What it's like to live in Havering

Home ownership dominates in the wider Havering area at 69.5 per cent, with 15.8 per cent privately rented and 13.6 per cent social rented, split roughly 9.3 per cent council and 4.3 per cent housing association. That is below the England figure of 17.1 per cent, so social homes are a smaller share of the market than in many London boroughs.

The London Borough of Havering Council is by far the largest social landlord with around 9,147 homes, followed by London & Quadrant with 1,954, Swan Housing with 879, Clarion with 684 and Estuary with 579. Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were £107 for a one bed, £121 for two beds and £145 for three beds.

Demand is real: 2,651 households were on the council's housing register at the end of March 2025, and 631 social homes were let through the council in 2024-25. A register is not a simple queue. Only 24 council homes changed hands by mutual exchange that year, which tells you swapping is underused here rather than unavailable.

Families have plenty of choice here. Five primary schools sit within a mile and a half, including St Peter's Catholic Primary and St Edward's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary, both around a third of a mile away, plus Gidea Park Primary, The Mawney Foundation School and Parklands Junior School.

For older children there is Marshalls Park Academy just over half a mile off, The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls, The Royal Liberty School and St Edward's Church of England Academy. That mix of mixed, single-sex and faith secondaries within a short radius is rare, though places are never guaranteed, so check admissions before you commit to a swap.

Outside school, Lodge Farm Park is the nearest green space, with Cottons Park, Raphael Park, Jubilee Park and King George's Playing Fields all close. Romford Central Library is in the centre, with branches at Gidea Park, Rush Green and Collier Row. St Kilda's Community Hub and Children's Centre and the Wykeham Centre add somewhere to go when the weather turns.

Romford station is about a third of a mile from the centre and is the main link into London, with Gidea Park station under a mile away as a second option. Trains are the fastest way into the city, and having two stations within walking distance gives you a fallback when one line is disrupted.

Buses are well covered too. There is a bus garage close to the centre, a station terminus nearby and a dedicated bus interchange at Queen's Hospital, which is a real help if you have appointments or visit someone there regularly.

On foot, the town centre is flat and compact, so the shops, library, pharmacies and cinemas are all realistic walking distance from nearby streets. Drivers get the benefit of being near the eastern edge of London, with Essex and the wider road network close at hand, though parking and traffic around the centre can be tiresome at busy times. Whichever way you travel, you are not stuck.

For a town this size, Havering's centre is well stocked. Two cinemas, the Lumiere and a Vue, sit within half a mile, and The Brewery adds another cluster of places to eat and shop alongside the three main centres.

Evenings have range. The Golden Lion, The Crowning Angel, Missoula and the Ivy Tree cover the pub side, Jukebox LDN is nearby, and Fiction and Cameo mean there is proper late-night nightlife if you want it. Worth knowing both ways: it is a plus if you like going out, and something to factor in if you want quiet streets at the weekend.

For exercise, Sapphire Ice and Leisure Centre is the big one, with Hustle and Iron Phoenix CrossFit nearby for something smaller. The parks give you free space for football, dog walking and running, and King George's Playing Fields is the pick if you want room to spread out. Community centres like Ed's Place and St John's Community Hall host local groups.

Havering does reasonably well on work. In the wider council area, 59.5 per cent of adults are in employment, a little above the England figure of 57.4 per cent, while unemployment sits at 3.6 per cent, broadly in line with the national 3.5 per cent. Benefit claims related to unemployment were 4.5 per cent of working-age residents in August 2026, slightly above the England average of 4 per cent.

Locally, the big employers you can see for yourself are the town centre itself, with four shopping centres and several supermarkets, and the hospitals, with Queen's Hospital under a mile away. Retail, health and hospitality shape a lot of the jobs here.

The bigger point is reach. With two train stations and a cluster of bus routes, central London is within commuting distance, and so is much of Essex if you drive. Plenty of people here work outside the borough and treat Havering as the affordable, better-connected end of the deal.