With Ferraris whizzing down the King’s Road, chihuahuas more likely to be found in Louis Vuitton bags than wearing leads, Jimmy Choos tiptoeing around Sloane Square and champagne corks popping in clubs you can never get into, it’s clear why so many people aspire to live in London’s premier borough.
Okay, okay, we hear you; it may have a reputation for being too posh for its own good and not in the least bit hip or edgy, but in reality there are plenty of reasons it’s so highly sought after. Chelsea’s beautiful architecture, its proximity to the West End and abundance of shops, bars and restaurants mean there’s no denying it’s a pretty decent area to live in.
And with Made in Chelsea about to hit our screens for the seventh series, it seems many of you are pretty fascinated with the place. Statistics from London’s rental matchmaker, Rentonomy.com, on the popularity of living in the area substantiate this even further – between 2001 and 2011 the number of private renters in Kensington and Chelsea increased by almost 30%, even though the population of the boroughs remained broadly the same.
As with most things in life you get what you pay for, and renting in Chelsea doesn’t come cheap. According to Rentonomy.com average rents are 106% above the London average and council tax is one of the highest in London. This is why many people are resigned to the fact they will never be able to afford to live in Chelsea.
However, don’t start crying into that designer shirt of yours just yet. If you know where to look, you may well be sharing cocktails with the cast of Made in Chelsea before you know it…
Rentonomy.com reports there are several areas on the periphery of SW3 where rents are significantly cheaper than the average rate of £650 per week it costs to rent a two bed property in Chelsea. These areas include Earls Court Road, where the average rent for a two bed property stands at £375 a week, areas around Fulham Broadway and Parsons Green where it costs £349 a week, the World’s End estate just off the Kings Road which is priced at £357 per week and the area on the south side of Battersea Bridge where the average weekly rent stands at £352.
All these areas are within walking distance of prime Chelsea and you won’t have to wander too far to bump into one of your favourite Made in Chelsea stars.
In fact, we have it on good authority that many of the cast, including Spencer Matthews’ old flame Louise Thompson, actually live in Fulham. Meanwhile Spencer’s more recent love interest, Lucy Watson, has reportedly moved to Chelsea Bridge Wharf – a new development in the Borough of Wandsworth, not Kensington or Chelsea!
It just goes to show that the savvier cast members of Chelsea’s own reality TV show are realising the benefits of finding a property to live in that matches both location and financial needs without having to neglect their Chelsea roots.
Image credit: Getty
