What it's like to live in Farnham

Waverley is a strongly owner-occupied area: 71.8% of homes are owned, 14.7% privately rented and just 12.3% socially rented, below the England figure of 17.1%. Council homes make up 8.9% and housing association homes 3.4%. In practice that means social homes in Farnham are in demand and swaps take persistence.

Waverley Borough Council is the dominant social landlord with 4,777 homes, followed by Vivid Housing with 589, Metropolitan Housing Trust with 434, Clarion with 412 and Southern Housing with 310. Average weekly social rents in the borough for 2024/25 were £119 for a one bed, £141 for two and £159 for three.

The age profile leans a little older than England as a whole: 28.1% of Waverley residents are 45 to 64 and 21.8% are 65 or over, with fewer 25 to 44 year olds than average. Under 16s are slightly above the national share. At the end of March 2025 there were 751 households on Waverley's housing register, which is not a simple queue, and 36 council homes changed hands through mutual exchange that year.

Farnham is well supplied with schools. St Andrew's Church of England Infant School is right on the edge of the centre, with Potters Gate CofE Primary, St Polycarp's Catholic Primary, Highfield South Farnham and South Farnham School all within a mile. That gives families a genuine choice of church, Catholic and community primaries without a long journey.

For older children there are five secondaries within a little over a mile: Farnham College, The Abbey School, The Ridgeway School, Weydon School and Farnham Heath End. Having that many options close together is unusual for a town this size, and most are within walking or short bus distance from much of the town.

Outside school, Gostrey Meadow is the obvious spot for younger children, and Farnham Park gives space for older ones to roam. The 3rd Farnham Scout Group HQ and 40 Degreez, a youth-focused community space, are both in the centre, and Farnham Library is a short walk away. Across Waverley, 19.1% of residents are under 16, a shade above the England figure, so family life is well catered for.

Farnham station is about a quarter of a mile from the centre, which makes it genuinely walkable for most people. It is the town's main link out, and the reason a lot of people choose Farnham in the first place. A few other small stations sit within three miles, including Old Kiln Halt, Oatlands and Mills Wood.

The town itself is one of the easier places in Surrey to manage on foot. Shops, pharmacies, the library, the cinema and Gostrey Meadow all cluster within a few hundred metres, and most of the primary schools listed are under a mile from the centre. If you live in the outlying parts, such as Middle Bourne, expect more of a walk or a short bus ride to reach the shops.

By car you are well placed for Aldershot, Guildford and the A roads heading north and east, though the centre gets busy at school run and commuter times and parking is the usual town-centre juggle. Living close in means you may not need a car at all for day-to-day errands, which is worth weighing up if running one is a stretch.

The centre is the heart of it. REEL Cinema is a two-minute walk from the main shops, and there is a thick cluster of pubs and bars right in town, including the Borough Beer House, Teller's Arms, The Queen's Head, Serina and The Wheatsheaf. It is a town where an evening out can be done on foot, which keeps costs down.

Green space is one of Farnham's strong points. Farnham Park is the big one, under a mile from the centre, while Gostrey Meadow sits by the river in the middle of town and The Falkner Arch and Victoria Garden is closer still. Middle Bourne Community Garden serves the south of the town.

For exercise there is plenty of choice without going far: Functional Fitness Gym, Anytime Fitness, Jetts Fitness, In2 Training and an indoor golf simulator are all within half a mile. Brightwells & Co Creative Space hosts activities in the centre. If you want bigger shopping or late nights out, Aldershot is under three miles away with the Wellington Centre, The Arcade, Cineworld and a couple of late venues.

Across the Waverley council area, 58.6% of adults are in work, slightly above the England figure of 57.4%. Unemployment is low at 2.3% against 3.5% for England, and unemployment-related benefit claims stood at around 2% of working-age residents in August 2026, half the England rate. On paper this is a strong local labour market.

That said, a buoyant jobs picture usually comes with higher living costs, so it pays to work out your budget before committing. Farnham itself supports plenty of town-centre employment through its shops, supermarkets, pubs, gyms and schools, and Farnham Community Hospital and Spire Clare Park Hospital add health sector jobs nearby.

The station matters here too. Plenty of residents commute out to larger centres rather than work in the town, and Aldershot's shopping centres and services are a short hop away. If your work is flexible or home-based, Farnham's mix of a walkable centre and quick road and rail links makes it an easy base. If you need shift work close to home, check what is realistically on offer before you swap.