Newham crowned London’s most overcrowded borough for property

April 25, 2019

The latest research by leading flatshare platform, ideal flatmate, has looked at where is home to the least number of homes to support the local population across each London borough.

Using data from the London Datastore, ideal flatmate looked at the population and the total number of dwellings for each borough before looking at which borough was home to the lowest percentage of homes in London, as well as which has the lowest ratio when it comes to homes per capita.

When it comes to the amount of straight up homes, the City of London is predictably home to the lowest with just 0.18% of all London properties located within its boundaries.

Kingston is home to the second lowest with just 1.9% of the capital’s total homes in the borough, with Barking and Dagenham, Sutton and Merton also amongst some of the lowest where volumes of housing are concerned.

However, while the amount of homes is one thing, the population of those reliant on housing in each borough is a main contributing factor to how crowded these local London property markets are.

With this considered, Newham is London’s most crowded borough with a population of just under 350,000 people reliant on just 112,628 dwellings in the borough, resulting in a dwellings per capita ratio of just 0.33 – in other words there roughly just one-third of a property available for every one person that resides in Newham.

Redbridge was the next most crowded borough with a dwellings per capita ratio of 3.4, with Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Waltham Forest, Enfield, Ealing, Kingston, Barnet and Tower Hamlets all home to a dwellings per capita ratio of less than 0.4.

While prime central London is used to topping tables around affordability, the higher price tags do mean they are some of the least crowded boroughs in London, with Kensington and Chelsea (0.56) and Westminster (0.51) home to a ratio of over half a property per person living in the borough. Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Islington are also amongst some of the capita’s roomiest boroughs where property and population are concerned.

Co-founder of ideal flatmate, Tom Gatzen, commented:

“There’s obviously a clear correlation between the amount you pay either to buy or rent and the space you get for your money, but for those of us that don’t live in the high-end bliss of prime central London, it’s actually quite dire reading when it comes to the ratio of property available to people that need a roof over their head.

It’s no revelation that we aren’t building enough homes and while actual space is part of the issue in areas such as London, this research highlights just how overcrowded things are becoming in the capital.

No wonder then, that we’ve seen an increase in the acceptance of shared living, particularly in our major cities. While cost saving is the driving factor due to the price of renting or buying, coupled with the cost of living in general, there simply aren’t enough homes available to house everyone individually even if we wanted to.

While we’re big fans of co-living and the positives it brings, failure to address this lack of stock is going to see both house prices and the cost of renting continue to spiral out of reach for the average tenant or homebuyer.”

Borough
Population
Number of dwellings
London total dwellings
Percentage of dwellings
Dwellings per capita
Newham
344,533
112,628
3,524,438
3.20%
0.33
Redbridge
301,328
103,462
3,524,438
2.94%
0.34
Barking and Dagenham
208,182
74,510
3,524,438
2.11%
0.36
Brent
326,427
118,013
3,524,438
3.35%
0.36
Harrow
248,697
89,980
3,524,438
2.55%
0.36
Hillingdon
299,899
108,935
3,524,438
3.09%
0.36
Hounslow
268,270
99,824
3,524,438
2.83%
0.37
Waltham Forest
274,222
102,317
3,524,438
2.90%
0.37
Enfield
332,127
125,369
3,524,438
3.56%
0.38
Ealing
344,802
132,094
3,524,438
3.75%
0.38
Kingston upon Thames
173,703
66,924
3,524,438
1.90%
0.39
Barnet
384,774
148,529
3,524,438
4.21%
0.39
Tower Hamlets
300,943
118,012
3,524,438
3.35%
0.39
Haringey
272,078
107,620
3,524,438
3.05%
0.40
Greenwich
279,139
110,983
3,524,438
3.15%
0.40
Hackney
273,239
108,770
3,524,438
3.09%
0.40
Bexley
245,095
97,628
3,524,438
2.77%
0.40
Havering
253,371
101,716
3,524,438
2.89%
0.40
Merton
206,706
83,649
3,524,438
2.37%
0.40
Sutton
201,945
82,281
3,524,438
2.33%
0.41
Croydon
383,301
157,394
3,524,438
4.47%
0.41
Camden
249,162
103,826
3,524,438
2.95%
0.42
Lewisham
298,903
125,961
3,524,438
3.57%
0.42
Bromley
327,580
138,422
3,524,438
3.93%
0.42
Southwark
311,655
132,152
3,524,438
3.75%
0.42
Lambeth
323,063
138,745
3,524,438
3.94%
0.43
Richmond upon Thames
195,187
84,759
3,524,438
2.40%
0.43
Islington
232,055
102,457
3,524,438
2.91%
0.44
Wandsworth
321,497
143,915
3,524,438
4.08%
0.45
Hammersmith and Fulham
181,783
86,609
3,524,438
2.46%
0.48
Westminster
241,974
123,366
3,524,438
3.50%
0.51
Kensington and Chelsea
156,773
87,276
3,524,438
2.48%
0.56
City of London
7,246
6,313
3,524,438
0.18%
0.87

 

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Hertfordshire emerges as strongest performing London commuter county

New research from UK Property Development reveals that while London property prices fell by more than -3% in the past year, prices in some of the capital’s surrounding counties have enjoyed positive growth, none more so than the premium commuter county of Hertfordshire.   In the past year, London’s average house price has fallen by…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Second homes losing appeal among the rich

New Survey Reveals Ongoing Maintenance Is the Biggest Barrier to Second Home Ownership   62% say upkeep and hassle would stop them from buying a second home, even if money were no object   A new survey conducted by luxury co-ownership platform Equity Residences has revealed that the practical realities of owning a second home…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

How to build a property portfolio with buy-to-let mortgages

One of the reasons property is such a popular asset choice for investors is that you don’t need to invest all the money yourself; you can leverage funds from the bank. Here’s a very simplistic example of how borrowing via a buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage allows you to multiply your returns versus owning a property all-cash:…
Read More →
Home and Living

2026’s Fastest-Growing Bathroom Trend Is the Wet Room

“Wet rooms have become one of the standout bathroom upgrades of 2026, moving from luxury extra to everyday renovation choice as more homeowners prioritise space, style and easy cleaning. The momentum is only building as spa‑style bathrooms stay in demand.” “Wet rooms used to be a niche request,” says Ant Langston, Marketing Manager at Heat…
Read More →
Home and Living

Homebuyers could cut energy bills by £400 a year

As the energy price cap keeps rising, the latest research from Yopa reveals that buying a new-build home could save homebuyers as much as £450 a year on their energy bills. With the energy price cap forecast to increase again over the coming year, many households are preparing for further pressure on their finances as…
Read More →
Breaking News

Zoopla House Price Index Reaction

The latest index from Zoopla shows that: – First-time buyers are targeting homes worth £10,000 more than a year ago, with average prices up 4.3% to £254,750 – nearly 3x the rate of UK house price growth There are 6% fewer first time buyers in the market than this time last year, but those that…
Read More →