Merton housing statistics 2026
House prices, rents, home types and planning rules in Merton, with every figure from an official source.
Much of Merton was built in one burst after the Underground reached Morden in 1926. More than a third of its homes date from between the wars, terraced houses are the most common home, and the average home cost £623,791 in August 2026, above the London average and up slightly on a year earlier.
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 Merton. The sources are numbered in brackets and listed in full at the end of the page.
When Merton's homes were built
Morden Underground station opened in September 1926, and its arrival led to a huge expanse of farmland being developed as residential suburbs. A new line from Wimbledon to Sutton followed in January 1930, with stations at South Merton and Morden South [1].
In the 1930s the London County Council built the St Helier estate to house workers from inner London, the largest local authority development in South London. Building stopped in 1939, and more council houses followed after the war [1].
The Valuation Office Agency figures show that burst. Of Merton's 87,910 homes, 36.7% were built between 1919 and 1939, against 22.0% across London. Another 14.8% date from 1900 to 1918, nearly twice London's 8.2%, and 11.6% from before 1900 [2]. Edwardian and interwar terraces are a natural starting point for a loft conversion.
How Merton households live
The 2021 Census found 35.7% of Merton households living in a terraced house, against 21.3% across London. A further 19.0% live in a semi-detached house and 5.7% in a detached house [3].
39.6% live in a flat, against 54.0% for London: 28.4% in a purpose-built block and 9.2% in a flat inside a converted house [3]. In a terraced house, a kitchen renovation is usually about making the most of a narrow plan.
Who owns Merton's homes
55.6% of Merton households own their home, 25.3% outright and 30.3% with a mortgage, against 45.2% across London [4].
29.1% rent privately, close to London's 30.0%, while social renting is much less common, at 14.2% of households against 23.1% for London [4].
What a Merton home costs
The average Merton home cost £623,791 in August 2026, 0.1% more than a year earlier [5]. That is about 13% above the London average of £554,430, where prices fell by 2.2%, and more than twice the England average of £293,525 [6].
Merton has been above the London average every August for twenty years. In August 2006 the average home here cost £279,012, against London's £274,815. The biggest jump came between 2013 and 2014, when the average rose from £381,940 to £483,287, and August 2026 is the highest point in the series [6].
Terraces, flats and the gap between them
A flat or maisonette in Merton averaged £409,754 in August 2026 and a terraced house £696,630, a gap of £286,876. Semi-detached homes averaged £964,681 and detached homes £2,362,655, up 7.2% on a year earlier, although only 5.7% of households live in one [5] [6] [3].
Terraces cost more than the London average of £648,650, while flats cost a little less than London's £427,310 [6]. Flats fell by 2.2% over the year and terraces rose by 1.1% [5].
That gap is what most Merton owners weigh up before they move. For a family already in a terrace, a house extension adds room without paying for the next rung of the ladder.
What it costs to rent in Merton
The average private rent in Merton was £2,181 a month in September 2026, up 5.5% on a year earlier [5]. A one-bedroom home averaged £1,645 a month and a home with four or more bedrooms £3,281.
With rents rising that quickly and 29.1% of households renting privately, a dated bathroom is often the first thing a bathroom renovation puts right between tenancies.
Council Tax bands in Merton
Council Tax bands are based on what a home would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991 [7]. In Merton, Band D is the largest, with 32.2% of homes against 25.5% for London, and Bands C and D together hold 59.7% of homes [2].
11.2% of Merton homes are in Bands A and B, against 16.7% for London, and 6.9% are in Bands G and H, close to London's 7.6%. Band H alone holds 2.1%, slightly above London's 1.8% [2].
The rules on your street
Merton has 29 conservation areas, seven of them named after parts of Wimbledon, from Wimbledon Village and Wimbledon North to Wimbledon Windmill [8].
Article 4 directions cover the John Innes Merton Park and John Innes Wilton Crescent conservation areas, with directions made in 1986, 1990 and 2007 [8]. They remove permitted development rights, so work that would not need an application elsewhere can need planning permission there. Digging down is one of the jobs where those rules matter, so a basement conversion starts with a check of the address.
Nationally, councils have 8 weeks to decide most planning applications, and 13 weeks for major development [9]. It is worth checking your street on the council's list before anyone starts drawing, then asking up to three vetted builders to quote for your renovation project in Merton against the same plans.
Merton housing statistics at a glance
- Average house price, August 2026: £623,791 (London £554,430) [5] [6]
- Change on a year earlier: +0.1% (London -2.2%) [5] [6]
- Average flat or maisonette: £409,754 (London £427,310) [5] [6]
- Average terraced house: £696,630 (London £648,650) [5] [6]
- Average private rent, September 2026: £2,181 a month [5]
- Homes built 1919 to 1939: 36.7% (London 22.0%) [2]
- Households living in a terraced house: 35.7% (London 21.3%) [3]
- Households who own their home: 55.6% (London 45.2%) [4]
- Households in social rented homes: 14.2% (London 23.1%) [4]
- Conservation areas: 29, with Article 4 directions in the two John Innes areas [8]
Frequently asked questions
References
- Merton Council, Borough character study: Morden. Morden local neighbourhood. Accessed 6 November 2026
- 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, Merton and London
- ONS, Census 2021 table TS054: Tenure. Households by tenure, Merton and London
- ONS, Housing prices in Merton. 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 Merton, London and England, August 2006 to August 2026
- GOV.UK, How domestic properties are assessed for Council Tax bands. Accessed 29 October 2026
- Merton Council, List of conservation areas. Accessed 6 November 2026
- GOV.UK, Determining a planning application. Planning practice guidance, paragraph 001, Accessed 6 November 2026
Thinking of improving rather than moving?
Tell us about your Merton 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.