Where to live in London as an IT Contractor

[petr82]

I'm sure many people were trying to find a good answer for this question so since I'm planning to start contracting early next year myself I wonder if I can get some advice here and perhaps help other people that are looking for the same.

As an IT contractor one will work in different places in London so to not spend ages commuting it's important to choose a good strategic location and of course location with reasonable rents. By good location I really mean being not more than 3-5 minutes away from the station and spend max about 10-15 minutes on the train. I assume that most of companies that take IT contractors are located in the City and Canary Wharf, although some are in West London as well. Based on this premise I made this list of candidates:

- Waterloo (jubilee to wharf, w&c to bank, SW trains, bakerloo to the center, marylebone & paddington, but renting rather expensive)
- London Bridge (jubilee to wharf, northern/walk to bank, trains, renting a bit cheaper than waterloo)
- Stratford (jubilee/DLR to wharf, central to bank/city, renting cheaper but may be a bit dodgy area)
- Canary Wharf (walk to wharf, jubilee to southwark, DLR to bank, reasonably cheap rent when a bit of the main area)
- Surbiton (18 mins by train to waterloo but cheap)

Of course this is just a theory and based on my presumptions which may be false (also because I've never lived in any of those areas). Therefore I will be really glad and I'm sure others will appreciate it as well if people who actually do IT contracting for a long time can contribute with their know-how and experience.

[Troll]

Pitch a tent at St Paul's
Guaranteed free space until at least Spring 2012 & a great central location


HTH

[Ruprect]

Greenwich - great for the wharf, city and west end. Plus you don't have to get on the waterloo and city line.

[doodab]

The average commute in London is > 50 minutes and you will pay a premium to reduce that significantly, either in cash or by living somewhere horrid. If you can't / won't do that then there is actually something to be said for being a bit further out. It'll take longer but you'll get a seat.

It's also worth considering access to other mainline stations and motorways if you think you are likely to end up working outside of London. The south west corner is best for this IMO, you have good access to the M3 / M4 axis where a lot of tech firms are congregated.

Personally I would say find a flat somewhere in zone 1 or parts of 2 that gives you the option of walking, cycling or taking the bus. It makes the commute a lot nicer and you won't be shafted when the trains have an off day (this will happen). It will also save you a fortune in cab fares if you are the sort of person who stays out late and gets a cab home / to the mainline station late at night, and you get to have London proper on your doorstep for evenings and weekends. You will pay a premium for this but to some extent this will be offset by cheaper transport and savings on taxis.

Rotherhithe / Canada Water is cheap & convenient for the City & Wharf but a bit of a dump. The same can be said for most places on the DLR.

All of the main line trains into Waterloo or London Bridge get pretty busy (ditto liverpool st, moorgate etc) but it's a doable ride if you're close enough in i.e. zone 3 at the most, or a commuter town with fast trains. These usually get very busy in rush hour.

At the wrong time of day you might have to wait a train or two for the waterloo and city as the queue actually backs up the ramp to the platform. That will add a few minutes to your journey.

The Northern Line is fairly hellish once you get past tooting to the south, I don't know about the north.

[TimberWolf]

Or sleep in a stealth van? Convenient, no traffic hassles. Close to work, if you park in their car park. Cheap. Not an overpriced tulip hole, etc.

Not tried it myself, but would be tempted.

[MarillionFan]

Or sleep in a stealth van? Convenient, no traffic hassles. Close to work, if you park in their car park. Cheap. Not an overpriced tulip hole, etc.

Not tried it myself, but would be tempted.

Not everyone likes slumming it in tents Timber.

[TimberWolf]

Not everyone likes slumming it in tents Timber.

It could be even better than a tent. A home from home. Even film stars use them, so why not lowly contractors? It could have all the mod cons that can fit in a van.

[SueEllen]

The Northern Line is fairly hellish once you get past tooting to the south, I don't know about the north.

It's hellish both ways apparently - hence it's nickname the "misery line"

[Zippy]

No, not all cos that take IT contactors are in the City or Canary Wharf.
Find somewhere with a good transport link and suck up the travelling time.

[scooterscot]

I don't get it, if a job requires that I work in the city I ramp the rate the rate up so I'm living around hyde park and the like.

The client questions my rate I tell them why or to find someone else.