What it's like to live in Chertsey

Social housing is fairly scarce here. Only 12.9% of homes in the Runnymede area are socially rented, against 17.1% across England, split between 8% council and 5% housing association. Two thirds of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage, and 19.1% are privately rented.

Runnymede Borough Council is by far the biggest social landlord with around 2,891 homes, followed by Southern Housing, A2Dominion South, Metropolitan Housing Trust and Accent Housing.

Average weekly social rents in the borough for 2024/25 were £117 for a one bed, £141 for a two bed and £152 for a three bed. The age mix across Runnymede is close to the national picture, with slightly more 16 to 24 year olds and slightly fewer over-65s than England as a whole.

There is a decent spread of primary schools. St Anne's Catholic Primary School and Pyrcroft Grange Primary School are both under a mile from the centre, with Meadowcroft Community Infant School just over a mile and Laleham Primary School around 1.4 miles. Check current Ofsted reports and admission distances, as places in Surrey can be tight.

For secondary, Chertsey High School is under a mile away, with Philip Southcote Secondary School close by and Jubilee High School about 1.6 miles. St George's College in Weybridge is nearby too.

Families are well served for outdoor space. Gogmore Farm Park is a short walk, and Free Prae Road Park, Chertsey Recreation Ground and Laleham Park Sports Ground are all within a mile. Across the Runnymede area, 17.9% of residents are under 16, just below the England figure.

Chertsey station is about half a mile from the centre, which makes train travel realistic without a car. Addlestone is 1.6 miles away, with Shepperton, Virginia Water and Staines all under three miles if you want other lines.

Buses run from Charles Street in the town centre and from stops by the railway station, with services also reaching St Peter's Hospital and Addlestone station. It is worth checking the exact routes and frequencies for your own journey before you commit, as a small town timetable can be thinner in the evenings.

On foot, the centre works well. Shops, the library, parks, pharmacies and the station are all within roughly half a mile of each other. Drivers have the M25 and M3 corridor nearby, so wider Surrey and London are within reach.

The parks do a lot of the work here. Gogmore Farm Park, Free Prae Road Park and Chertsey Recreation Ground give you green space within walking distance, and Spelthorne Waterski Club and Laleham Park Sports Ground are close for something more active.

For fitness there is plenty of choice for a town this size, including Hitsona Chertsey, TH Fitness Club, Reformer Studio Chertsey and Dancing Mamas, all within a quarter of a mile of the centre.

Film fans have Sunset Cinema about a mile away, with The Light and Addlestone One around 1.6 miles and Vue in Staines just under three. Runnymede Jazz Club is nearby for live music, and the Elmsleigh Centre in Staines is the biggest shopping trip within three miles.

Runnymede is a working borough. Across the council area, 58.4% of adults are in work, a shade above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 3.6%. Benefit claims among 16 to 64 year olds were 2.6% in August 2026, well below the England average of 4%.

The Runnymede Hospital in Chertsey and St Peter's Hospital, reachable by bus, are significant local employers in the health sector.

Beyond that, the town's position matters most. With trains from Chertsey and road links to the M25 and M3, many people here commute out to Staines, Weybridge, Woking, Heathrow's surrounds or into London. If your work is flexible or London-based, that connectivity is the real draw.