Tower Hamlets: the market in figures
Tower Hamlets recorded the sharpest fall in this batch. Its average of £447,950 is down 13.3% over twelve months, while London as a whole fell 2.2%. The area is 15th of 135 and 12th of 13 within London, 19.2% under the London average of £554,430 but still 64.1% over the UK average of £273,037.
The long series tells the same story from a different angle. In 2016 the average was £493,197, and it climbed to a high of £555,759 for 2021 after gaining 9.8%. From there the path turned down: 1.2% lower for 2022, 9.9% lower for 2023, a rebound of 6.3%, then 1.7% lower and the 13.3% drop now. 2026 is therefore the lowest year in the series, and the change since 2016 is minus 9.2%, or £45,247. The 2024 average of £525,302 and the 2025 average of £516,563 were both far above today's figure, which shows how large this year's fall is.
Type prices show an unusual order. Terraced homes average £696,816 and semi-detached homes £675,369, so the terraced figure is the higher of the two. Flats average £429,851 and detached houses £899,832, a gap of £469,981 or 109.3%, which is narrow compared with most areas. The first-time buyer average is £430,635, only 3.9% below the all-buyer figure.
Moving home at this average triggers £12,398 of Stamp Duty Land Tax, which is 2.8% of the price. A first-time buyer pays £7,398. The bill for an additional property is £34,795, and the HM Land Registry fee is £150.
Every neighbour on the list costs more. Greenwich is closest, at £462,868 or 3.3% above Tower Hamlets. Lambeth averages £540,198 (20.6% above), Southwark £569,160 (27.1% above), Hackney £619,408 (38.3% above) and City of Westminster £887,206 (98.1% above). Sales numbered 2,380 in the year ending May 2026. Southwark and Hackney, the two closest in distance, both cost far more than Tower Hamlets. Detached houses at £899,832 are the highest-priced type, and flats at £429,851 the lowest-priced.
Payotte, from the UK HPI and the calculator.
Property professionals in Tower Hamlets
One firm per trade, selected by Payotte on public data (1 of 5 trades filled in Tower Hamlets). Companies, never individuals, with a regulator or register you can check with the official body.
| Trade | Firm | Google rating | Reviews | Score /100 | Status | Listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate agent | Hurford Salvi Carr | 4.6 | 146 | 66 | Partial | View |
| Mortgage adviser | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Conveyancer | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Surveyor | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Valuer | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
One firm per trade and per area, chosen on public data and scored out of 100 points — Google reviews (35), age of the company (30), checkable regulator or register (15), local anchoring (15), bonus (5). The ranking is never paid for. No firm can buy its place or its recommendation. How Payotte ranks firms
Calculate for Tower Hamlets
Frequently asked questions
What is the average house price in Tower Hamlets?
The average price of a home in Tower Hamlets was £447,950 in August 2026, -13.3% over twelve months (UK House Price Index).
Have house prices gone up in Tower Hamlets?
The average price in Tower Hamlets went from £493,197 in August 2016 to £447,950 in August 2026, a change of -9.2%; -13.3% over the last twelve months (UK House Price Index).
How much Stamp Duty Land Tax on an average-priced home in Tower Hamlets?
On £447,950, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) comes to £12,398 for a home mover, £7,398 for a first-time buyer and £34,795 for an additional property, at the rates in force in England.
How much tax when you sell a home in Tower Hamlets?
None on your main home if it was your only home, lived in for all the time you owned it, not let out and not used exclusively for business (Private Residence Relief). A second home or a buy-to-let pays Capital Gains Tax above the £3,000 allowance (2026 to 2027; rates in the calculator above). The tax is reported and paid within 60 days of completion (HMRC).
Is Tower Hamlets expensive?
Tower Hamlets ranks 15th of the 135 areas Payotte covers for the average price in August 2026, from £1,204,072 in Kensington and Chelsea to £133,782 in City of Aberdeen.
Prices by property type, August 2026
| Type | Average price | London |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £899,832 | £1,164,439 |
| Semi-detached | £675,369 | £730,580 |
| Terraced | £696,816 | £648,650 |
| Flat or maisonette | £429,851 | £427,310 |
| All types | £447,950 | £554,430 |
| First-time buyers | £430,635 | £473,051 |
The UK HPI is a mix-adjusted average (a hedonic model), not the price of the homes sold in the month. Northern Ireland figures are quarterly.
The trend, August of each year
| Year | Average price | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | £493,197 | — |
| 2017 | £489,222 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | £483,913 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | £486,386 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | £506,248 | +4.1% |
| 2021 | £555,759 | +9.8% |
| 2022 | £548,821 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | £494,337 | -9.9% |
| 2024 | £525,302 | +6.3% |
| 2025 | £516,563 | -1.7% |
| 2026 | £447,950 | -13.3% |
Sources
- Prices and sales: UK House Price Index, file UK-HPI-full-file-2026-08.csv. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2020. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Purchase tax: rates and sources of the calculator (HMRC).
- Tax when you sell: Capital Gains Tax rates, Tax when you sell your home and Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax (GOV.UK, HMRC).