Kingston housing statistics 2026
Kingston grew from a riverside town into a borough of suburbs once the railway came, and the semi-detached house is now its most common home. Prices rose 4.9% in the year to August 2026 while London's fell, taking the average home to £597,587.
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 Kingston. The figures cover the whole Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, and the sources are numbered in brackets and listed in full at the end of the page.
How Kingston was built
Before the railway, Surbiton was almost empty. The only house marked there on 18th century maps was Berrylands Farm [1]. In 1836, the Victoria County History records, the main line of the London and South Western Railway was brought through Surbiton, and by 1901 the Surbiton urban district had a population of 15,017 [1].
New Malden grew the same way. Writing in 1911, the Victoria County History noted the great growth of new houses there over the previous forty years, and a population in 1901 of 6,233, of whom only 503 lived in Old Malden [1].
The biggest wave came later. The Valuation Office Agency counts 70,650 homes in Kingston, and 33.7% of them were built between 1919 and 1939, a third of the borough, against 22.0% across London. Another 18.9% went up between 1945 and 1972 [2].
Only 13.7% of Kingston's homes date from before 1900, against 20.8% for London, and 12.3% from 2000 or later, against 18.5% [2]. Those interwar houses are the usual starting point for a loft conversion in Kingston.
How Kingston households live
Kingston is semi-detached country. The 2021 Census found 31.7% of its 65,626 households living in a semi-detached house, against 18.6% across London, and 12.6% in a detached house, more than twice London's 6.1% [3].
In all, 61.5% of Kingston households live in a house and 38.3% in a flat, against 54.0% in flats across London. Most of those flats are purpose-built, home to 29.8% of households, and in them a kitchen renovation in Kingston is usually about getting more from the same floor area [3].
Who owns Kingston's homes
60.8% of Kingston households own their home, 28.2% outright and 32.6% with a mortgage, against 45.2% across London [4].
Social renting is less than half as common as across London, at 11.0% of households against 23.1%, and 27.3% of households rent privately, against 30.0% [4].
What a home costs in Kingston
The average Kingston home cost £597,587 in August 2026, 4.9% more than a year earlier, while London prices fell 2.2% [5]. That puts Kingston about 8% above the London average of £554,430, and at about twice the England average of £293,525 [6].
Kingston has tracked London closely for 20 years. In August 2006 its average home cost £285,575, a little above London's £274,815. It fell below the London average in 2017, passed it again in 2018, dropped below in 2021 and has been above it every August since 2022, when prices peaked at £603,583 [6].
Flats, terraces and semis
A flat or maisonette averaged £368,099 in August 2026 and a terraced house £598,538, a gap of £230,439 [5]. A semi-detached house averaged £821,443, another £222,905 on top, and a detached house £1,318,737. Every type rose in price over the year, detached homes fastest at 7.2% [5].
Both flats and terraces cost less here than the London averages of £427,310 and £648,650 [6]. For a family already in a terrace or a semi, a house extension in Kingston adds room without paying for the next rung of the ladder. First-time buyers paid an average of £477,799 in August 2026, while owners moving home paid £750,356 [5].
What it costs to rent
The average private rent in Kingston was £1,821 a month in September 2026, 0.4% less than a year earlier [5]. A one-bedroom home averaged £1,386 a month, a three-bedroom home £2,167 and a home with four or more bedrooms £2,852.
Council Tax bands
Band D is the most common Council Tax band in Kingston, covering 29.7% of homes against 25.5% across London [2].
The rest of the spread leans upwards. 41.6% of homes are in bands E to H, against 30.7% for London, while just 5.9% are in bands A and B, against 16.7% [2].
The rules on your street
There are 26 conservation areas in Kingston upon Thames, covering about 9.4% of the borough and around 10,000 postal addresses [7]. They include Kingston Old Town, Surbiton Town Centre, Surbiton Hill Park, Old Malden and Coombe Hill [7].
The council lists three Article 4 Directions in place: one for the Seething Wells Filter Beds, one for North Lodge and South Lodge, and one that means turning commercial, business and service buildings into homes needs planning permission [8]. Even so, digging down is one of the jobs where conservation area rules matter most, so a basement conversion in Kingston starts with a check of the address.
The council says a decision usually takes 8 weeks for household applications, and consultation usually lasts 3 weeks [9]. Its fast-track service guarantees a householder decision within 30 working days of validation for an extra £309.60, but it cannot be used for listed buildings or properties in a conservation area [10]. Our builders in Kingston and planners check what applies to your address before any work begins.
Kingston housing statistics at a glance
- Average house price, August 2026: £597,587 (London £554,430) [5] [6]
- Change on a year earlier: +4.9% (London -2.2%) [5] [6]
- Average flat or maisonette: £368,099 (London £427,310) [5] [6]
- Average terraced house: £598,538 (London £648,650) [5] [6]
- Average semi-detached house: £821,443 [5]
- Average private rent, September 2026: £1,821 a month [5]
- Homes built 1919 to 1939: 33.7% (London 22.0%) [2]
- Households living in a semi-detached house: 31.7% (London 18.6%) [3]
- Households who own their home: 60.8% (London 45.2%) [4]
- Conservation areas: 26 [7]
Frequently asked questions
References
- British History Online, Kingston-upon-Thames: Introduction and borough. Victoria County History of Surrey, volume 3, 1911.
- Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties 2026. Properties by build period and by Council Tax band at 31 March 2026, Kingston upon Thames and London.
- ONS, Census 2021 table TS044: Accommodation type. Households by type of home, Kingston upon Thames and London.
- ONS, Census 2021 table TS054: Tenure. Households by tenure, Kingston upon Thames and London.
- ONS, Housing prices in Kingston upon Thames. 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 Kingston upon Thames, London and England, August 2006 to August 2026.
- Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Conservation areas in Kingston upon Thames. Number, coverage and list of conservation areas. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Article 4 Directions. Article 4 Directions in place. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, How we make a planning decision. Decision and consultation times. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Fast track your planning application. Fast-track times, fee and exclusions. Accessed 29 October 2026.
Thinking of improving rather than moving?
Tell us about your Kingston 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.