Ensuring you rent the right property or room and in the right area of London as a young professional is about managing three aspects of any house or home search, and those three aspects are…cost, location, and expectation.

Hence, here are three areas of The Capital popular amongst young professions and how each rank in terms of affordability, convenience and accessibility and finally, what you can expect from living in each location

1.Clapham

Coming in at first place on the Timeout Magazine’s, ‘Best Area of London to Live in’ lo-down, Clapham is situated in the Southwest London borough of Wandsworth.

Home to the UK’s busiest train station, which every Clapham commuter, local and Londoner is likely to already be well aware of – if only because Clapham Junction Railway Station is plastered with plaques that state as much, it might surprise some to learn that in fact, Clapham Junction is not only the UK’s busiest railway station but the busiest in the whole of Europe according to a feature on the Railway Technology website.

For this reason, living in Clapham means benefitting from excellent and fast transport into and out of The City. After all, with so many people every day relying on services to, from and running via Clapham Junction to get to and from work, it is continuously striving to provide even more and even faster services. In turn, this is one of the major reasons why many young professionals chose to live there.

Costs should, for any young professional looking to live in The Capital, be the first issue dealt with. But how does Clapham stack up in the money stakes? Clapham is actually a brilliantly affordable area of London in which to live if you are a young professional; perhaps because many older professionals prefer a more tranquil life outside of work or are tasked with keeping a family and so opt to live in the Suburbs whilst many of the richest opt to live it up in Central or West London, this means Clapham provides a happy medium in terms of facilities, amenities and as well cost.

2. Streatham

Rarely the first choice on a young professional’s list of ‘preferred places to live in London’, a quick search of the rooms available and affordable to rent by those beginning their careers in The Capital via the likes of London Fox Lettings, the leading provider of flatshares in London, is likely to change all that.

What is more, because Streatham’s affordability has already changed the thinking of many young professionals who have and are currently flocking to the area, this has in turn elevated its perhaps once less than agreeable reputation and is turning Streatham into a prime location for those wanting to live in a part of London that offers the best of both worlds.

That is, Streatham, due in some part to its less than fantastic reputation, remains for the time being a brilliantly affordable South London area and one only five miles from Charing Cross. As such, Streatham is served by two major lines and provides quick and regular access to The City. Further, the UK Government is currently working hard to ‘get Streatham back on the transport map’ to quote directly from the Official Lambeth website, and aim to make potentially massive improvements to Streatham’s public transport links, including connecting Streatham to the Croydon Tram Link by 2020.

Until then, there is plenty to do in and around Streatham to make its less than perfect transport ‘situation’ at present worth the wait and this has done little to put off many young professionals with Streatham ranking as both one of the most affordable and as well most favoured regions to move to and live in for young professionals, as reported via the Evening Standard Newspaper.

3. Kilburn

Camden has long been a popular and affordable north London locale for young professionals, although due to the strong bohemian and ‘artsy’ reputation the borough has, many fail to realise the potential many of its areas hold for those looking for somewhere to move in order to be close to great amenities and easy access to Zone one.

Attempting to challenge the idea that Camden is nothing more than a hideout and haven for hippies, artists and musos aiming to make it big in The Capital, or just enjoy the party lifestyle, is Kilburn. Shirk Kilburn High Street (which can get loud, be bustling and enjoys or rather suffers 24/7 human traffic much of the time) and you will quickly find yourself in what look to be the suburbs. Leafy, tree lined and quiet residential streets and rows of them all situated minutes from the tube and access to The City, Kilburn is a place of two faces, or at least two very different sides.

Whilst many are put off Kilburn simply having heard about or having experienced how ‘lively’ Kilburn High Street can get, this is a real shame as the high street literally leads directly to Marble Arch and the area itself is brilliantly serviced by three separate and major underground lines, bus serves and overground rail making getting about, whether for work or leisure easy and fast. Hence, before turning your nose up at Kilburn, be sure to explore further than its High Road. You might just be pleasantly surprised, if not by the area’s aesthetics then certainly by its affordability and transport links.

More Information

For a more in-depth look at areas of London popular with young professionals, the Daily Mail feature: Do you live in one of the 20 best places in the UK for young professionals? makes for both an insightful and illuminating read.