September 2026: Your South East London property update

Since 1999 · SE London & Kent

A quick read on the market right now

This is still very much a buyer's market, not a seller's. London prices have fallen year on year for seven straight months, and stock is up sharply on last year, giving buyers real choice for the first time in a while. RICS's own August 2026 survey backs this up: buyer demand and agreed sales are still negative nationally, though both have now improved for five months running. It's a fair description of where things sit, not a market about to flip overnight.

Sources: Bank of England, September 2026 rate decision · Zoopla House Price Index · RICS UK Residential Market Survey

One thing we're seeing buyers get noticeably more cautious about: service charges. Flats priced with a service charge above 2% of their value are taking meaningfully longer to sell than ones below 1%, and over a third of flats in England and Wales now carry charges high enough to trigger tighter mortgage lending. If you're selling a leasehold flat, it's worth knowing your service charge figure before you set a price.

Source: Hamptons service charge research, via Mortgage Solutions

What the Bank of England's rate hold actually means for you

The Bank of England held the base rate at 3.75% on 17 September, in a closer vote than it might look - six members backed holding, three wanted to raise it. Energy costs and inflation, currently at 3.1%, are the reason for the caution: several members were explicit that rates could still rise at the next decision on 5 November if that pressure doesn't ease, so this isn't a signal that things are about to get cheaper.

In practical terms: existing fixed-rate deals aren't affected either way, but if your fix is ending in the next few months, it's worth reviewing your options now rather than waiting to see what November brings. Buyers relying on a mortgage offer, and landlords looking at remortgaging, are in a similar position - the ground isn't moving under you this month, but it's not guaranteed to stay this settled either.

Lawrence Beaumont BA (Hons) Mortgage Adviser If you'd like to know more, you can get in touch with Lawrence Beaumont, a qualified mortgage adviser with several years' experience.

From the blog: The Corbett Estate

Walk along Ardgowan Road or Brownhill Road on a quiet morning and the streets read as if someone planned them that way - because someone did. We've written up the story of the Victorian new town built into Catford and Hither Green: a Presbyterian MP, 278 acres bought in 1896, no pub allowed on the estate for over a hundred years, and the reasons the gardens and roads are still noticeably wider than anything built since.

From the blog: Landlord insurance after the Renters’ Rights Act

Section 21 is gone, and possession now runs through Section 8 grounds - a slower process that leans much more heavily on paperwork and evidence. It's changed what a rent guarantee policy actually needs to cover, and it's why we've moved to recommending Goodlord Rent Protection for landlords across South East London. We've written up what's changed and why.

From the blog: Weighing up the area partly for the schools? Here's what actually matters in Bromley admissions. Read: Best Schools in Bromley →

From the blog: Buying, renting or letting in Brockley? Knowing which street you're really looking at makes all the difference. Read: Buying property in Brockley →

From the blog: The new landlord property register, explained

The government has confirmed that a new Private Rented Sector Database for landlords will launch on 15 December 2026, rolling out region by region through 2027. Penalties start at £7,000 for a first breach and rise to £40,000 for repeated ones. Here's what needs registering, and what to get in order now.

Property for sale

A cottage on East Hall Road, Chelsfield

4 bedroom cottage · For sale · Asking price £1,495,000

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What clients say

"We have used Mark Beaumont and his team for both renting our property (for two years) and for selling it (this year), and do not have a word of complaint for their work in either area."

- Jolyon Attwooll, Trustpilot review, September 2023

"Without the involvement of Mark and Maria, I can't be 100% certain we would have got over the finishing line."

- Jo Adamson, Trustpilot review, October 2022

Thinking of selling? Have a property to rent out? We'd love to hear from you.

Mark Beaumont SE London Estate Agents · 1 Scotts Place, Bromley, BR1 3QD

Mark Beaumont Ltd (registered in England and Wales, company no. 06725786). Registered office: 24 Scotts Road, Bromley, BR1 3QD.