead
Discussion
Hi
I have a new job near Hertford.
For various reasons I won't bore you with - I have narrowed possible living places to Watford, St Albans or Hemel Hempstead
I will be renting - single male - probably in a house share first and then maybe rent a flat on my own. Ideally want to be near facilities (i.e cinema, sports, music)
Ideally I want to live somewhere which could be described as the suburbs (i.e. not in the centre of town and is reasonably quiet with parking). I do not need to live in a multi million pound house with massive garden!
Watford looks ideal as has the biggest population and therefore I assume facilities. It also has good links to London. I suspect thought it is the most expensive for those reasons for renting.
St Albans would be next - really by virtue of the fact it is closer to Hertford for travel. Leaving Hemel Hempstead third.
Can anyone give me advice specifically of what areas might be good to hone in on when I am looking for a place to live?
Need to be reasonably close to the shops and walking distance to a train station that goes to London would also be helpful.
I have a new job near Hertford.
For various reasons I won't bore you with - I have narrowed possible living places to Watford, St Albans or Hemel Hempstead
I will be renting - single male - probably in a house share first and then maybe rent a flat on my own. Ideally want to be near facilities (i.e cinema, sports, music)
Ideally I want to live somewhere which could be described as the suburbs (i.e. not in the centre of town and is reasonably quiet with parking). I do not need to live in a multi million pound house with massive garden!
Watford looks ideal as has the biggest population and therefore I assume facilities. It also has good links to London. I suspect thought it is the most expensive for those reasons for renting.
St Albans would be next - really by virtue of the fact it is closer to Hertford for travel. Leaving Hemel Hempstead third.
Can anyone give me advice specifically of what areas might be good to hone in on when I am looking for a place to live?
Need to be reasonably close to the shops and walking distance to a train station that goes to London would also be helpful.
Hertford itself is probably going to be a bit too quiet (and even more expensive I would assume)
Will those 3 places vary much in rental? or are they much the same?
And is it a quick drive between them or can traffic get bad in evenings? e.g could live in St Albans but drive to Watford for entertainment
Will those 3 places vary much in rental? or are they much the same?
And is it a quick drive between them or can traffic get bad in evenings? e.g could live in St Albans but drive to Watford for entertainment
I currently live in a city of 300,000 - not sure I want to live somewhere with less than 30,000 to be honest - it'll just be too dead (and in my experience those quiet places tend to be more expensive if anything)
Journey to Hertford will prob be 1 or 2 times a week.
I'll need to do some research on property costs etc but want to try and hone it down a little first.
Is HH cheaper than St Albans?
Journey to Hertford will prob be 1 or 2 times a week.
I'll need to do some research on property costs etc but want to try and hone it down a little first.
Is HH cheaper than St Albans?
I currently live in Southampton and commute to Winchester but its not a major problem these days as I can start late and there are multiple ways to drive in. I normally allow 35-40 minutes on an average run.
Traffic can be bad in Southampton, the M3 and Winchester - but not sure how it compares to Herts.
Current commute is 15miles
Obviously with WAH etc I am OK to drive a little bit further as it is not every day.
Traffic can be bad in Southampton, the M3 and Winchester - but not sure how it compares to Herts.
Current commute is 15miles
Obviously with WAH etc I am OK to drive a little bit further as it is not every day.
Collectingbrass said:
It depends on your budget but if you can afford St Albans I would avoid HH & Watford like the plague, they are both (and I speak as a HH resident) not in the same league.
The other problem you will have is getting across 3 major north south arterial routes (M1, A1 & A10) as well as out of each town. The A414 is a lovely road at 2 in the morning, not so much at 6pm and you can expect "rush hour" to start at 6 am for the London bound traffic. I would look at towns & villages between the A1 & M11.
What is it about St Albans that is better?The other problem you will have is getting across 3 major north south arterial routes (M1, A1 & A10) as well as out of each town. The A414 is a lovely road at 2 in the morning, not so much at 6pm and you can expect "rush hour" to start at 6 am for the London bound traffic. I would look at towns & villages between the A1 & M11.
Quieter? Less crime? Less busy? Less traffic?
I have chosen Watford side of Hertford because I want to be able to get access down to the M3 for trips 'home'.
I don't really want to move any further north unless I have to.
I don't want to live in North London as it will prob be too expensive and too congested.
I chose Watford, St Albans and Hemel because I want to live somewhere that is reasonably heavily populated rather than a very small town.
I'll have a look at Welwyn and Hertford in more detail.
I spose i need to weigh up would I prefer to travel for work or travel for social events
I don't really want to move any further north unless I have to.
I don't want to live in North London as it will prob be too expensive and too congested.
I chose Watford, St Albans and Hemel because I want to live somewhere that is reasonably heavily populated rather than a very small town.
I'll have a look at Welwyn and Hertford in more detail.
I spose i need to weigh up would I prefer to travel for work or travel for social events
I did some price comparisons on renting a double room in a house share
Watford and St Albans sort of range between 700 - 900 for anything good. Not a huge different in them.
Hertford isn't much cheaper.
Welwyn and Hatfield are approx. 100 to 200 a month cheaper though.
To rent a flat on your own generally looking at 1000-1200 at all of them.
Watford and St Albans sort of range between 700 - 900 for anything good. Not a huge different in them.
Hertford isn't much cheaper.
Welwyn and Hatfield are approx. 100 to 200 a month cheaper though.
To rent a flat on your own generally looking at 1000-1200 at all of them.
Don1 said:
Being outside of WGC - I'd agree. Hitchin is a better choice.
(There are a lot of people in this area 'waiting to die'.)
Hitchin or WGC(There are a lot of people in this area 'waiting to die'.)
I am under 40 and single - so I want to be where other youngish people are - hence my preference for somewhere slightly more built up like Watford, St Albans or Enfield.
Vasco said:
Mojooo said:
Hitchin is prob too far from Hertford (office) to be a first choice
At the moment I am flexible for either WGC, St Albans or Enfield even - its slim pickings for places to live fitting my criteria as it is.
It would be St Albans by a mile for anyone who can afford it (have you seen the prices?) - and few are going to suggest Enfield or WGC!!At the moment I am flexible for either WGC, St Albans or Enfield even - its slim pickings for places to live fitting my criteria as it is.
I have found somewhere in St Albans but agent is rubbish at responding.
I thought I'd come back to update this thread to help the next person... It's been interesting!
So I have ended up in Stevenage.
Firstly, when I actually tried contacting people to live, I tried anywhere and everywhere in Herts - I came up against the fact that very few landlords/agents responded - I must have contacted over 30 people and only got 3 viewings- 1 in Hertford, 1 in Hatfield and 1 in Stevenage. I did try other places like St Albans, Watford, Hitchin and Harpenden. The landlords I met basically said as soon as an advert is put up they are inundated with messages. The competition for properties is very intense.
In the end I had to take the place in Stevenage as I was only about 10 days away from starting work. By that point I had driven to Herts 3 times for 3 viewings and getting a bit fed up (plus costing me £40 odd quid in petrol each time and taking 5 or 6 hours of time).
Before people start having a go - i literally couldn't have got a place in St Albans or Hitchin or Hertford even if I had wanted to - and I was able to pay the asking prices.
I know people will rip into Stevenage - but what do I make of it
-It is a bit characterless - all the main roads look exactly the same and it can be hard to orient yourself
-It is quite small with not a huge amount going on socially - the population is only 90,000
-The town centre looks dated
Having said all that - its not BAD bit its not great either.
The actual house I am staying in is not that nice (absolutely freezing and I have t pay for all energy use) - I am hoping it will look up again in the summer so I am either going to leave at the end of my 6 month contract or possibly look to leave earlier.
As an added complication my office may also move to Stevenage in 6 months so it kind of makes sense to stay here.
I have met lots of people at work who live in Herts and being getting mixed messages. There is no point renting in St Albans because a 2 bed house is like 700k. I'd rather feel out an area where I may be able to buy.
My next move will either be to try out Watford or maybe another place in Stevenage.
Longer term though it might not be feasible to stay in this area just due to the house prices. I'd probably be looking to think of a place to buy in around 6-8 months.
On the plus side, Stevenage to Hertford is no more than 30 minutes if leaving around 8.45am.
So I have ended up in Stevenage.
Firstly, when I actually tried contacting people to live, I tried anywhere and everywhere in Herts - I came up against the fact that very few landlords/agents responded - I must have contacted over 30 people and only got 3 viewings- 1 in Hertford, 1 in Hatfield and 1 in Stevenage. I did try other places like St Albans, Watford, Hitchin and Harpenden. The landlords I met basically said as soon as an advert is put up they are inundated with messages. The competition for properties is very intense.
In the end I had to take the place in Stevenage as I was only about 10 days away from starting work. By that point I had driven to Herts 3 times for 3 viewings and getting a bit fed up (plus costing me £40 odd quid in petrol each time and taking 5 or 6 hours of time).
Before people start having a go - i literally couldn't have got a place in St Albans or Hitchin or Hertford even if I had wanted to - and I was able to pay the asking prices.
I know people will rip into Stevenage - but what do I make of it
-It is a bit characterless - all the main roads look exactly the same and it can be hard to orient yourself
-It is quite small with not a huge amount going on socially - the population is only 90,000
-The town centre looks dated
Having said all that - its not BAD bit its not great either.
The actual house I am staying in is not that nice (absolutely freezing and I have t pay for all energy use) - I am hoping it will look up again in the summer so I am either going to leave at the end of my 6 month contract or possibly look to leave earlier.
As an added complication my office may also move to Stevenage in 6 months so it kind of makes sense to stay here.
I have met lots of people at work who live in Herts and being getting mixed messages. There is no point renting in St Albans because a 2 bed house is like 700k. I'd rather feel out an area where I may be able to buy.
My next move will either be to try out Watford or maybe another place in Stevenage.
Longer term though it might not be feasible to stay in this area just due to the house prices. I'd probably be looking to think of a place to buy in around 6-8 months.
On the plus side, Stevenage to Hertford is no more than 30 minutes if leaving around 8.45am.
2172cc said:
Glad you got sorted in the end.....just skimmed through the replies and no-one seems to have mentioned Potters Bar where I live. I like it there and suits me perfectly.
Did you consider that?
Yea - I am actually going there today so will check it outDid you consider that?
My office may be moving to Stevenage so I will have that down as my number 1 place at the moment. Its worked out well in the sense that I can spend my time scoping out Stevenage. Although it seems to me that all the action is focussed on the town centre which is quite small. Houses are about 50k more expensive then I'd like them to be but some of the ones I looked at went up by that much during Covid so they may come down slightly.
I went to London for the first time (from here) the other day - 10 mins to the station in car - then about 30 mins to Finsbury Park. On the way back it was only 18 minutes on the return train (Finsbury Park to Stevenage). Overall though its still a bit of a pain and not exactly something I'd be doing every other day due to time and cost (whereas in a big city there may actually be something to do every other day locally within a 10-15min drive).
What I have found about Stevenage
-very characterless in terms of architecture - and to be honest it is a bit painful when you are driving around and everything looks the same.
-pretty quiet for traffic with generally good/modern roads
-it has most of the major chain stores you would want
-good trains into London
-not a huge amount of nightlife - most of it seems to be centred around one High Street called Old Town - which is basically a normal high street in most other places but a big deal in Stevenage
- if you want somewhere to retire to - perfect
- have to travel a fair bit to surrounding towns like Hitchin, Hatfield, St Albans, Welwyn and Hertford.
- I've only been to the main high street once or twice - yes it is very old looking from the 70s and 80s but it has the shops you need generally. if you want a fashion spree go to London on a weekend.
- unlike many on here, I am not snobby about housing. The houses are still quite expensive compared to the UK but generally a lot of it was built post war. Some new estates on the edges.
- its not BAD but its not particularly great either.
I wouldn't live here if I didn't work in the area to be honest. I wouldn't really describe it as vibrant or buzzing.
-very characterless in terms of architecture - and to be honest it is a bit painful when you are driving around and everything looks the same.
-pretty quiet for traffic with generally good/modern roads
-it has most of the major chain stores you would want
-good trains into London
-not a huge amount of nightlife - most of it seems to be centred around one High Street called Old Town - which is basically a normal high street in most other places but a big deal in Stevenage
- if you want somewhere to retire to - perfect
- have to travel a fair bit to surrounding towns like Hitchin, Hatfield, St Albans, Welwyn and Hertford.
- I've only been to the main high street once or twice - yes it is very old looking from the 70s and 80s but it has the shops you need generally. if you want a fashion spree go to London on a weekend.
- unlike many on here, I am not snobby about housing. The houses are still quite expensive compared to the UK but generally a lot of it was built post war. Some new estates on the edges.
- its not BAD but its not particularly great either.
I wouldn't live here if I didn't work in the area to be honest. I wouldn't really describe it as vibrant or buzzing.
Edited by Mojooo on Friday 21st April 13:22
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