Ruth Bloomfield

Where to live

'A room dedicated to hobbies is an impossible luxury in London'

A decade of renting in London was enough for Rich Watson who also wanted space to pursue his passions

20 Apr 2025
The view from The Clock Tower in St Albans looking down the High Street towards Holywell Hill.
Where to live

Top Hertfordshire towns for home value, green space and train links

Five Herts towns proving a hit with families, outdoorsy types and London leavers

22 Aug 2023
Where to live

One Londoner’s move to Ramsgate — and how it changed her monthly costs

A hot tip saw Jemima and Duncan switch their search to Ramsgate after considering other seaside towns

21 Aug 2023
Where to live

Watch out Hackney! London’s creative scene is spreading to new hubs

London’s high streets are booming thanks to the growth of home-working, but it’s in some of the capital’s most creative quarters that the change has been felt most keenly

18 Aug 2023
Buying & Mortgages

Future-proofed retirement homes — from rural idylls to luxe city flats

Seniors are facing a housing crisis of their own, but these new-build retirement properties can offer a new lease on life

16 Aug 2023
Where to live

One family’s journey from London rental to their own Sussex townhouse

As more and more of their friends moved away from London, this couple decided to make their own exit strategy

15 Aug 2023
Buying & Mortgages

Negative equity and 15% mortgages: how we survived the 80s and 90s

Londoners who survived the rates pain of the 1980s and 1990s faced different challenges to today’s buyers but their stories will resonate

9 Aug 2023
Buying & Mortgages

London’s new shared ownership homes for buyers with small deposits

Thanks to the cost-of-living crisis and soaring rents, getting on the property ladder is harder than ever. But these well-situated shared-ownership homes hold the key

9 Aug 2023
Where to live

We swapped Sydenham for a fresh start in a much bigger home by the sea

When their two-bedroom London flat started to feel a little cramped, this couple decided to have a fresh start by the sea

7 Aug 2023
Buying & Mortgages

Five key factors for finding a new-build home to suit the whole family

Even in a wobbly housing market, a great family property is an easy sell. From work-from-home offices to room for a growing brood, here’s what to look for in a forever home

2 Aug 2023
Where to live

‘Moving out of London for the schools added £200k to our mortgage’

Swapping one commuter town for another proved an expensive move for this young family — but the benefits have more than made up for extra costs

1 Aug 2023
Thames riverside at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Property News

Top Surrey towns for property value, green space and links to London

From Earlswood to Walton-on-Thames, these commuter towns are among the best in Surrey — and proving popular with London leavers

31 Jul 2023
Buying & Mortgages

The London regeneration schemes creating destination neighbourhoods

As the housing crisis debate rages, developers are breathing new life into unloved wastelands with contemporary homes that appeal to buyers and renters alike

26 Jul 2023
Where to live

How we swapped our east London flat for a detached house in Whitstable

Priced out of Walthamstow, this family decided to look ‘a bit further out’ — and ended up in the seaside town of Whitstable

25 Jul 2023
Victoria Vajda
Renting

Meet the London tenants offering labour for free or low-cost rents

With the average monthly rent in the capital topping £2,500, here’s how Kindroom is stirring up renting.

20 Jul 2023
Buying & Mortgages

The new homes with green agendas — from eco flats to zero-carbon hubs

As energy costs continue to bite, housebuilders are offering a solution with sustainable developments, from luxury flats with beehives on the roof to zero-carbon neighbourhoods

19 Jul 2023
Where to live

How one freelancer traded a rat-infested rental for her own home at 27

Frugal habits paid off for Chloe Tomalin who has been able to buy and renovate a flat since leaving her damp, rat-infested London rental

17 Jul 2023
Buying & Mortgages

New homes: what are the options for London first-time buyers now?

The housing crisis — and what to do about it — is a topic of fierce debate, but needs a solution now. Here’s how housebuilders are using innovative, affordable and green ways to tackle the issue

12 Jul 2023
Where to live

How one family traded a tiny Zone 1 flat for a cottage in the Midlands

How one family swapped Zone 1 for a Kent commuter town before heading to rural Northamptonshire

10 Jul 2023
Where to live

‘My parents are worried that the only person I know here is my ex’

Renter Julia Portelly couldn’t be happier to have swapped Tooting for a new start in St Albans last year

3 Jul 2023
Luxury

£16.5m Chiswick riverside mansion once home to royal mistress for sale

Once home to a royal mistress and later used as a boys’ boarding school, the historic Walpole House looks very different after its Jasper Conran revamp

30 Jun 2023