Havering housing statistics 2026
House prices, rents, home types and planning rules in Havering, with every figure from an official source.
Havering was built mostly in two waves either side of the Second World War. 70.4% of its homes date from between 1919 and 1972, 41.2% of households live in a semi-detached house and 69.5% own their home. The average home cost £444,572 in August 2026, up 1.1% on a year earlier and a twenty-year high.
Every figure comes from an official source and is dated, so you can see exactly what you are working with before you plan a home renovation in Havering. The sources are numbered in brackets and listed in full at the end of the page.
When Havering's homes were built
Romford was a market town long before it was a suburb, with a population of 13,915 in 1901 [1].
The garden suburb at Gidea Park came first: its foundation stone was laid in 1910, and 140 houses had been built by the following year. Between the wars Romford grew from 19,442 people in 1921 to 35,918 in 1931, and building peaked in 1937, when some 1,500 house plans were passed [1].
After the war the London County Council built some 8,200 houses on the former Dagnam Park estate at Harold Hill between 1948 and 1958. Romford's population reached 88,002 in 1951 and 114,584 in 1961 [1].
The Valuation Office Agency figures show both waves. Of Havering's 109,070 homes, 35.4% were built between 1919 and 1939 and 35.0% between 1945 and 1972, against 22.0% and 16.8% across London. Only 4.9% date from before 1919 [2]. In a borough of interwar and post-war houses, a loft conversion is the usual way to add a bedroom without moving.
How Havering households live
The 2021 Census found 41.2% of Havering households living in a semi-detached house, more than twice London's 18.6%, and 11.1% in a detached house, against 6.1% [3].
Altogether 76.6% live in a house of some kind. Only 23.0% live in a flat, against 54.0% across London, and just 1.7% in a flat inside a converted house [3]. With so many families in houses, a kitchen renovation here is often part of a bigger plan for the ground floor.
Who owns Havering's homes
69.5% of Havering households own their home, 34.5% outright and 35.0% with a mortgage, against 45.2% across London [4].
The share who own outright is two thirds higher than London's 20.7%. Only 13.6% rent from a social landlord and 15.8% rent privately, against 23.1% and 30.0% for London [4].
What a Havering home costs
The average Havering home cost £444,572 in August 2026, 1.1% more than a year earlier [5]. That is about 20% below the London average of £554,430, where prices fell by 2.2%, and about 51% above the England average of £293,525 [6].
August 2026 is the highest point in the twenty-year series, although growth has slowed, to 3.2% in 2025 and 1.1% in 2026. In August 2006 the average home here cost £218,236. The biggest rise came in 2016, at 19.1%, and the biggest fall in 2009, at 11.0% [6].
Semis, terraces and the step between them
A terraced house in Havering averaged £431,830 in August 2026 and a semi-detached house £535,655, a step of £103,825. Detached homes averaged £831,386 and flats or maisonettes £249,212 [5].
Flats were the only type to fall over the year, by 1.5%, while semis rose 2.0% and terraces 1.7% [5]. A terrace here costs £182,618 more than a flat, and both are well below the London averages of £648,650 and £427,310 [6].
The gap from a semi to a detached house is £295,731, which is why many families price up a house extension before they look at moving.
What it costs to rent in Havering
The average private rent in Havering was £1,567 a month in September 2026, up 0.9% on a year earlier [5]. A one-bedroom home averaged £1,218 a month and a home with four or more bedrooms £2,499.
With 15.8% of households renting privately, a dated bathroom is often the first thing a bathroom renovation puts right between tenancies.
Council Tax bands in Havering
Council Tax bands are based on what a home would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991 [7]. In Havering, Band D is the largest, with 33.2% of homes against 25.5% for London, and Bands C and D together hold 60.7% [2].
15.0% of Havering homes are in Bands A and B, against 16.7% for London, and 3.3% are in Bands G and H, against 7.6% [2].
The rules on your street
Havering has 11 conservation areas. The first four, Cranham, Havering-atte-Bower, Rainham and Romford, were designated in 1968, and the newest, Langtons and St Andrews, in 2010 [8].
Three of them, Gidea Park, Havering-atte-Bower and Cranham, have Article 4 directions that remove some permitted development rights. In Havering-atte-Bower planning permission is needed for satellite dishes, and in Cranham for gates, walls, fences and other means of enclosure [9]. Conservation area consent is also needed to demolish a building of 115 cubic metres or more [9]. A basement conversion or any other work that changes how a house looks from the street is worth checking against those rules first.
Councils in England have 8 weeks to decide most planning applications and 13 weeks for major development [10]. Check whether your street is in one of the 11 conservation areas before anyone starts drawing, then plan a home renovation in Havering with up to three vetted builders quoting against the same plans.
Havering housing statistics at a glance
- Average house price, August 2026: £444,572 (London £554,430) [5] [6]
- Change on a year earlier: +1.1% (London -2.2%) [5] [6]
- Average semi-detached house: £535,655 (London £730,580) [5] [6]
- Average terraced house: £431,830 (London £648,650) [5] [6]
- Average private rent, September 2026: £1,567 a month [5]
- Homes built between 1919 and 1972: 70.4% (London 38.8%) [2]
- Households living in a semi-detached house: 41.2% (London 18.6%) [3]
- Households who own their home: 69.5% (London 45.2%) [4]
- Households who own outright: 34.5% (London 20.7%) [4]
- Conservation areas: 11, with Article 4 directions in 3 [8] [9]
Frequently asked questions
References
- British History Online, Romford: Introduction. Victoria County History of Essex, volume 7.
- Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties 2026. Table CTSOP4.1, properties by build period and Council Tax band at 31 March 2026.
- ONS, Census 2021 table TS044: Accommodation type. Households by type of home, Havering and London.
- ONS, Census 2021 table TS054: Tenure. Households by tenure, Havering and London.
- ONS, Housing prices in Havering. UK House Price Index for August 2026 and Price Index of Private Rents for September 2026, published 21 October 2026.
- HM Land Registry, UK House Price Index. Average prices for Havering, London and England, August 2006 to August 2026.
- GOV.UK, How domestic properties are assessed for Council Tax bands. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- Havering Council, Havering's 11 conservation areas. Accessed 6 November 2026.
- Havering Council, Conservation areas. Accessed 6 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Determining a planning application. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Thinking of improving rather than moving?
Tell us about your Havering home and what you want to change. We'll give you a free estimate, then up to three vetted builders quote against the same specification.