Even a self-confessed Londonphile like myself can imagine that the capital’s never-ending conveyor belt of busy tube carriages, even busier diaries, expensive pints, and even more expensive mould-infested box rooms could cause London’s sparkliness to fade a tad for some people. And despite London being (in our humble opinion) a bloody brilliant place to lay your hat, it’s not particularly difficult to see why many Londoners are opting to up and leave the capital and lay down roots elsewhere.
But where are the most popular places for Londoners to move to when they begin to find the magic of the capital city a little less magical, I hear you ask? Well, London estate agent, Hamptons, decided to find out for us. The property-pros did some real estate research to find out where people are most commonly flocking to once they’ve decided to leave London. And it turns out, it’s not particularly far away.
Their 2024 research found that on average, Londoners were buying homes 45.5 miles away from Londonwith areas in Surrey, Essex and Kent proving particularly popular. The most popular destinations for London-leavers were Epsom and Ewell, Brentwood, and Mole Valley – all of which have quick and easy transport links to London.
According to the study, 2024 actually saw the number of Londoners moving out of the capital drop to its lowest in over a decade. Last year, Londoners bought 5.7% of the homes sold outside of London (50,020 homes), which is almost half of the amount that Londoners bought in 2021. However, Hamptons reported that Londoners bought 74% of the properties sold in Epsom and Ewell last year, 47% of those sold in Brentford, and 35% in Mole Valley.
So, what exactly makes these spots so alluring to Londoners? Well, Epsom and Ewell was previously rated as one of the happiest places to live in the UK and boasts excellent transport links and green space aplenty. Brentwood – a town just 29 miles east of central London – is super family-friendly, with great schools, a high employment rate, and a low crime rate. Mole Valley is home to many cultural attractions, and has recently had plans approved for 6000 new homes to be built before 2039.
The most popular places that Londoners are leaving the capital city for:
- Epsom and Ewell
- Brentwood
- Mole Valley
- Colchester
- Tonbridge and Malling
- Rushmoor
- Chelmsford
- North Hertfordshire
- Swale
- Huntingdonshire
You can read Hampton’s full study here.
