The London Borough of Haringey presents London homebuyers with the best chance of snagging a period property, with almost one in three homes currently listed for sale being a period property, new research shows.
Benham and Reeves analysed current market listings looking at which London borough currently has the most period properties for sale and what this number equates to as a proportion of total home seller market activity.
Period properties can offer London homebuyers a number of benefits, not least the greater degree of character and charm they tend to boast, as well as the better investment value due to the fact that they are often larger in size, offer more spacious living areas and are often located in prime locations.
However, depending on where you hope to buy, you may find that snagging a period property is harder than you might think.
Across London as a whole, there are some 13,300 period properties listed for sale in the current market, which equates to just 15% of total for sale stock.
In Barking and Dagenham, period properties account for just 1% of all homes listed for sale, with Havering (2%) and Hillingdon (3%) also home to a slim level of period properties in the current market.
For those with their heart set on a period property, the best borough to start your house hunt is Haringey. Period properties account for 30% of all homes currently listed for sale across the borough, the highest proportion of market stock across the capital.
For those with deeper pockets, Kensington and Chelsea is also a great place to start, as not only do period properties account for 29% of all stock, but the borough is home to the highest total number of period properties currently listed for sale at 1,385.
Across Richmond and Camden, period properties account for a respective 27% of all homes listed for sale, whilst Lambeth (26%), Lewisham (24%), Hammersmith and Fulham (22%), Westminster (22%), Waltham Forest (21%) and Wandsworth (21%) also make the top 10.
With 1,290 period properties currently listed for sale, Westminster is also home to the second highest total number and the only other borough to exceed the 1,000 threshold.
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented: “Period properties can prove problematic at times and may require more maintenance than the average property, not to mention the fact they tend to be less energy efficient.
"That said, the pros of a period property often outweigh the cons and not only can they give you a fantastically characterful property, but they tend to hold their investment value far better. They can also be more desirable amongst tenants, so they make a great choice for both homebuyers and landlords alike.
"Unfortunately for London homebuyers and landlords, period property availability does vary drastically depending on which corner of the capital you wish to purchase in and, whilst they account for almost a third of for sale stock in some areas, in others they account for as little as 1% of all homes listed for sale.”
