Waltham Forest: what a home costs and what you need to earn
London. House prices are based on 2,106 sales over the last 12 months.
How we rate: buying compares the typical home price with median pay (under 5× affordable, 5 to 8× fairly affordable, 8 to 11× expensive, over 11× very expensive). Renting compares a year of average rent with median pay (under 25% affordable, 25 to 33% fairly affordable, 33 to 40% expensive, over 40% very expensive). Crime compares the rate per resident with the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say about Waltham Forest
Across all property types, the typical home sold in Waltham Forest over the past year cost £548,656, which is 12.1× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Waltham Forest is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within London it is the 12th most expensive of 32 areas.
For a terraced house at £690,000, a lender would typically look for an income of around £138,000, and the 10% deposit would be £69,000, about 18 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £45,350, 33% of the income needed, so on these assumptions even two median incomes would fall short of the test.
Renting a terraced house costs about £2,050 a month, which is 54% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £1,763 a month. Measured against pay, it is the 37th most expensive of 316 areas for renting. Rents rose 1.5% over the latest year ONS measured, slower than the typical area (3.9%).
Median full-time pay of £45,350 is the 43rd highest of 316 areas; the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Waltham Forest, wherever they work.
Police recorded 80.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is about average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 115th highest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest above average is vehicle offences (74% above). The category furthest below average is sexual offences (27% below).
Buying
| Property type | Sales | Median price | Price ÷ pay | Deposit (10%) | Income typically needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | 198 | £698,700 | 15.4× | £70,000 | £139,500 |
| Terraced | 991 | £690,000 | 15.2× | £69,000 | £138,000 |
| Flat | 885 | £400,000 | 8.8× | £40,000 | £80,000 |
Renting
| Property type | Average rent a month | Rent a year | Share of median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £2,306 | £27,672 | 61% |
| Terraced | £2,050 | £24,600 | 54% |
| Flat | £1,593 | £19,116 | 42% |
How prices in Waltham Forest have changed
Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.
Show the figures
| Year | Average price |
|---|---|
| 1995 | £63,274 |
| 1996 | £64,201 |
| 1997 | £70,450 |
| 1998 | £78,017 |
| 1999 | £86,550 |
| 2000 | £106,384 |
| 2001 | £122,712 |
| 2002 | £152,959 |
| 2003 | £180,774 |
| 2004 | £197,607 |
| 2005 | £203,660 |
| 2006 | £216,533 |
| 2007 | £244,732 |
| 2008 | £240,467 |
| 2009 | £211,605 |
| 2010 | £229,331 |
| 2011 | £228,096 |
| 2012 | £238,236 |
| 2013 | £262,541 |
| 2014 | £325,185 |
| 2015 | £369,150 |
| 2016 | £426,597 |
| 2017 | £450,311 |
| 2018 | £455,238 |
| 2019 | £444,747 |
| 2020 | £465,919 |
| 2021 | £480,354 |
| 2022 | £499,446 |
| 2023 | £502,305 |
| 2024 | £499,826 |
| 2025 | £518,216 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | £526,735 |
The average home price in Waltham Forest was £426,597 in 2016 and £526,735 in the 12 months to July 2026, a rise of 23% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes Waltham Forest the 72nd slowest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.
Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £203,660 to £526,735, which is 2.6 times as much (the typical area: 1.8 times).
Prices fell 14% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £244,732 in 2007 to £211,605 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2007 level until 2013.
Prices are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation, and come from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, which uses a different method from the median prices above, so the two will not match exactly.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay, in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025. A higher number means homes are harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Waltham Forest | Typical area in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.8 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.0 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 12.4 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 12.6 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 11.4 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2005 the average home in Waltham Forest cost 7.8 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 11.4 years, so homes have become harder to afford relative to local pay.
Homes were hardest to afford in 2020, at 12.6 years of pay. It has eased since.
Between 2005 and 2025, median pay in Waltham Forest rose 73% (from £26,164 to £45,350), while the average house price rose 154%.
The typical area of England and Wales needed 7.5 years of pay in 2025, so Waltham Forest is above the typical area.
Pay is the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax, in cash terms (not adjusted for inflation). The 2025 figure is provisional. Where ONS withheld a figure because it was unreliable, or the council did not exist in its current form, that year is left out.
How rents in Waltham Forest have changed
Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.
Show the figures
| Year | Average rent |
|---|---|
| 2015 | £1,182 a month |
| 2016 | £1,259 a month |
| 2017 | £1,312 a month |
| 2018 | £1,326 a month |
| 2019 | £1,342 a month |
| 2020 | £1,365 a month |
| 2021 | £1,390 a month |
| 2022 | £1,413 a month |
| 2023 | £1,485 a month |
| 2024 | £1,613 a month |
| 2025 | £1,732 a month |
| August 2026 | £1,763 a month |
The average rent in Waltham Forest was £1,182 a month in 2015 and £1,763 in August 2026, a rise of 49%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Waltham Forest the 125th slowest-rising of 316 areas for rent growth since 2015.
Over the same period the average house price rose 43%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 6 percentage points.
Rent figures are from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents and are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation.
Crime
Police recorded crime in the year ending March 2026, per 1,000 residents, against the average for the areas of England and Wales covered here.
| Type of crime | Per 1,000 residents | England and Wales average | Compared with average | Change on a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 80.2 | 81.3 | about average | −11% |
| Violence against the person | 22.8 | 31.0 | 26% below average | +3% |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 3.4 | 27% below average | +12% |
| Robbery | 2.8 | 1.4 | 109% above average | −17% |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.6 | 6.2 | 23% above average | −14% |
| Vehicle offences | 8.5 | 4.9 | 74% above average | −36% |
| Theft from the person | 5.0 | 1.6 | 209% above average | −28% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.3 | 7.1 | 25% below average | −16% |
Recorded crime in Waltham Forest was 89.9 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 80.2 in the year ending March 2026, down 11%. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.
Violence against the person was up 3% over the same year.
Changes are left blank where the rate is very low, as a few extra crimes would look like a big swing. This is one year's change only, so it can reflect one-off events or changes in how police record crime, not just a real trend. Rates per resident use ONS population estimates for each year.