Richmond voted happiest place to live in the capital
Londoners have voted the borough of Richmond as the happiest place to live, with residents saying they’re never stuck for things to do and rating the amenities as top notch
Maybe it’s the long walks by the river or perhaps it’s the variety of transport links into the centre that have helped the borough of Richmond take the top spot in the Rightmove Happy at Home Index this year.
The annual survey asked over 2,700 Londoners to rank a number of factors both in their home and in their local community, with Richmond residents ranking the place high for feeling safe, liking the local area where they live, never being stuck for things to do and having first-class amenities.
Second placed Kingston scored highly for residents saying they were satisfied with the local upkeep of the area.
The four happiest boroughs are all in South London, while the bottom four are north of the river, keeping the friendly rivalry between north and south Londoners well intact.
You can find out how happy residents in their borough say they are by using the Happy at Home microsite available at: www.rightmove.co.uk/viz/happy-at-home
What’s up in Barking?
As well as taking the bottom spot in London, Barking & Dagenham also came last in the whole of Great Britain, with its own residents scoring it lowest for safety, the upkeep of the area, amenities and neighbourliness. Despite people saying they’re unhappy there, asking prices in the borough have been racing ahead of other areas, up 13.5% on last year, and the average asking price is more in line with the national than the London one at £257,180.
The full rankings
Rightmove’s Housing Expert Miles Shipside comments:
“London often gets a bad rap and scores quite low in our Happy at Home Index, so this year we’ve taken a closer look at all of the boroughs to see where the happier spots are hiding. How people define happiness obviously varies which is why we’ve come up with a number of factors both inside the home and in the community, to reveal the most contented places. It’s often the case that Londoners have to compromise on location when they’re first trying to get on the property ladder so perhaps that’s why they’re not as content as others round the country.”
Paul Price, Director of Hamptons International in Richmond, comments:
“Having so many, good quality amenities within walking distance is what people enjoy most about living in Richmond. A walk in Richmond Park makes you feel like you’re in the countryside and yet it’s less than half an hour by train to Central London. There are great restaurants and bars and kids are well catered for with superb primary schools, playing fields and swimming at ‘pools in the park’. The Bank of England sports club is nearby along with the Royal mid surrey golf course and The Richmond golf club located in Richmond Park. For rugby fans, Twickenham stadium for international games is easily reached on foot. The housing market is very similar to London in that the best located properties command a premium and are in rare supply, but there’s a mixture of properties available from first-time buyer apartments to large detached houses.”
The Index
The 12 measures which contribute to the overall level of happiness we feel in our home and community cover a broad range of factors and are divided into three categories: your property, your home and your community. Responses for each of the 12 measures are averaged to provide both a category score and an overall score – the ‘Happy at Home Index’.
2,771 Londoners responded to Rightmove’s Happy At Home Index survey.
