What it's like to live in Borehamwood
What is it like to live in Borehamwood? It is a busy, down-to-earth Hertfordshire town on London's northern fringe, big enough to have everything day to day but still ringed by Hertfordshire green. It suits families and working households who want space without losing the city. Elstree Studios sits at its heart, and Clarendon Park and Maxwell Park are both minutes away.
2 council and housing association homes available to swap within 15 miles of Borehamwood.
"I'd move here" adds Borehamwood to the areas on your listing, so homes here are matched to you first.
Borehamwood sits in the Hertsmere district of Hertfordshire, just beyond the northern edge of London. About 36,000 people live here, in a town best known for Elstree Studios right in the middle of it.
It is a practical sort of place: a long main shopping street, plenty of parks, a station with trains into central London, and housing built in waves through the last century. If you are weighing up a swap out of the capital but want to keep London within reach, it is worth a proper look.
Swapping to Borehamwood: key facts
Can I swap my council or housing association home to Borehamwood?
Yes, if you are already a council or housing association tenant. Mutual exchange means swapping homes with another social tenant, so it does not depend on the council waiting list: you need a tenant in or near Borehamwood who wants your area, and both landlords must agree. Landlords have 42 days to decide and can only refuse on set legal grounds. On 6 October 2026, 2 homes were listed to swap within 15 miles on Mutual Home Exchange.
How long is the council housing waiting list in Borehamwood?
717 households were on the Hertsmere housing register on 31 March 2025, up 7% on a year earlier. 259 social homes were let through the council in 2024 to 2025, roughly 2.8 households for every home let. Source: Local Authority Housing Statistics, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
How much is social rent in Borehamwood?
Average weekly social rents in the Hertsmere council area in 2024/25: 1 bed £0 council, £124 housing association; 2 bed £0 council, £146 housing association; 3 bed £0 council, £167 housing association. Affordable rent homes cost more, typically 60 to 80% of market rent. Source: Regulator of Social Housing.
How much social housing is there in Borehamwood and who owns it?
17.3% of homes in the Hertsmere council area are social housing (council 2%, housing association 15.3%), against 17.1% across England, according to the 2021 Census. The biggest social landlords there are Clarion Housing Association Limited (4,569 homes), Peabody Trust (1,652 homes) and Hightown Housing Association Limited (303 homes).
Which homes are available to swap near Borehamwood?
What is housing like in Borehamwood and who lives there?
Borehamwood's housing is mixed: postwar estates, terraces, maisonettes and flats sit alongside newer blocks. Across Hertsmere, 17.3% of homes are social rented, close to the England figure, with housing associations holding far more than the council. Clarion is by far the biggest landlord, followed by Peabody, then Hightown, Notting Hill Genesis and Watford Community Housing.
Average social rents in the Hertsmere area in 2024/25 were about £124 a week for one bed, £146 for two and £167 for three, though your own rent depends on your landlord and property.
The age mix is close to the national picture, so you get young families, working-age adults and older neighbours side by side. Hertsmere's housing register held 717 households at the end of March 2025, with 259 lets made that year, which is one reason exchange is worth pursuing.
Council waiting list and lettings
Households on the register by the size of home they need.
That is roughly 2.8 households waiting for every social home let in a year. Mutual exchange doesn't use the waiting list: if you already have a council or housing association home, swapping with another tenant can be a quicker way to move to Borehamwood.
A register counts households who have applied, so it isn't a simple queue: some are already social tenants hoping to transfer, and people can be on more than one council's list.
Typical weekly social rents in the Hertsmere council area
| Size | Council | Housing association |
|---|---|---|
| Bedsit | £0 | £111 |
| 1 bed | £0 | £124 |
| 2 bed | £0 | £146 |
| 3 bed | £0 | £167 |
| 4 bed | £0 | £182 |
Social rent averages for 2024/25. Affordable rent homes cost more, typically 60 to 80% of market rent.
Biggest social landlords in the council area
- Clarion Housing Association Limited4,569 homes
- Peabody Trust1,652 homes
- Hightown Housing Association Limited303 homes
- Notting Hill Genesis286 homes
- Watford Community Housing Trust171 homes
- Paradigm Homes Charitable Housing Association Limited145 homes
- Sanctuary Housing Association129 homes
- Pine Ridge Housing Association Limited118 homes
What is it like to live in Borehamwood?
Shenley Road is the spine of the town, with a community hub, library, pharmacies and a Tesco Extra close by. Medical centres including Fairbrook and The Grove are within half a mile of the centre.
As in any busy town centre, police record a fair number of incidents within a mile each month, most of them minor.
What are the schools and family life like in Borehamwood?
Families are well served for schools. St Teresa's Primary is right in the centre, with Yavneh Primary, Monksmead, Cowley Hill and Woodlands all within half a mile. For older children, Hertswood Academy, Yavneh College and Elstree Screen Arts Academy are close, and Haberdashers' Girls' School and Mill Hill County High are within a few miles. Always check current admissions and catchments before you commit to a swap.
Around one in five people in the wider Hertsmere area is under 16, a little above the England figure, so there are children about. Clarendon and Maxwell Parks, Ducks Lake and several community centres give you somewhere to go at weekends.
Primary schools
- St. Teresa’s Primary Schoolnearby
- Yavneh Primary School0.3 mi
- Monksmead School0.4 mi
- Cowley Hill Primary School and Nursery0.4 mi
- Woodlands Primary School0.5 mi
Secondary schools
- Yavneh College0.4 mi
- Elstree Screen Arts Academy0.4 mi
- Hertswood Academy0.5 mi
- Haberdashers' Girls' School1.8 mi
- Mill Hill County High School2.3 mi
Parks
- Green area with benches outside Elstree Studios.nearby
- Clarendon Parknearby
- Maxwell Park0.3 mi
- Jump In by AirHop Adventure & Trampoline Park Elstree0.3 mi
- Ducks Lake0.4 mi
Libraries
- 96 Shenley Road - Community Hub0.3 mi
- Borehamwood Library0.3 mi
- Library2.2 mi
- Little Shenley Library2.3 mi
- School Library2.5 mi
What shops and everyday essentials are in Borehamwood?
Supermarkets
- Tesco Petrol Stationnearby
- Tesco Extranearby
- Arian Supermarketnearby
- Orange Shopnearby
- Orange Shop,nearby
Pharmacies
- Med Mart Ltdnearby
- Wellswood Pharmacynearby
- Tesco Pharmacynearby
- Care Chemist0.3 mi
- Boots Pharmacy0.4 mi
Hospitals
- Parsmedixnearby
- Fairbrook Medical Centrenearby
- Online Medical Experts0.4 mi
- The Grove Medical Centre0.5 mi
- Neurobics0.5 mi
Shopping centres
- BGSM ENTERPRISE BOUTIQUEnearby
- Battlers Green Farm2.8 mi
- The Spires2.9 mi
How do you get around Borehamwood?
Elstree & Borehamwood station is about half a mile from the centre, on the line running into central London and out towards St Albans and beyond. Radlett station is a couple of miles north if you want an alternative.
Bus stops cluster around the Civic Offices and Elstree Studios, both a few minutes from the middle of town, with more along Furzehill Road.
The town is flat and compact, so walking to the shops, library and parks is realistic from many streets. Drivers get quick access to the main roads north and south, though the centre can be slow at school run and rush hour, and parking near Shenley Road fills up.
Train stations
- Elstree & Borehamwood0.6 mi
- Radlett2.7 mi
Bus stations
- Civic Officesnearby
- Elstree Studiosnearby
- Civic Officesnearby
- Elstree Studiosnearby
- Furzehill Road (Stop G)0.3 mi
What is there to do in Borehamwood?
For a town this size there is a decent amount on. Reel Cinema is in the centre, and Jump In by AirHop is a trampoline and adventure park a short walk away for younger children with energy to burn.
The Venue Leisure Centre and PureGym are both close, alongside smaller independent fitness studios. Pubs include The Pick & Shovel, The Queen Vic and the Good Companion, all within a short stroll of the middle.
Maxwell Park and Aberford Park community centres run local activities, and Borehamwood Library and the 96 Shenley Road hub are useful free spaces. For bigger shopping, The Spires is under three miles away.
Gyms
- Ajfitness PT, Pole & Aerialnearby
- lukerobertsonfitnessnearby
- The Venue Leisure Centrenearby
- Astrotough Fitnessnearby
- PureGym Borehamwood0.4 mi
Cinemas
- Reel Cinema Borehamwood0.3 mi
Pubs and bars
- The Pick & Shovelnearby
- Raquel's Kitchennearby
- The Queen Vicnearby
- The Glass House Borhamwood0.3 mi
- Good Companion0.3 mi
Nightlife
- Chit Chaat2.9 mi
Community centres
- Maxwell Park Community Centrenearby
- 96 Shenley Road - Community Hub0.3 mi
- Aberford Park Community Centre0.4 mi
- 4-4-2 Together CIC0.5 mi
- Little Motivators0.5 mi
What is work and the local economy like in Borehamwood?
Hertsmere is a working area. Around 61% of adults are in work, above the England average, and unemployment sits slightly below it. Benefit claims among working-age people were 3.6% in August 2026, again a touch under the national figure.
Elstree Studios is the town's best-known employer and the film and TV trade brings related work with it. Beyond that, most jobs are the everyday sort: shops along Shenley Road, supermarkets, schools, health services and care.
Many residents commute, using the station for London jobs or the roads for work elsewhere in Hertfordshire.
Figures are for the Hertsmere council area, Census 2021 and ONS claimant count.
How safe is Borehamwood?
Like every town centre, Borehamwood has police incidents logged each month. In July 2026 there were 326 within about a mile of the centre, made up of:
- Anti-social behaviour reports68
- Vehicle crime12
- Shoplifting20
- Other theft27
- Theft from the person2
- Criminal damage21
Source: data.police.uk street-level crime. Counts cover a fixed one-mile radius around the centre, so busy high streets and stations always record far more than the residential streets around them, and most incidents are minor. Compare like with like: a similar-sized town centre, not a village.
Is Borehamwood a good place for council and housing association tenants?
Right now: 2 homes to swap within 15 miles of Borehamwood.
If Borehamwood looks like the right fit, the next step is simple. List your own home on Mutual Home Exchange, add clear photos and an honest description, and set Borehamwood as a desired area so tenants here can find you.
Be specific about what you need: number of bedrooms, floor level, garden, and whether you need to be near a particular school or the station. The more detail you give, the fewer wasted messages.
Then keep checking and reply quickly. Good matches often come from people who stay active rather than those who wait.
Tell me when a home appears near Borehamwood
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