Becoming a landlord? These are the most popular neighbourhoods for first time renters in London
Coming to London can be daunting, and perhaps the most daunting part about it is thinking about saving up to buy a house.
Young people in the capital are lucky if they get onto the property ladder at the age of 30, and until that day comes, they are forced to rent.
Choosing a good place to rent is about balancing location with price. So where are people looking? And where, more importantly, should landlords keep an eye on?
According to research by Hamptons International, Shepherd's Bush has the highest proportion of first time renters of any neighbourhood in London.
Read more: This is the only part of the country where house prices are falling
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of homes let out in Shepherd's Bush were let to first time renters, with an average rent of £1,417 for the property.
Other popular London neighbourhoods include Hornchurch (22 per cent first time renters), Winchmore Hill (21 per cent) and Enfield Highway (19 per cent).
First time renters are doing well to find cheap pockets of London. The average cost of renting a property London for the first time is £1,150, a 15 per cent reduction on the London average. And three quarters of first-time renters are spreading the cost by sharing with friends.
| Neighbourhood | Proportion let to first time tenant | Average rent paid by first time tenant |
| Shepherd's Bush | 23% | £1,417 |
| Hornchurch | 22% | £825 |
| Winchmore Hill | 21% | £1,113 |
| Enfield Highway | 19% | £967 |
| Sidcup | 18% | £1,200 |
| Worcester Park | 16% | £1,200 |
| South Tottenham | 15% | £1,150 |
| Romford | 14% | £1,175 |
| Sutton | 14% | £968 |
| South Croydon | 13% | £969 |
| Canary Wharf | 13% | £1,450 |
| South Norwood | 11% | £988 |
| Gants Hill | 10% | £942 |
| Bromley | 9% | £1,393 |
| Surbiton | 8% | £1,063 |
| New Southgate | 8% | £1,100 |
| Stratford | 8% | £1,185 |
| Lewisham | 8% | £1,083 |
| Chingford | 7% | £957 |
| Twickenham | 7% | £1,250 |
Fionnuala Earley, residential research director at Hamptons International, said: "A few lucky Londoners leaving the family home for the first time are able to buy, but the vast majority take their first steps of freedom in the rental market.
"The cost of renting in the capital tends to mean first time tenants… head towards better connected corners of London where rents are well below the London average."
She said house shares don't last in the long term; tenants moving for the second or third time are twice as likely to choose to live alone.