Flats to rent in East Ham & E6 and Houses to rent in East Ham & E6

Directly north of London City airport, just east of Beckton, and a bustling multicultural community, East Ham is a great place to invest in property - as well as lively but family-oriented place to live.

Historically East Ham is described as a 'scattered village' - and despite it now being a vigorously urban East London borough, the character of the streets and the balance of commercial and residential property maintains this feel. The area is hugely multicultural with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities amongst others, which informs much of the character of local stores and restaurants - the best curry restaurants in London are here. This is a place you can eat well for a good price. There are also very funky, popular cafes and some more upmarket restaurants.

East Ham, like much of the inner London boroughs hugging the river, is benefiting from the expectations of 2012 as well as considerable local investment in the last few years. Whilst the area is still to reach its full potential, local services are good and getting better, and the friendly local community and great access to local green spaces make this a good place for walks with the kids. The local parks include the huge nature reserve found around Norman St Mary's Church - one of the largest in London - and Plashett and Central Parks, which are well-developed urban parks with cafés and playgrounds. This is a beautifully developed area in terms of its balance of urban and green, but is still very much an inner London area. Other amenities include an excellent sports centre and plenty of schools.

Property in East Ham is mostly composed of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, positioned to radiate out from the High Street in the shadow of the impressive redbrick Town Hall. These are still - despite improving services and amenities - very reasonable to buy, and many are in a great standard of maintenance.

A really well developed, friendly area filled with amenities, East Ham is becoming very popular, but is still filled with budget-beating properties.

East Ham is in the Borough of Newham which holds the responsibility for delivering services in your area.
For specific information on this borough, or to contact individual departments please click here to visit their website.

Borough of Newham website: Borough of Newham

In General:
The London boroughs are administrative centres responsible for collecting local taxes (Council Tax and Business Rates) and then spending the funds received on local services. They are run by Borough Councils who are elected by borough residents on a four year cycle. The totals that they spend will depend on the rates of tax that they levy plus funds allocated from central government and other sources.

While many of the services (schools, roads, planning, rubbish collection and social services) are standard, levels of provision will vary according to the overall political will as expressed by the voters.

Your tax liability (as a resident) will be based on the council tax band of your home. These bands are set by Valuation Officers and there is scope for appeal. The rate bands are then used to determine the amounts of tax levied. So, while the bands will remain largely constant the levels of tax can go up and, in theory, down.

You may claim discounts or exemptions based on your circumstances. For example, as the only adult in a property you can get a 25% reduction on your bill. Other reductions are available for qualifying second adults and Council Tax Benefit claimants.

There is more information available at the HM Customs & Excise website.

Borough of Newham Council Tax