Flats or Houses to rent or buy in the London Borough of Lewisham

For specific information on this borough, or to contact individual departments please click here to visit their website.

London Borough of Lewisham: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk

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.

After decades of neglect and decay, Lewisham has received a welcome shot in the arm with the arrival of the DLR. Once a smart Victorian suburb, Lewisham has since grown a few rough edges and seems on first appearance a dull stretch of inner city South London. Yet the arrival of quick transport into the heart of the ever expanding Docklands, should herald a wind of change for the borough.

Lewisham stretches south from the Thames and the once industrial Deptford into the Victorian suburbs of New Cross, Brockley and Lewisham itself. The pretty, middle class village of Blackheath stands out before Forest Hill and Sydenham lead uphill to Crystal Place. Lee and Grove Park to the south offer stocks of respectable mid war housing before the borders with Bromley. Lewisham still has a lot to offer the bargain hunter and could now see a transformation into property hotspot now that it has its DLR lifeline into the capital.