Whether you live in London or are thinking of moving to the capital, it’s a good time to consider alternatives to living centrally. With house prices and rental rates being shaken up across the city, the outer zones have plenty to offer. We showcase the best places to live in London zones 5-6, ranking the top scorers from our residents’ reviews.
The COVID effect: Londoners still drifting outwards
Though the pandemic is practically a distant memory now, it continues to have an effect on how people view their living options in London, even in late 2024.
Our 2021 National Build to Rent Report found that tenants rated zones 5 and 6 significantly higher for location during 2020 than in the previous year. This change was driven by the need for more space – particularly outside space – causing London-based buyers and renters to look towards the outer zones. Now, post-pandemic, with remote working being more common, living in central London isn’t as important as it once was.
With houses up to £800,000 cheaper in TFL Zone 6 compared to Zone 1, the maths are appealing. As well as being cheaper, the outer zones also offer the ability to commute into central London when needed. This, combined with growing investment in areas within zones 5-6 is causing new buyers and renters to take note.
Recent data puts the average asking price for properties in Zones 5 and 6 at £380,000 and £460,000, respectively. However, this is just the zone-wide average, which is less useful than looking at specific boroughs and popular areas within those zones.
For example, you could buy a property in Eastcote for less than £270,000, which gives you the cheapest access to the Metropolitan Line. Hounslow, Harrow, Chingford, and Stanmore are all promising areas offering a combination of great schools, green spaces, sloid transport links and, of course, affordability.
Even though Zone 6 is the most outward zone, it’s still a touch more expensive than Zone 5. This is because it includes many of the best “balancing act” areas with more space and impressive properties but still with excellent commuting links to central London. Still, there are clusters of good value for money, such as Orpington where a terraced house costs on average £432,000. Set against the current London house price average of £708,000, this is an enticing prospect.
The 10 best places to live in London zones 5-6 according to residents
These 10 best zone 5 and 6 locations are made up of the new homes developments with the highest overall star ratings. Click on any of the listed developments below, and you’ll see its rating. There’s also a breakdown of how residents rate various categories, and the full list of reviews.
All of these developments average more than 4.1 stars across dozens if not hundreds of individual reviews. Clearly, the outer zones of London are getting a lot of positive attention and residents are increasingly happy there.
*PLEASE NOTE these rankings take into account how many reviews a scheme has and how recently those reviews have been submitted, so may not match the overall star ratings shown. Buildings with a larger number of more recent reviews are given a greater weighting to reflect current building performance.
Our Hayes top scorer, be:here Hayes is part of the Old Vinyl Factory development, which means residents have great access to local restaurants, leisure amenities and a top-notch music venue. Residents like how sunny, open and green the development is, with lots of communal facilities (including a popular rooftop terrace) making a big difference. The management team are roundly praised in reviewers’ comments for their outstanding service during lockdown.
Heading down to Croydon (zone 5), we have the short-term letting scheme The Quarters Croydon, which offers residents a stylish and convenient base in this thriving South London suburb. There are 151 high-specification studios at the development, with Croydon station only a 4-minute walk away. Trains reach London Bridge in just 14 minutes, while Gatwick Airport is also easily accessible.
At number three in the list we have Bradstowe House, located in the heart of Harrow (zone 5). Its central location and light, airy interior design get a big thumbs up from residents. The same goes for the gym, lounge and range of small extra services and facilities.
In fourth place, Fizzy Hayes UB3 is a residential development of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, managed by Greystar. It’s in south Hayes, right near Hayes & Harlinton Station, and just a short drive from London Heathrow Airport. Also, the development sits between two popular green spaces – Minet Country Park and Lake Farm Country Park.
A Crest Nicholson development, Regents Place is a selection of apartments located just off Bromley High Street. Bromley train station is only a two-minute walk away, where residents benefit from its regular London Victoria service or further afield to Kent via Ashford and Sevenoaks services. Our residents voted it into fifth place.
Taking the sixth spot in our list, Papermill House is a new residential development by Galliard Homes, located in Romford and within travel proximity to London. Residents praise the property and management teams, love the ‘clean and modern’ design, and enjoy using the top-floor roof terrace.
At number seven, Stanmore Place is a residential development by Berkeley St Edward that offers a selection of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom apartments and houses in Harrow. Canon’s Park Underground station is in close proximity to the development and is served by the Jubilee line, which offers services into Central London. The nearest railway station is Harrow and Wealdstone, which is less than five miles away.
In eighth, Drayton Garden Village is a large, mixed-use development with 775 residential units with a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and studios as well as a range of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom apartments. The development is only a 5-minute walk away from Stockley Park Recreation Grounds and a 17-minute walk away from West Drayton station, which has links to GWR services.
Chipping Barnet’s Brook Valley Gardens comes in at number nine. Its residents love the different green spaces, park, community centre and nursery on site. They also enjoy its many eco-friendly factors, as the development has plenty of solar panels, water butts and electric vehicle charging stations dotted around. It also sits just a short walk from High Barnet station, giving direct access to central London within 20 minutes.
Taking the last spot on the list, St Mark’s Square is a U+I development that offers one and two-bedroom apartments located in the heart of Bromley. The development is just a two-minute walk from Bromley South station, which offers trains to Victoria Station in 16 minutes as well as connections to London Blackfriars and Kentish Town.
Want to live in the outer zones but fancy being a little closer to the centre of the action? We also have a guide on the best developments in zone 4. Otherwise, our ‘Top Rated’ section has plenty of other guides to specific London boroughs and areas.
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.
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