A choice of 60 stops: London’s longest Tube line stretches from Surrey to Essex — we find the stops where renters can save up to £12k a year

From Surrey to Essex, by way of some of the most expensive neighbourhoods in London, anyone who wants to rent a home along the District line has the choice of 60 stops — more than any other Tube line.

A new study by Rightmove shows how much each will cost and where pockets of brilliant value lie.

For families and house sharers, the District line cuts through a highly desirable swathe of south-west London that offers period houses, a leafy feel, good schools and open spaces.

Between affluent Richmond and well-located Hammersmith the most affordable places to rent a three-bedroom house are Wimbledon Park at £2,064 a month and neighbouring Southfields, £2,076.

Opt for either of these locations rather than nearby Turnham Green at £2,937 a month or Gunnersbury at £3,031 to save £10,000-£12,000 in rent per year.

Wimbledon Park station is right by the park and about a mile from Wimbledon itself. It has its own high street, Arthur Road, with a parade of shops heavy on cute cafés and restaurants.

Southfields is in walking distance of Wimbledon Park and the Common, and Wimbledon Park Road and Replingham Road offer a good range of local independent shops and family restaurants as well as several coffee shops including major chains, plus a couple of small supermarkets.

Homes right on the fringes of the park tend to be big and very expensive. Much better value is found in the grid of Victorian terrace streets a little further away. Originally most of these houses had three bedrooms but many have had loft extensions, adding an extra room or two.

Most renters who come to Piers Houssemayne Du Boulay, lettings manager at Hamptons International, are thirty- and forty-something parents with young children attracted by the safe, suburban vibe and good nurseries and schools such as Wimbledon Park Primary.

“It is a quiet area which families like,” he says. “Some people might think they are a bit too far out but the transport links are good.”

KEEP TRAVEL COSTS DOWN

Young professional renters who want to minimise travel costs and journey times by living in Zone 1 or 2 should go east for the best value.

A two-bedroom flat in West Ham would cost £1,392 a month. It’s by far the most cost-effective central location with the potential to offer savings of thousands of pounds every year compared to other options nearby.

A two-bedroom flat in Bromley-by-Bow or Bow Road would cost £1,625. In Mile End you’ll pay £1,664, while Stepney Green comes in at £1,750 a month and Whitechapel at £2,014.

Other than its football club, West Ham has much to recommend it beyond its low prices.

Transport links are great. As well as the District line there are the Jubilee and the Hammersmith & City lines, with 12-minute National Rail services to Fenchurch Street for City workers.

Traditionally one of London’s poorest areas, West Ham, between Stratford and Canary Wharf, is the focus of regeneration. Barratt is redeveloping the football ground with almost 850 new homes.

As well as local parks, West Ham is within walking distance of the southern end of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park which means plenty of green space and sports facilities are on the doorstep.

Property for rent tends to be in purpose-built modern-ish buildings, but there are some Victorian houses, ideal for those looking for more space or a place to share with a group of mates.

Some of the local council estates are undoubtedly still gloomy and threatening, though according to the Metropolitan Police its crime rate is significantly lower than the average for London.

Jay Ahmed, director of Creed & Ekko estate agents, says excellent value is to be found and recommends the areas around the station, and on the southern borders of Stratford close to Romford Road where the streets are busier and hence feel safer.

“It isn’t new like Stratford and it looks shabby, but West Ham is a vibrant, mixed community,” he says. “It needs some developing, but it is benefiting from having Stratford on one side and ExCeL on the other.”

Another compromise is that there is not much to do in West Ham beyond using the basic shops around the station.

Jay Ahmed says most locals go to Stratford for shopping and eating out although he is convinced that, encircled by regeneration zones as it is, West Ham’s time will certainly come.