Havering area report

Highlights

Havering is a London borough with a population of 262052. The median property price stands at 440000, with 5833 sales in the past 12 months and 5 year growth of 17.1 percent. Semi-detached homes dominate at 41.2 percent of the housing stock, followed by terraced properties at 24.3 percent. Owner occupation is strong at 69.5 percent. The area has an affordability ratio of 11.0. Crime recorded 2062 incidents in May 2026, equivalent to 7.9 per 1000 population, with violent crime the largest category at 599 offences. The borough contains 92 schools including 59 primary and 18 secondary, with 31 of 32 rated schools achieving good or better. Life expectancy is 81.0 for males and 84.4 for females. Air quality is moderate for both nitrogen dioxide at 13.3 annual mean and particulate matter at 7.7. Transport connectivity includes 8 rail stations; Gidea Park Rail Station offers a 31 minute commute to London Liverpool Street. Gigabit broadband reaches 84.7 percent of premises. Council tax band D is 2424.66 for 2026/27.

Data updated 2026/27 (tax); 2025 (control). Havering, London — a free, sourced local-area report from Acreright. Every figure shows its source and date; where the data isn't reliable we say so rather than guess.

Within London, Havering ranks 5th cheapest of 33, 8th safest and 6th most affordable.

What does it cost?

• £440,000 median home price (HM Land Registry Price Paid + UK HPI, Apr 2026)

Sold prices in Havering have risen 16% over the last five years (UK House Price Index).

How safe is it?

• 7.9 recorded crimes per 1,000 people (police.uk, May 2026)

Who lives here?

• 262,052 residents (ONS Census 2021 (Nomis), 2021)

About 55% of neighbourhoods in England are more deprived than Havering (English Indices of Deprivation, decile 6 of 10, national basis). Little changed since 2019 (decile 6).

Schools

• 97% of inspected schools rated Good or Outstanding (Get Information About Schools (GIAS) + Ofsted inspections MI, 2026)

Health

• 81 · 84.4 yrs life expectancy (men · women) (NHS ODS register (GP/dentist/pharmacy) + OSM (hospitals) + IoD2025 health domain + OHID Fingertips (outcomes), 2026/2025)

Getting around

• ≈31 min fastest train to London (OpenStreetMap + National Rail timetable (ATOC/RDG, GTFS), 2026)
• 85% of premises can get gigabit broadband (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024, Jul 2024)

Has it been a good investment?

Of homes in Havering that changed hands in the last five years, 18.1% sold for less than the previous owner paid — 0.4 points above London (17.7%) (nominal, not inflation-adjusted). Across those resales the typical gain was 15.83% over 7.71 years held.

Investment context: a gross rental yield of about 5% (area median rent against the median sold price) — appraise a specific property at /appraisal/havering.

Compare every area in London: London area guide & rankings.

Nearby areas we cover: Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Newham.