Southwark housing statistics 2026

How Southwark was built

Walworth was little touched by London until the middle of the eighteenth century, and was famous for its peaches. In 1774 an Act of Parliament allowed land in the manor to be let on 99-year building leases, and new roads began to stretch across its gardens and fields [1].

Model housing came early too. On Blackfriars Road the Peabody Trust built sixteen blocks around two quadrangles, completed in 1872, with two sculleries on each floor and a bathroom on the ground floor of each block. The Survey of London sees them as the start of a new era in working-class housing for the neighbourhood [2].

The Valuation Office Agency counts 151,430 homes in Southwark. 22.0% were built before 1900, close to London's 20.8%, but very little followed in the next forty years: 2.4% date from 1900 to 1918 and 6.9% from between the wars, against 8.2% and 22.0% for London [3].

The big change came after 1945. 20.1% of homes date from 1945 to 1972, 16.8% from 1973 to 1999 and 27.4% from 2000 onwards, against 18.5% for London. In all, 64.3% were built in 1945 or later, against 48.2% across London [3]. For the fifth of homes that are Victorian or older, the roof is often the easiest place to find another bedroom, which is where a loft conversion in Southwark comes in.

Who owns Southwark's homes

Social renting is the largest tenure in Southwark, at 39.7% of households, against 23.1% across London. Private renting accounts for 28.7%, slightly below London's 30.0% [5].

Just 28.8% of households own their home, 10.6% outright and 18.2% with a mortgage, against 45.2% across London. A further 2.4% are in shared ownership, against 1.5% for London [5].

What it costs to rent in Southwark

Rents are rising faster in Southwark than across London. The average private rent was £2,516 a month in September 2026, up 7.3% from £2,345 a year earlier, against a 3.5% rise for London [6]. Over a similar year, house prices fell.

A one-bedroom home averaged £1,907 a month, a two-bedroom home £2,387, a three-bedroom home £2,779 and a home with four or more bedrooms £3,670 [6]. With 28.7% of households renting privately [5] and rents climbing this fast, landlords refitting a tired flat between tenancies often start with a bathroom renovation in Southwark.

The rules on your street

Southwark has 48 conservation areas, and the council says an Article 4 direction covers several of them, so alterations to buildings and other changes there need planning permission [8].

Inside a conservation area, Southwark says you need planning permission to make minor roof alterations, change windows or install satellite dishes, and to demolish a building [9]. Digging down is one of the biggest changes a building can see, so a basement conversion in Southwark starts with a check of the address.

Some directions are very local. In the Sunray Estate conservation area on Denmark Hill, which takes in Sunray Avenue, Sunray Gardens, Casino Avenue and Nairne Grove, you must apply for planning permission to develop [10]. In Henshaw Street, SE17, turning a house into a small house in multiple occupation needs planning permission too [11].

On timing, the national rule applies: once an application is valid, a council should decide anything other than major development within eight weeks, unless a longer period is agreed in writing [12]. Our builders in Southwark and planners check the conservation area and any Article 4 direction for your address before any work begins.