A recent study has revealed the UK's 10 least desirable cities. Unfortunately for Londoners, the capital came out on top of the list of less-than-ideal locations.
Nearly two-fifths of respondents said they just wouldn't consider moving there. Conversely, York was proven to be the most coveted city to move to, with 89% dreaming of having a property there.
BestHeating is a designer radiator specialist. The company asked 2,000 homeowners where they most and least wanted to live in the UK.
The UK's least desirable city to live in
The fact London came out as the least desirable is linked to property market trends of the last 18 months. Many left cities and making the most of the stamp duty holiday.
On top of this new tendency to leave urban areas (despite the significant cost of moving house), record-high house prices are another key factor. House prices rose by 11.8% in September last year, bringing the average house price to £270,000, according to ONS data.
38% said they would never consider living in London, although Birmingham followed close behind. 37% did not want a house there.
34% said they wouldn't want to live in Glasgow, either, despite the average house price being lower than £200,000 in Scotland. 'Buying a house is the biggest commitment you can make,' says John Lawless, content marketing manager of BestHeating.
'So it is interesting to see that we appear to favour moves to less populated areas rather than the liveliest and most inhabited cities like London or Birmingham.' John comments that the desire to live in either York or Bath suggests we seek space, greenery, and somewhere with a sense of history.
The 10 least-desired cities
London – 38%
Birmingham – 37%
Glasgow – 34%
Liverpool – 33%
Manchester – 32%
Sheffield – 28%
Leicester – 27%
Leeds – 26%
Newcastle – 25%
Nottingham – 24%
Most desired place to live
Despite its average house price surpassing £305,000, the historic North-eastern city of York is the most coveted place to live in the UK.
Bath was the second most in-demand place at 87%. This is ahead of Exeter (84%) and Brighton (82%), showing that the south of England is highly sought after by home buyers.
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