North West London

If fuss-free London transport links and masses of greenery are big draws, then living in North West London will certainly appeal. Property developers have been concentrating on this slice of the city more heavily in recent years. The new homes have drawn those seeking everything from a more affordable lifestyle to village-like credentials and reputable schools. Read on to discover developments that are rated the best places to live in North West London. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in North West London.

4.23
Average Location Score

Excellent

49%

Very Good

32%

Average

13%

Disappointing

4%

Very Poor

3%

Best places to live in North West London

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

Colindale from above

Multi-cultural Colindale

Take Colindale, as an example. The up-and-coming NW9 postcode is home to a number of residential developments; which are largely huddled around the area’s namesake tube station. It’s on the Northern line and, from here, commuters are transported to King’s Cross in just over 20 minutes, and into the heart of the West End in half an hour. Road links are worth shouting about, too. The A41 and M1 are right on the doorstep. It’s just a short drive along the former to Brent Cross, best-known for its mammoth shopping centre. It neighbours the North Circular and was actually the country’s first enclosed mall.

Transport props aside, Colindale is a wonderfully diverse part of North West London. With tandoori restaurants sharing space with Chinese medicine shops and an enormous Asian street food market.

Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath’s ancient acres

Move a short distance south-east and there’s Hampstead. A haven with a hamlet feel, brimming with immaculate cafés and quality gastropubs; and tucked among the much-loved (and well-trodden) ancient acres of Hampstead Heath. Sprawling across a massive 320 hectares, this is as close as it gets to countryside living in a London postcode. Discover woodlands and ponds teeming with wildlife, children’s play areas and Parliament Hill; one of London’s best viewpoints and picnic spots.

Attractions in St John’s Wood

Further south we have glamorous St John’s Wood, set just to the east of edgy duo Kilburn and Queen’s Park. NW8 offers a slower pace of life and is wonderfully devoid of tourists. The quiet, spotless streets are full of elegant pavement cafés and expensive clothing boutiques, and family days out come courtesy of London Zoo, Primrose Hill and the Lord’s Cricket Ground.

River with Houses in the background

Live music and markets in Camden

Neighbours Camden & Kentish Town are arguably the most talked-about areas in North West London – largely down to an impeccable live music scene. Long-standing establishments such as The Forum, Koko and The Roundhouse have welcomed stars such as Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Madonna to get the crowds going, so if it’s lively nights out you’re after, you’ll feel right at home here.

Camden Market is just as celebrated as the area’s acoustics and needs little introduction. Whether it’s neon-soaked clubwear or Indonesian street food on the shopping list, you’ll find it in one of its eclectic bazaars, which are characterised by five ‘zones’: The Stables, Buck Street, Electric Ballroom, Inverness Street and Camden Lock. Kentish Town, meanwhile, serves up a more sedate shopping scene. Admittedly, it’s less of an open-air theatre, but its curious book stores and charity shops are not to be sniffed at.

You can find out more about living in the area by reading reviews from residents. Click on the developments below to find out more about residents’ experiences and also, to discover the best places to live and rent in North West London. Moreover, If there’s a property that you can’t see on HomeViews, you can add a new listing and leave your review here.

Reviews in North West London

Write a Review

Best co-living in London!

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Oct 2023

The Palm House is very close to the Harrow & Wealdstone station (the fastest I went from my studio door to platform 6 was in 3 minutes, had to run a bit but it’s doable!). The high street is also less than 5 mins away and has plenty of supermarkets and shops, great variety really close to home. Byron Park is also super close, great for stretching your legs, and there’s a leisure center nearby with lots of sports and things to do too.

Please review your development:

I had high expectations when moving into the Palm House and it’s one of those rare cases when it ends up being even better than I imagined. The building is still very new, I like the way they set up the studios and the common areas, both in terms of space and design. It’s soft and welcoming, I felt at home very quickly. The staff is super friendly and very responsive, the events are varied and fun (still have a few aches from bouldering lol), social Thursdays are the best, I’ve been meeting lots of other residents and am surprised to find so many great people in a single place.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The studios feel slightly roomier in real life than when seen from the 3D rendering on the website. When you’re coming back from Euston late at night, there aren’t many fast 15-minute trains available, so you’ll be locked into the 35-min Overground or Bakerloo line. There’s a hidden under-bed storage area below your pillows: slide the mattress and the wood panel to reveal it.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

I haven’t had any major issues yet, but I appreciate how transparent the management is. Any time there’s maintenance going on, I always get an email explaining the what, when and where, even if it doesn’t affect me directly.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Great accommodation for professionals

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Sep 2023

Good aspect: comfortable and a nice sense of community, friendly staff
Bad: cleanliness of room, staff said my screening was rejected and it was not.

Please review your development:

I would highly recommend it, problem when ai moved in was the floor was extremely dirty and there were hairs everywhere. The staff to begin with said my screening has failed which is hadn’t and caused me unnecessary stress. But overall the development is great!

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

There is a lot of cutlery provided in the kitchen.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Very timely and fixed everything the same day and/or next day

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
4
Value
5
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

An average development

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Sep 2023

There are excellent transport links, there’s also a hospital right next to the property. Excellent variety of local shops. The downside is the parking availability for those with a car

Please review your development:

Building design is good, there are nice communal areas. The cleaning of communal spaces however is not great, also the windows are designed to be cleaned professionally from the outside and they have not been cleaned as they should. There are not many facilities in the building and the lift is out of order quite often which gets frustrating during busy times

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The quality of the wall painting and fittings in the flat such as the carpet which is horrible quality

What is the best feature of your home:

The balcony. The balcony has a great size and the view is great especially in the summer

3
Facilities
3
Design
4
Location
3
Value
3
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

A Disappointing Stay

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Sep 2023

Covered below in main review.

It’s close to the shops (5mins from Sainsbury’s, Co-op, and Lidl if you walk quickly) and to the Met & jubilee lines (10 mins away) which get you into central London quite quickly, so great for getting to the office

The general big bins have seemingly been “forgotten” about a few times, leading to the lifts, and the entire lower floor smelling absolutely rotten.

Please review your development:

after living here for a year here are my thoughts on the building:

the rooms are tiny and despite being well designed have very little extra space. The “living room” area inside the rooms also are fitted with extremely uncomfortable cushions, so your only other option is to spend your day in the co-working spaces

The rooms have no ovens, just a microwave and a 2-top stove.
The only place with ovens in the building would be the communal kitchens which only opened in late May ’23 despite assurances it would be completed and open to guests by March ’23. there are only 7 ovens available for the entire building. For context, it has 11 floors and over 15 rooms on each floor. Considering the rooms have no ovens, these should have at least been ready once guests were able to move in back in September ’22

The ventilation in the rooms is very poor. you have 1 very small window and so the rooms get quite stuffy very quickly. as a result of this other people often leave their front doors open when cooking, leading to the corridor smelling unpleasant at times. additionally, because of the small windows there is minimal light coming into the rooms.

the co-working spaces are quite nice though can get very busy so if you’re planning on working there it’s best to get there by 9 to ensure a space and an extra monitor.

By the time it had been 6 months since Ark first opened, a significant amount of the amenities weren’t done as promised including the rooftop and communal kitchen. these are now finished and are lovely.

Some fun events happen here and there are also some cool classes that are free to attend, however many of them do get cancelled last minute without warning.

the team are some of the best people I’ve come across and are genuinely lovely to speak to, with certain members of the team, communication can be bad more often than not. sometimes you’re looking at long periods without replies no matter how urgent your query is.

Only 1 maintenance person is serving the entire building hence why it can be difficult to get problems fixed. I know people who have complained about their air con/heating being broken for months and are yet to see it fixed.

The general big bins have seemingly been “forgotten” about a few times, leading to the lifts, and the entire lower floor smelling absolutely rotten.

The area is okay, but aside from the nearby Canada Gardens & Wembley Central there’s very little to be seen as Wembley Park is an industrial area. walk 3 minutes from the building and you’re met with what looks like factories and industrial offices. because of this the road can get extremely noisy. there is a Costco 7 minutes away so that’s a plus.

Also, anyone under 18 is not allowed to step foot into the building so if you have young family members visiting you they won’t be allowed in.

There is a laundry room but it costs almost £6 to wash and dry 1 set of clothing. (4.20 to wash, 1.70 to dry). sometimes the dryer doesn’t work well, so you must wash your things twice. also, some washing machines don’t work so it will take payment but will not start washing. you can get refunds on that app if this happens though. The team have been made aware multiple times by multiple people but are still yet to fix this issue.

there are quite a few student buildings around so it can get quite noisy at night, especially on Thursdays-Saturdays. don’t bother trying to go anywhere during an event at the stadium/OVO arena as the roads surrounding tend to be blocked completely.

in my opinion, this is not worth the money and I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone for a long stay but could be great for a short stay of around 2 weeks or less.

Also, Ark is currently offering people amazon vouchers to leave a review, so bare that in mind when you’re reading the other reviews.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish i knew everything mentioned in my main review.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Only 1 maintenance person is serving the entire building hence why it can be difficult to get problems fixed. I know people who have complained about their air con/heating being broken for months and are yet to see it fixed.

3
Facilities
3
Design
2
Location
1
Value
3
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Discover surrounding areas