London View from South Bank

London property prices have stuttered under Sadiq

Emma Johnson
Authored by Emma Johnson
Posted: Tuesday, May 4, 2021 - 15:55

Research by the leading mortgage broker for global high-net-worths, Enness Global Mortgages, has revealed how house prices have performed under the last three London Mayors, ahead of Thursday’s mayoral election.

Enness analysed house price growth from the start and end of each term running back over the last five terms and three individuals to have held the position.

The figures show that with the exception of Boris Johnson’s first term as Mayor and one that started in the midst of a property market crash, Sadiq Khan has presided over the worst period of house price growth in the capital.

Since he took office in May 2016, London house prices have climbed just 6.2%. While prices climbed by just 3% during Johnson’s first term between May 2008 and 2012, his second term did see them increase by a far steeper 54% until Khan took over in 2016.

During Johnson’s total time in the role, London house prices increased by 58% between May 2008 and 2016. This rate of growth has been surpassed by one man though. During Ken Livingstone’s two terms as Mayor of London between May 2000 and 2004, house prices in the capital shot up by 110%.

Interestingly, the rate of growth under Livingstone as an independent Mayor of London sat at 61% during his first term. This then fell to just 30% during his second term when he held the position as a Labour Mayor of London.

Despite an overall lower rate of growth, house prices in some boroughs have climbed notably during Sadiq Khan’s time in office. In Barking and Dagenham the average house price has increased 21% since 2016, while Newham (19%) and Waltham Forest (18%) have also seen some of the largest increases.

This hasn’t been the case everywhere though. The City of London (-20%), Hammersmith and Fulham (-15%), Kensington and Chelsea (-5%) and Westminster (-1%) have all seen house prices decline.

CEO of Enness Global Mortgages, Islay Robinson, commented:

“It’s perhaps unfair to say that Said Khan has been the worst London Mayor in over two decades where property price growth is concerned and a comparison would mean allowing him a second term in the role.

That said, there certainly seems to be some correlation between a Labour Mayor of London and a poor performing property market in the capital.

Of course, we can only go based on what the numbers tell us and in the case of Sadiq Khan, he certainly seems to have helped stimulate boroughs at the bottom end of the property price ladder, while London’s prime boroughs have actually seen values fall during his time in office.”

Table shows house price change across each term held by each London Mayor (Source: UK House Price Index)

Mayor

Political party

Term start

Average London house price

Term end

Average London house price

Change %

Total Change (%)

Ken Livingstone

Independent

4-May-00

£140,862

4-May-04

£227,330

61%

110%

Ken Livingstone

Labour

4-May-04

£227,330

4-May-08

£295,163

30%

Boris Johnson

Conservative

4-May-08

£295,163

9-May-12

£304,081

3%

58%

Boris Johnson

Conservative

9-May-12

£304,081

9-May-16

£467,485

54%

Sadiq Khan

Labour

9-May-16

£467,485

Present

£496,269

6%

6%

Table shows house price growth across each London borough during each term held by each London Mayor (Source: UK House Price Index)

Borough

Ken Livingstone

Ken Livingstone

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson

Sadiq Khan

May 2000 to May 2004

May 2004 to May 2008

May 2008 to May 2012

May 2012 to May 2016

May 2016 to present

Barking and Dagenham

105.5%

25.4%

-14.0%

61.0%

21%

Newham

100.4%

22.9%

-4.7%

61.2%

19%

Waltham Forest

84.7%

26.7%

-4.5%

76.3%

18%

Redbridge

80.8%

23.2%

-2.6%

46.0%

17%

Bexley

74.5%

22.0%

-7.2%

57.1%

16%

Sutton

59.5%

25.7%

-4.3%

52.7%

15%

Hackney

67.7%

51.2%

-2.4%

62.8%

14%

Lewisham

76.5%

28.6%

0.6%

70.1%

13%

Havering

78.5%

23.5%

-8.2%

53.3%

12%

Croydon

66.8%

23.4%

-8.5%

59.1%

12%

Greenwich

74.2%

28.2%

-1.5%

59.5%

12%

Ealing

55.7%

27.4%

2.3%

51.1%

11%

Merton

53.1%

35.1%

0.1%

64.4%

10%

Hounslow

59.8%

28.0%

-4.2%

49.6%

10%

Hillingdon

64.5%

21.1%

-0.8%

55.1%

10%

Bromley

57.1%

22.4%

-2.1%

53.1%

9%

Islington

49.0%

40.1%

13.5%

42.4%

9%

Haringey

61.6%

37.5%

5.8%

55.6%

8%

Enfield

69.5%

23.3%

-4.5%

58.1%

6%

Southwark

64.2%

36.6%

10.5%

56.6%

5%

Harrow

64.1%

24.1%

-3.4%

52.2%

5%

Richmond upon Thames

38.6%

36.6%

4.6%

46.5%

5%

Lambeth

48.8%

40.1%

7.0%

57.7%

4%

Kingston upon Thames

51.9%

28.9%

0.9%

53.3%

3%

Brent

67.9%

26.4%

1.5%

61.7%

3%

Camden

37.9%

47.4%

13.9%

40.2%

2%

Tower Hamlets

52.5%

47.7%

-14.5%

64.5%

1%

Wandsworth

45.6%

40.2%

7.1%

52.2%

1%

Barnet

62.3%

25.7%

4.6%

51.0%

0%

Westminster

48.5%

39.2%

23.4%

51.5%

-1%

Kensington and Chelsea

27.7%

55.7%

28.1%

31.6%

-5%

Hammersmith and Fulham

40.9%

39.5%

14.0%

40.1%

-15%

City of London

60.0%

39.2%

47.2%

47.4%

-20%

 

 

 

 

 

 

London

61.4%

29.8%

3.0%

53.7%

6%

Inner London

56.2%

39.4%

7.1%

55.2%

4%

Outer London

65.8%

25.9%

-2.5%

55.9%

10%

 

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