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

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

London Borough of Southwark: http://www.southwark.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.

Southwark has had its detractors in the past and rightfully so. High crime, tatty streets and little useful transport into the capital did nothing to encourage people to live there. One Jubilee line later and significant investments from both the government and property developers, the borough has emerged as another South London property hotspot. With a plentiful stock of big, still affordable Georgian and Victorian houses for those happy to brave the remaining rough corners, Southwark has much to offer.

Southwark stretches from the south bank of the Thames, which boasts recent developments such as the Tate Modern and the wobbly Millennium Bridge, to the leafy Victorian suburbs of Dulwich. Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, now reinventing themselves from former dockside pasts, lie to the east, whilst Peckham and Camberwell to the south provide vibrant, gritty locations for those who like their London lively.