Flats or Houses to rent or buy in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames

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

London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames: http://www.richmond.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.

Leafy Richmond, with over 2,500 acres of royal parks and miles of river bank feels more akin to rural Surrey or Middlesex than London. Prosperous with great properties, fantastic parks, good transport links and schools, Richmond remains a highly sought after location and a barren ground for bargain hunters.

The Thames dominates both the geography and the character of the borough. Barnes, with its mixture of large affluent homes and village cottages, resides at Richmond's most northern tip. Pretty Kew, Sheen and Richmond itself follow the Thames west, whilst busy Twickenham sits opposite on the rivers northern banks. Teddington follows the river south, whilst suburban Whitton and Hampton lie east at the border with neighbouring Hounslow.

Awash with parks and green open space, Richmond seems idyllic. Yet Heathrow to the west with its endless air traffic casts an unwelcome shadow upon the borough.