Is moving out of London right for me?

Moving out of London can be a great way to get a better standard of housing at a cheaper price than you could hope for in London. It can also be an opportunity to start afresh or to get back into contact with old friends or family.

A good home at a price you can afford is usually important to most people's happiness - but its not the only thing in life that can affect your happiness. Other things that can be very important are:

• having friends or family around to socialise with, and to give and get support from
• having a job, or training that is likely to lead to a job
• living in an area that you feel comfortable and safe in.

If you are thinking of moving back to an area that you have lived in before then you might want to think about why you left there in the first place. If you left after a disagreement with your family, there are some organisations that can help you get back in touch with them and patch up those differences if you want to. Click on Organisations that can help for more details.

If you're thinking of moving to an area where you don't have existing friends or family then you might want to think about housing options that could help you meet people. Taking a place in a flat share, moving into a hostel or getting a job that comes with accommodation might all offer a chance to make new friends. These options are particularly suitable if you aren't sure whether the move will be a long term one, as the accommodation is usually furnished. Moving into a council or housing association flat will involve buying furniture etc. and so might not be a good choice if you're not sure how long you'll stay.

Lots of people get friends through work or by going to college. Getting a job, or doing training that will lead to a job, can give you confidence and fulfilment and improve your standard of living. Levels of unemployment vary around the country so you might want to look into this before you make a firm decision to move to a particular area. Useful websites to check for employment and training are:

• www.hotcourses.com
• www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
• www.totaljobs.com

There might be some organisations in the new area that can offer you support after you have made the move. If you think you will need this you should try and organise the support before you move if possible. The organisations listed on this website (click on Organisations that can help) might be able to help you with this or you could try the local council using the contact details below. If you are living in supported housing now then your support worker or resettlement worker might be able to help.

Feeling safe and 'at home' in a particular area is important for most people. But it can be a particular issue if you are old or disabled or are part of a minority group - for instance if you are gay or are black.

The local council should be able to provide you with information about the ethnic make-up of particular areas and any services such as cultural associations, places of worship, self help or support groups. The website addresses and contact details for councils around the country can be found by clicking on www.oultwood.com/localgov/uk. Local crime rates can be found by clicking on www.upmystreet.co.uk.

Finally, you might want to think about what you will do if the move doesn't work out. If you move out of London you might lose any priority that you now have for council or housing association accommodation in London. As only a small minority of people have priority for such housing in London, then it won't be an issue for most people. But if you have been accepted as homeless by a council in London or have a high priority on their housing register it might be something you want to think carefully about. For help in deciding whether you might have any priority for council or housing association accommodation in London, click on Council or HA.

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Click on these links to reach different parts of the website:
Private renting - Council or housing association - Buying your own home
Hostels - Jobs with accommodation - Moving out of London
What's right for me? - Help - Contacts & info - Go back to the start