I don’t live in London but I’m interested in finding work there or at least in the South East. However, I visit other forums…not driver related and I hear stories where people are saying that you cannot survive there unless you’re earning £50k minimum. This surely cannot be the case?
Are there any drivers here living in the Greater London area? Do you manage to survive well or is it a struggle? I would appreciate any experiences shared.
It depends! A room in London with everything taken care of can be had for £80 a week. Anything more than a room starts to be expensive when you factor in council tax,gas,leccy,phone,sky etc…budget on £600 pm as a minimum unless you don’t mind a flat/house share.
44 Tonne Ton:
It depends! A room in London with everything taken care of can be had for £80 a week. Anything more than a room starts to be expensive when you factor in council tax,gas,leccy,phone,sky etc…budget on £600 pm as a minimum unless you don’t mind a flat/house share.
Thanks for the reply. So, a HGV driver in London only has the option of renting? Purchasing a flat is beyond the affordability of a HGV driver? I suppose then London property…even the most modest is then still in a price bubble or was this always the case?
Apparently Stobbies boys get £25 for London weighting.
Ader1:
44 Tonne Ton:
It depends! A room in London with everything taken care of can be had for £80 a week. Anything more than a room starts to be expensive when you factor in council tax,gas,leccy,phone,sky etc…budget on £600 pm as a minimum unless you don’t mind a flat/house share.Thanks for the reply. So, a HGV driver in London only has the option of renting? Purchasing a flat is beyond the affordability of a HGV driver? I suppose then London property…even the most modest is then still in a price bubble or was this always the case?
You can buy places on a drivers money yes. Check out www.rightmove.co.uk
Wooden holiday chalet for sale at £10,000 near Bideford,Devon.
toby1234abc:
Apparently Stobbies boys get £25 for London weighting.
Looked at their web site and can’t find a London site. Do they have one there?
Thanks for the replies.
There are 3 pages about Eddie Stobart in Widnes on the Professional drivers forum,they have mentioned Avely.
Living in Greater London on your own really isnt an option for most people, unless you want 20p a week disposable income. You might be able to buy a shoe box. But then if you want to live in the worlds greatest city then it’ll cost you!
My brother and his girlfriend are paying £360 a week rent,it would be cheaper to buy the shoe box they are in?
switchlogic:
Living in Greater London on your own really isnt an option for most people, unless you want 20p a week disposable income. You might be able to buy a shoe box. But then if you want to live in the worlds greatest city then it’ll cost you!
It appears that the greatest cost is accommodation but there are affordable places according to the web site posted earlier. Granted, I might have to limit myself to window gardening. Last time I visited there, it was possible to have a night out relatively cheap. Unless you live like somebody I know who drinks in Covent Garden every weekend. It’s strange though how some state that you need £50k to live there minimum. I suppose that some people’s idea of ‘minimum’ is a 3 bed house; 2 cars, 2 foreign holidays a year and eating out regularly.
switchlogic:
Living in Greater London on your own really isnt an option for most people, unless you want 20p a week disposable income. You might be able to buy a shoe box. But then if you want to live in the worlds greatest city then it’ll cost you!
You might be able to find a small rented place in Brixton or Willesden but forget any ideas about the worlds greatest city and the neighbours/natives won’t exactly be friendly either .But Geneva it certainly ain’t.
But if London was really that great all the zb Londoners would’nt want to live in Surrey instead and keep calling for us to wreck even more of the county to build yet more houses for the zb’s. 
90% of second home owners have homes in Bath,there is a Chinese restauarant in Chinatown,London that does an all you can eat buffet for £4.95,it is jam packed all day and night.Edit,the 90% of home owners in Bath live in london.
toby1234abc:
My brother and his girlfriend are paying £360 a week rent,it would be cheaper to buy the shoe box they are in?
Your brother and his girlfriend appear to have more money than sense!
think it is do with the school catchment area,they have to live within 0.8 of mile away from the school they have selected.
toby1234abc:
90% of second home owners have homes in Bath,there is a Chinese restauarant in Chinatown,London that does an all you can eat buffet for £4.95,it is jam packed all day and night.Edit,the 90% of home owners in Bath live in london.
LOL! I was thinking of the very place when I wrote my piece above. Its not in China town proper…but on the way to it? I know there is at least one other as there’s also one in Acton.
There is a great noodle bar,the met police eat there on their breaks,it is the Shoreditch area,noodle soups with fish or meat,and really cheap too.Crispy noodles,yum.
Hi Ader1
I’m still saving up to move down to the South East. As a HGV driver your best to get a place just outside of the M25 as most of the industrial areas where you will be working will be places like Dangenham, Thurrock, Enfield, Hatfield etc The pay is pretty much the same but you get better value for money accomodation wise. I’m looking at Dagenham at the moment.
As for buying a place within inner London, if you become a bus driver after 12 months you can buy or rent key worker flat just like a nurse or teacher can at half the price. Most are brand new and some even riverside
Hi ZigZag,
Thanks for the information. It’s very quiet everywhere now though isn’t it…even in London. But things will improve at some point I’m sure.
Carryfast:
switchlogic:
Living in Greater London on your own really isnt an option for most people, unless you want 20p a week disposable income. You might be able to buy a shoe box. But then if you want to live in the worlds greatest city then it’ll cost you!
You might be able to find a small rented place in Brixton or Willesden but forget any ideas about the worlds greatest city and the neighbours/natives won’t exactly be friendly either
But if London was really that great all the zb Londoners would’nt want to live in Surrey instead and keep calling for us to wreck even more of the county to build yet more houses for the zb’s.
Good lord did you just compare London unfavourably to Geneva?! Have you been to either? If so your are indeed nuts!