DrStarsky

Hello everybody. I currently live in Spain and I have two similar job offers, one in Coventry and another in very a central London location. Pay is about 33K GBP (plus London allowance). I'd be interested in hearing opinions about cost and quality of life in Coventry and Warwickshire. In particular I'm looking to rent or buy in Leamington Spa, south Coventry, or Warwick. How's life there? What are the good areas to live in? Any input is welcome, thanks!

eurotramp

I dont know the areas..but I live in an London Borough 35 min on the underground to London central ....and 33k dont get you anything...we are on almost double that and struggle....thats
what you get in Leamington Spa for 159k...if you lucky you get the same were I live for double that.

Katep

Hi

I am originally from Leamington Spa, but moved to Middlesex about 2 1/2 years ago. If I had the choice I would much prefer to live in Leamington. I didn't appreciate how nice it was until I moved down here. The house prices in Leam are quite expensive. But you can get a much more reasonble house in Coventry, which is what a couple of my friends have had to do to get on the property ladder as they can't afford to buy in Leam.

Kate

Englishmum

I agree.

I grew up in Coventry and all of my family and old friends still live there. It's an industrial city but with an excellent road network to get to points north, south, east and west. London is 90 miles from Coventry and trains take 70 mins into Euston station.....some people commute daily to London but I wouldn't do it myself.

The desirable ie. middle-class towns to the south of Coventry are Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington (although there are some not so nice parts of the town) and lovely villages eg. Stoneleigh.

On your salary it would be best to look for housing either in Coventry or the towns to the north of the city such as Bedworth or Nuneaton. Also check out the suburbs of Exhall and Ash Green on the Coventry/Bedworth border and v. close to the M6 motorway and the new Arena.

DrStarsky

Thanks Englishmum and Katep. I have some savings for a downpayment so I'm hoping to be able to get a 2 bedroom in Leamington / Warwick, but I'd also look at the southern part of the city of Coventry.

I'm going on a brief visit next month and I'll drive around to see the area. What areas specifically would you *not* recommend in Leamington, and what areas would you recommend in south Coventry?

Englishmum

You definitely don't want to live in these parts of Coventry:

Wood End, Henley Green, Willenhall, Stoke Aldermoor and most of Stoke Heath. (Exception; Stoke Park is nice with large Edwardian houses....but burglaries can be a problem). Mostly these areas are large and rough council estates with crime on the borders of them.

Earlsdon is very sought after (lots of students and college lecturers, teachers etc.) as it is easy to get to both Coventry Uni and Warwick Uni. Very small Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses, always been overpriced in my opinion.

Binley is mostly fine (not the council estate) and so is Wyken, Whitley, Walsgrave, most of Cheylesmore (again not those near the council estate). The most 'desirable' area is Styvechale aka Stivichall.

Parking is often a nightmare; the city was destroyed in WWII in the Blitz and most homes in the established areas are 'between the wars' terraced properties, usually with one garage around the back which you access via an 'entry'. However most people have at least two cars per property so everyone is vying for a parking space in the evenings. New houses tend to be tiny but you should get at least one parking space.

Google for the 'Coventry Evening Telegraph' website and also the BBC website for the UK has a local site for Coventry and Warwickshire.

Hope this helps!

DrStarsky

Thanks a lot, it most definitely helps!

busterboy

Leamington and Warwick are nice, very middle class towns. Expensive to buy property.

London, I personally prefer to visit but if you are professional, no kids and still like ot get out and about, it has a lot to offer. Would hate to go to work on the tube though.

cov-canuck

Definitely agree with this. We lived in Holbrooks (about a mile from the new arena and the M6 J3), our house was burgaled one night while we were asleep, and they stole our car. Where was it found? Wood End. I worked with someone who lived there once, she said after she was burgaled 6 times she stopped replacing stuff. Of course, she then went on, with her boyfriend, to kick our manager into a coma at the Christmas party...lovely area.