If you had a budget of more than £2,000 a month to spend on a rental property, would you go for a central London flat or seek more bang for your buck in a cheaper location out of town?
As part of our regular Property Battle series, we take a look at two rival rental properties.
Both have an asking rent of around £2,200 a month, which is the average for London. In the suburbs it may secure you a family home, but the closer you get to the centre of the capital, the less space you will get for that money, as one of our properties – a studio flat – shows.
The alternative is to get out of town and a house for the same price, but knowing that if you need to go to the capital for work, you will be spending time and money commuting.
Would you go for the flat, inset, or the house main picture if you had £2,200 to spend on rent?
The first property is a studio flat that has London’s fashionable Notting Hill on its doorstep.
And the second property is a three-bedroom cottage in a small village in Berkshire that is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The rental amount of both homes is the same as the new average asking rent in London that has smashed through the £2,000 a month threshold for the first time.
It now stands at £2,193 a month, a rise of 14.3 per cent from £1,919 last year, according to Rightmove
1. Studio flat, London, £2,170 a month
This studio flat in London boasts fashionable Notting Hill on its doorstep and is just moments from Hyde Park
It has wood flooring, a tiled shower room, and a fully equipped kitchen opposite the bed
The studio’s interior is clean and modern, and packs a lot into a relatively small living area
It is on the rental market for £2,170 a month and is being offered fully furnished via letting agents ESON2
This studio flat in London boasts fashionable Notting Hill on its doorstep and is just moments from Hyde Park.
It has wood flooring, a tiled shower room, and a fully equipped kitchen.
It is being rented fully furnished for £2,170 a month via letting agents ESON2.
Daniel Copley, of Zoopla, said: ‘This contemporary studio flat benefits from an enviable location right in the heart of London. The pretty streets of Notting Hill and Portabello market are located a stone’s throw away, while the expansive green spaces of Hyde Park and Lancaster Gardens are also nearby.’
2. Three-bed cottage, Berkshire, £2,200 a month
This pretty three-bedroom cottage is in the small Berkshire village of Ashampstead
The rental cottage boast a decorative open fireplace and wooden beams on the ceiling in the living room
The kitchen has white cabinets and a large colourful worltop that wraps around the room
The property is being rented unfurnished and is on the market for £2,200 a month via letting agents Warmingham.
This pretty three-bedroom cottage is in a small village in Berkshire that is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The village of Ashampstead is found between Reading Newbury and Streatley, with a population of only about 400 people.
It is 10 minutes from Pangbourne, which has a train station and commuter trains into London Paddington.
The property is unfurnished and is being rented for £2,200 a month via letting agents Warmingham.
Mr Copley added: ‘Located in the beautiful Berkshire Downs, an area of outstanding natural beauty that is popular with hikers – this Grade II listed picturesque cottage has a characterful exterior and mature garden. It’s also a good option for commuters to London, with Paddington station only a short train journey away.’
