A guide to living in South East England

South East England is the third-largest of the official regions of England by area, and has the highest population of all the regions. Stretching to the west as far as the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, right across to the tip of Kent and curling around London up to Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, the South East benefits from its close connection with the capital and the national transport network. It also offers residents close proximity to the continent and swift international connections via the Channel Tunnel, Gatwick and Heathrow on its border with Greater London.

Excellent

69.1%

Very Good

22.8%

Average

6.1%

Disappointing

1.0%

Very poor

0.9%

Best places to live in South East England

How is ranking calculated?

Viewing 1-5 out of 366

Rental Only

Leaf Living at Liberty Place, BN27

By Leaf Living

4.98

(16 reviews)

Discover the perfect blend of town convenience and countryside charm at Liberty Place, conveniently located on the edge of Hailsham town. This new community is a stone throw from a variety of shops, supermarkets and restaurants and has a selection of great schools withing reach. For leisure, the town offers a leisure centre, the Pavilion Cinema, and an array of parks and play areas. The development is well-connected, with easy access to A22 & M23. Polegate Train Station, located just 10 minutes away, offers great train services to London Victoria, London Gatwick and neighbouring coastal towns.

1st

Ranked 1st out of 197 in South East England

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Leaf Living at The Gateway, TN40

By Leaf Living

4.92

(22 reviews)

Coastal living in the tranquil seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, a gem nestled between Hastings and Eastbourne in East Sussex. This prime location becomes a vibrant hub in the summer, offering beachfront activities and a serene escape along the South Coast.

2nd

Ranked 2nd out of 197 in South East England

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Award Winner 2025

Ebb & Flow, RG1

By Native Communities

Award winner 2025

4.89

(181 reviews)

Ebb & Flow offers a collection of Studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments in the heart of Reading. All apartments have spacious kitchens, enhanced floor to ceiling height, and bespoke furniture. As well as this, residents benefit from a 24hr support team, wellness classes and community events. Private social and co-working spaces are also included. A buzzing new neighbourhood right on your doorstep.

3rd

Ranked 3rd out of 197 in South East England

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Award Winner 2025

The Almere, MK9

By Native Communities

Award winner 2025

4.88

(165 reviews)

At The Almere, residents benefit from spacious apartments, panoramic views, resident events and coworking spaces. A community nestled in the heart of Milton Keynes, with access to facilities and amenities right on your doorstep. Our 1, 2 and 3 bedroom rental apartments come with on-site customer and maintenance services and a relaxed community lounge for you to enjoy. All pets are welcome at The Almere, whether they are feathered, four-legged, fishy, or feline. For commuters, our luxury apartments are just 12 minutes on foot to Milton Keynes Train Station, with trains direct to the capital and other UK hotspots.

4th

Ranked 4th out of 197 in South East England

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Award Winner 2025

Leaf Living at Buckler's Park, RG40

By Leaf Living

Award winner 2025

4.83

(28 reviews)

Experience tranquillity village life with a modern twist at Buckler's Park in Crowthorne. The village is bustling with coffee shops, cosy pubs and hosts of seasonal food festival. Nestled within a nature reserve you are spoilt for choice when it comes to walks and cycling routes, with Buckler's Forest on your doorstep. This new community is close to excellent schools and a short drive to Crowthorne Station with a direct train to Reading and London Gatwick.

5th

Ranked 5th out of 197 in South East England

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Page 1 of 74

Featured developments in South East England

Latest Reviews in South East England

5061 total reviews

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Viewing 1-5 out of 5048

Dominic (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Hove Central, BN3

Jun 2026

This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.

A good place to be

Dominic (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Hove Central, BN3

Jun 2026

The design and build is good. Solid brick walls between flats means they’re quiet. The white goods are high quality and the internet is fast. Common areas are clean and everything is well maintained. However, the flats can overheat and the the wind causes howling! Front desk staff seem depleted and overworked due to redundancies and absences. This can result in feeling like a ghost ship at Reception. Those who are there remain helpful but overstretched. Plenty of opportunities to socialise and it feels like a good community is building. Most Residents seem happy and friendly.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Moda is very well served by nearby quality supermarkets (Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl) with 10-15 mins walk. Its nice NOT to have a ‘Express’ from the major supermarket chains. Frequent buses into the city centre and rail station helps with commuting or socialising. It would be great to have a café and bakery on site serving decent coffee and light meals for those of use working from home. Hopefully one day! Retail opportunities exist and hopefully will be taken up.

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

It can be slow to get a response to issue due to staff shortages. The APP needs a lot of work the UI is terrible, some folk can’t get on and the content is often dated unless it pertains to sponsorship/retail ads.

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

Be prepared to get involved, be neighbourly and help create a community!

・・

HomeViews

SP (Tenant)

Verified Resident

York & Elder, BN1

Jun 2026

Reviewer was offered an incentive for an honest review, regardless of rating

This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.

Great place to live at

SP (Tenant)

Verified Resident

York & Elder, BN1

Jun 2026

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Very close the the Brighton main station, and Sainsbury's. Also very close the the bus station. London Road however is not my favourite place.

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

Very prompt responses. Easy to reach 3ven visa WhatsApp.

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

Nothing worth mentioning in this box. Everything is as expected.

・・

Reviewer was offered an incentive for an honest review, regardless of rating

HomeViews

Abubakar (Tenant)

Verified Resident

The Kell, ME4

Jun 2026

This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.

Review of stay in The Kell

Abubakar (Tenant)

Verified Resident

The Kell, ME4

Jun 2026

The development has been a great place to live. The building has a modern feel to it and has been kept in good condition throughout my time here. The communal spaces are tidy, secure and always feel welcoming.I felt convenience in every aspect of day to day life Whether it's picking up groceries, grabbing food, going to the gym or getting into town, everything is close by and accessible. It saves a lot of time and much more convenient. The management team have always been responsive and approachable whenever I've needed anything, and the building is clearly looked after on a regular basis. The development attracts a good mix of residents including families and professionals, generally the community has a calm and respectful atmosphere.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

I've lived at The Kell since moving to the UK and I've genuinely had a really good experience. The location is one of the best things about it. You've got supermarkets, restaurants, cafés, gyms and pretty much everything you need nearby, which makes day-to-day life really convenient. The building itself is well looked after and the facilities are great. Any issues I've had have been dealt with quickly, and the staff have always been helpful and approachable especially Neelam who's been very supportive and professional. The area feels safe, transport links are good, and I've never had any major problems with noise or anti-social behaviour. Overall, it's been a really comfortable place to live and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an apartment in the area.

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

Yes, the building management is easily accessible on site and helps you deal with any problems and issues, they follow up with you in regards to any concerns raised I am really appreciative to the on site management team particularly Neelam who's been very cooperative, and addresses all concerns raised as a tenant.

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

to let future tenants know that if you decline a parking spot on the building prior to moving in, it will take you a year and a half to get allocated another parking spot

・・

HomeViews

Laura W (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Weavers Yard, RG14

Jun 2026

This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.

Wonderful place to live

Laura W (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Weavers Yard, RG14

Jun 2026

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Absolutely loved living here. Newbury is a great town and the development is seconds from the train station. Parking is good, as are waste collections. Friendly neighbourhood with very little trouble.

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

Any issues have been acknowledged and rectified quickly.

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

Nothing that I can think of - viewing and all queries were addressed!

・・

HomeViews

Alex CP (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Park Square, MK9

Jun 2026

This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.

A great, friendly & lovely place to live : )

Alex CP (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Park Square, MK9

Jun 2026

Park Square is great. We did have our reservations about what living in central MK would be like. Those reservations where quickly reduced once our Park Square adventure began. It’s all lovely. The staff, the design, the location, the other tenants. What a great place to call home. This is our first serviced living experience & it really is a game changer. So many facilities, so much social opportunity & generally a peaceful, pleasant living experience. We have a dog & it couldn’t be more dog friendly, there is even a dedicated Bark Bar serving 24/7 dog treats, that goes down very well with our 4legged friend. Park Square is super clean, tidy & really well run. The Park Square team are friendly, mega helpful & always on hand for questions or support. We’d wholeheartedly recommend living here to anyone who asks. If in doubt, come pay a visit : )

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Great location, close to everything, quiet at nights, super green & friendly. It is a central city location, so there can be some vehicle, social noise. However, in general, it’s chill, easy & a great place to live.

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

Don’t tell the others but the the Park Square maintenance team are our favourites. Such wonderful, helpful, friendly chaps. Always quick to resolve issues & if they can’t they managing expectations well. They deserve qudos & a pay rise : )

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

We wish we knew how fabulous this place was as we would have looked to move in sooner. We also wish we had known how lush & green central MK was & is as we would have considered this place sooner if we had known. We do now so win.

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HomeViews

Page 1 of 1010

These reviews are the subjective opinion of a HomeViews user and not of HomeViews

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Berkshire

Berkshire is a county in the South East of England. It has a population of around 540,000 and contains some beautiful countryside and towns. The landscape here is varied, from chalk downland through rich farmland to woodland and water features. The county town is Reading and there are many other large towns such as Newbury, Swindon and Wokingham which all have their own attractions. Berkshire also has many amazing educational institutions including world-leading universities like the University of Reading.

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Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a county in the southeast of England. The largest and most populous town in Buckinghamshire is Milton Keynes with over 200,000 residents. Other large towns include Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Slough. There are lots of villages to explore as well such as Stoke Mandeville near Aylesbury (the home of the famous Stoke Mandeville Games), Anstee near Bletchley (which has an ancient church) and East Claydon near Leighton Buzzard (famous for its cherry orchards).

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East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in the southeast of England with a coastline that has many beautiful cliffs and salt marshes which are a haven for birdlife. There are also plenty of coastal towns with stunning beaches such as Bexhill or Hastings that offer great family days out too. If you're looking for somewhere green then there's no shortage - East Sussex has over 400 square kilometres of woodland including Rother Valley Country Park near Brighton which is home to deer, wild boar and foxes!

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Hampshire

Hampshire is a county in the south of England that borders Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. It has some beautiful towns such as Winchester, Basingstoke and Romsey which are perfect for those who want to live near London but without all the hustle and bustle. Hampshire's largest city is Southampton with over 200,000 people living there. With lots of green space, outdoor activities and cultural events, Hampshire offers a vibrant lifestyle for families with young children.

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Kent

Kent is one of the most popular counties in England, with a population of 1.8 million people. It has some really beautiful scenery and many great amenities for families that are looking to buy their first home or move up into a nicer place. There are also several excellent universities that attract students from all over the world to come and study here.

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Milton Keynes

Just 50 miles to north east of London, Milton Keynes was devised as a ‘new town’ in the 1960s and continues to evolve and grow today. Famed for its roundabouts and district grids, the town has benefitted from a steady flow of new residents from London. House prices have seen strong growth, with amenities and schools now plentiful and high quality. Housing is more varied than its reputation might suggest, with everything from period properties in historic villages to new build homes in chic developments.

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Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the south of England, home to many great schools and universities. The population is around 638,000 people. Oxfordshire has some lovely countryside that would be perfect for anyone looking to move away from city life with their family. If you are considering moving here, this guide will give you all the information you need to know about Oxfordshire!

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Reading

Reading is a large market town and borough in the county of Berkshire. Located on the M4 motorway 40 miles west of London and within easy reach of both Oxford and Bristol, it has been described as having some of the best transport connections in England. The impending addition of the Elizabeth Line will further boost its appeal with London escapees lured by the scenery of the Chiltern Hills and North Wessex Downs that surround the town.

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Surrey

Surrey is a county in the south of England. It has an area of 1,663 square kilometres and a population of 1.2 million people. Surrey borders London to the North West and Hampshire to the East. The county has many beautiful parks which are great for families, as well as areas with wild landscapes ideal for outdoor pursuits such as cycling or walking. There are so many things to do in Surrey - find out more about this wonderful place!

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West Sussex

West Sussex is a county that has something for everyone. Whether you love the hustle and bustle of London and want somewhere in easy commuting distance, or prefer the peace and tranquillity of rural life, West Sussex has it all! There are many different towns and villages scattered across this beautiful county. From Eastbourne to Worthing, there is no shortage of charming little places with great schools, shopping centres, local amenities and lots more!

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