St Raphaels
Brent 021 · 6 sub-areas · 9,668 residents
Brent 021 is a densely populated corner of the London borough of Brent, home to around 9,700 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,890 a month — noticeably below the inner-London norm but still demanding for local incomes. The standout fact is tenure: nearly six in ten households here rent from the council or a housing association, one of the highest social-housing concentrations in outer London.
St Raphaels is a commuter neighbourhood within Brent — train into London runs in around 13 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in St Raphaels?
3 parks and 6 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents sit firmly in the upper bracket nationally, with a typical home letting at around £1,969 a month.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 6 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
St Raphaels in Brent
Living in St Raphaels
This part of Brent is one of the most deprived pockets in England, sitting in the bottom decile on the Index of Multiple Deprivation. That's not a reason to dismiss it — it shapes what kind of neighbourhood it is. Housing costs are lower than much of London, greenspace is close (around nine in ten residents are within a short walk of it), and the area has a tight, community feel that more polished postcodes lack.
The cost picture is mixed. A two-bedroom home runs roughly £1,890 a month, which is below what you'd pay in, say, Camden or Islington, but the rent-to-take-home ratio here is extreme — around 93% of median local income, meaning most private renters are severely stretched. If you're on a social tenancy, the picture is very different; the majority of households here are, which insulates a significant chunk of the community from the private market.
The population skews younger than the London average. Around a quarter of residents are under 18, and nearly one in four is aged 18–34. Single-person households make up about a quarter of all homes. The area is genuinely diverse — an ethnic diversity index of 70 and just over half of residents born in the UK point to a strongly international community. Around 28% of adults hold a degree-level qualification, which is below the London average.
Practically speaking, the nearest underground station is roughly 790 metres away — about a ten-minute walk — giving direct access into central London in around 12 minutes. That's a significant asset. A mainline rail station is close too, just under a kilometre away. Broadband is adequate though not exceptional — about 47% of premises have gigabit connectivity, and no properties fall below the universal service obligation. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how conditions vary across the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked
- Is Brent 021 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. The underground is close, greenspace is accessible, and social-housing residents benefit from stable costs. The trade-off is a high crime rate — roughly double the national average — and an IMD deprivation score in the bottom decile nationally. Private renters face one of the most stretched rent-to-income ratios in outer London.
- What is the rent in Brent 021?
- A one-bedroom flat runs around £1,540 a month, a two-bedroom about £1,890, and a three-bedroom around £2,220. These are estimates scaled from borough-level data. Rents here have actually fallen around 6.5% year-on-year, which is a rare relief in the London market.
- Is Brent 021 safe?
- Crime runs at around 166 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — about twice the UK national average. That's a meaningful concern. The area sits in the most deprived decile nationally, which correlates with the elevated rate. Street-level data from the police.uk crime map is worth consulting for the specific streets you're considering.
- What's the commute from Brent 021 to central London?
- Around 12 minutes by public transport — one of the genuinely strong points of the neighbourhood. The nearest underground station is roughly a ten-minute walk away. About 36% of residents commute by public transport, which is the dominant mode here.
- Who lives in Brent 021?
- A diverse, younger-than-average community — about a quarter of residents are under 18, and nearly a quarter are aged 18–34. Just over half were born in the UK, reflecting strong international ties. Almost six in ten households are in social housing, which is unusually high even for London.
- What schools are near Brent 021?
- There are 179 schools within 2 km, so access isn't the issue. Around 54% of those are rated Good or Outstanding — noticeably below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is about 1.1 km away. Families should check individual Ofsted ratings carefully before committing to the area.
- Is Brent 021 affordable for renters?
- Not for private tenants on local wages. Median resident earnings are around £34,900 a year, and the estimated rent-to-take-home ratio is around 93% — one of the most extreme in outer London. Social renters, who make up nearly six in ten households, face very different and far more manageable costs.