Living in Romford – A Guide to East London Life

Are you thinking of living in Romford?

The Essex town has seen a huge growth in popularity since becoming one of the 30 Housing Zones in Greater London.

Living in Romford ensures excellent transport links and a surprisingly central location to the centre of the capital.

The area sits just 14 miles from London Charing Cross, ensuring the capital is within easy reach!

The regions excellent commuter links to London combined with more reasonably priced properties than many locations in the capital have solidified living in Romford as a great option.

Moving to a new area is never straightforward.

Before you start your move, it is vital to collect as much knowledge about an area as you possibly can.

If you are thinking of living in Romford, this is the ideal blog for you!

We aim to provide you with all the top tips for those considering living in Romford.

Exploring everything from house prices to the best schools in the Romford area, we hope to provide you with a complete guide to living in Romford.

If you are considering living in Romford, this is a guide to East London life.

Cost of Buying a Home

A booming housing market awaits those living in Romford.

Plus, it is expected to be even busier with both the long term growth strategy of the local council and the implementation of high-speed rail travel.

As often is the case, demand outstrips supply, so you need to be quick if you want to invest.  Romford rail station continues with its undergoing improvements to accommodate the much-anticipated arrival of Crossrail’s Elizabeth line in 2022, as such the area is expecting a steep rise in property values.

The town benefits from being within easy reach of London, but without the accompanying house prices.

The average price for a home in Romford stood at £385,538 in December 2020, compared to the average London price of £667,000.

Everyone has different ideas when it comes to the style of property and Romford delivers in this regard too.

New builds, Victorian villas and a swathe of interwar terraces and 1930’s semi-detached homes are all available.

Gidea Park is a good area to search if a home with Victorian features takes your fancy.

Homes like these are expensive, you are likely to pay around £900,000 for a large 6-bedroom detached property.

The town centre apartments are popular with City commuters and buy-to-let investors.

Close to amenities and the train station, these homes cost anything from £204,000 upwards.

Some of the cheapest properties are situated in Chadwell Heath where two-bedroom flats sell for a guide price of £80,000.

Getting in early whilst an area is up and coming makes good financial sense.

Harold Hill, northeast of the centre, has a range of Fifties council homes that are now largely owner-occupied.

Having undergone considerable regeneration in recent years, currently, you can purchase a family-sized property here for between £250,000 – £350,000.

Cost of Renting When Living in Romford

Renting is a particularly popular choice when living in Romford.

Whilst the area, like most, has significantly more properties to purchase, renting is still popular.

The emergence of the new Crossrail project has seen huge increases in interest in the area.

Investors view the project as a great opportunity, seeing the value that living in Romford offers.

Over 60% of rental properties in Romford are flats, with new builds being particularly prevalent.

If you are thinking of living in Romford, you can expect to pay around £980 pcm for a one bedroom property.

The average rent in the area currently sits at £1,344 according to home.co.uk.

Whilst this is not necessarily cheap when compared to other regions of the UK, it represents good value compared to many other areas of London.

Cost of Living

The rising cost of living has affected most of us in some way. Unless you are counted among the super-rich, we all have a finite amount of money to cover all our outgoing expenditures.

Being mindful of what we spend is important when times are hard.

Thinking twice before you splash out on unnecessary purchases sounds so simple, but we all have moments when we buy on impulse.

You will find that the cost of living in Romford is higher than other areas due to its proximity to London.

However, there are always ways in which you can same money no matter where you live.

Romford has a large Lidl store and prices are almost always cheaper when you shop here. Below are some examples of what you are likely to pay for staple items:

• Milk (1 litre) £0.99
• A loaf of Bread (500g) £0.45
• Eggs (regular) (15) £1.18
• Local Cheese (1kg) £1.79
• Potatoes (1kg) £0.99
• Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) £4.19
• Domestic Beer (0.5 litre bottle) £0.89

Romford Market is an excellent way to shop wisely.

Dating all the way back to 1247 when it was a sheep market, it is huge. It’s an enormous market of 270 stalls, open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, you can pretty much purchase anything under the sun but at much more reasonable prices.

There are some great local green areas to enjoy. Raphael Park and Bedfords Park are both located in Romford.

Hainault Forest Country Park, a 330-acre expanse of lakes and woodland forest is a stunning place to walk around any time of the year.

Plus, if you are visiting with young family, you can pop over to the children’s zoo where all kinds of wildlife, including goats, peacocks, meerkats, and parrots can be found.

All free of charge!

Working in Romford

Romford is recognised in the London Plan as one of 13 regionally important commercial centres in Greater London.

It offers a diverse opportunity for both workers and employers.

The town has seen substantial growth in recent years and has become a shopper’s paradise attracting nearly 21 million visitors a year.

As a consequence, Romford now ranks as the fourth largest retail centre in the area creating a wealth of employment opportunities in the retail sector.

The central business district is located close to Romford Railway station where one of the largest companies Aon is based.

They specialise in financial and insurance services and are also a major employer in the town.

The night-time economy is almost as significant as the day economy with around 12,000 visits to Romford during the day and 11,000 visits to its pubs, clubs and bars at night so alongside full-time work, there is a good chance for part-time work too.

With even more residential and infrastructure developments on the cards, the chances of finding a job in Romford are just expected to keep rising.

Transport

Residents are lucky enough to have access to a very comprehensive public transport system in Romford.

There is a vast bus network in the area with services to Canning Town, Stratford, Leytonstone, Upminster, Hornchurch, Thurrock and Dagenham.

Romford has its own railway station in the middle of town with services underground and overground.

Located in Zone 6, it offers trains to Liverpool Street that take about half an hour and regular departures to Stratford and Southend.

By March 2021 Romford will be part of the Crossrail link greatly enhancing existing services. Transport for London predicts that, by and large, Crossrail will bring around 1.5m more people to areas within 45 minutes of the capital.

Unfortunately getting around by car during rush hour can be slow and frustrating, however, nearby road links include the A12 and junction 28 to the M25.

The fastest route to Heathrow Airport is via the M25, which is 58 miles and takes around 1.30 hours.

Gatwick is a little quicker and closer at 48 miles a journey of around 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Again, these transport times will be much faster after the implementation of Crossrail.

If you travel every day into the Capital, the most economical way to get around is to purchase an annual Travelcard season ticket for £2640.

This entitles you to unlimited travel by bus or trains underground and overground.

Ready to Start Living in Romford?

Are you thinking of living in Romford?

Whether you want to make the most of the commuter links, make the most of the great school or a looking for a job in the area, Romford is sure to have for you.

With a variety of fantastic properties available in the area, there is surely a home for you in Romford!

GoodMove will make your move to Romford an easy and stress-free process.

We take great joy in ensuring everything runs smoothly and flawlessly, helping you to settle into your new home right away.

As well as our competitively priced removals package, we can also offer extra services such as temporary or long-term storage facilities should you need them.

GoodMove cover all areas of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex and our friendly estimators can call round at a convenient time for you and strategically plan your move to perfection.

During these unprecedented times, GoodMove are also offering a new video survey service.

Using our new technology, we can gather all the information required to assist with your move, from the comfort of your home!

Video surveys will help you save valuable time and preserve the best safety levels.

To find out more about how we could get your dream move to Romford or any other location underway do not hesitate to call us on the number listed above.

Alternatively, fill out a quick quote form or click on our live bot in the bottom right and a member of our customer services team will be in touch shortly.