Elm Park West
Havering 026 · 5 sub-areas · 8,951 residents
Havering 026 is a settled, family-oriented corner of the London Borough of Havering, home to around 8,950 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £1,540 a month — noticeably below the London norm — and over seven in ten households own their home outright or with a mortgage, giving the area a distinctly suburban, ownership-led character.
Elm Park West is a commuter neighbourhood within Havering — train into London runs in around 37 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. Most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.
Overview
What's it like to live in Elm Park West?
4 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; 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 are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,566 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Elm Park West in Havering
Living in Elm Park West
Havering 026 feels more like a commuter suburb than inner London, and that's largely the point. The streets are dominated by owner-occupied family homes, greenspace is close — the nearest patch is under 400 metres away on average, and around half of residents can reach open space on foot — and the pace is noticeably quieter than areas closer to the centre.
On rent, this part of Havering sits at a meaningful discount to most of London. A two-bedroom home runs around £1,540 a month, which is above the national average but substantially cheaper than central or inner-east London equivalents. Rents rose around 6% over the past year, in line with broad London trends, so the discount is real but not widening.
The population here skews toward families and established residents. Nearly a quarter of the population is under 18 — well above the typical London share — and couples with children account for over one in five households. Single-person households at 23% are relatively low. The degree-holding share, at around 29%, is modest by London standards, reflecting a workforce that leans toward skilled trades, health, and public-sector roles rather than professional services.
For commuters, the public-transport link into central London takes around 35 minutes by rail or bus, which is competitive for outer London. The nearest rail station is roughly 2.8 km away — about a 35-minute walk, so most residents drive or cycle to it. Car ownership is high here: nearly two in five residents travel to work by car, while working from home has become a significant pattern too, with nearly a third of residents now WFH on a typical day.
See the streets and sub-areas below for a closer look at how conditions vary across Havering 026.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Havering 026 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. If you want a quieter, suburban feel with good greenspace, family-friendly streets, and a reasonable rail link into London, it works well. It's owner-occupied, settled, and not particularly transient. The trade-off is that it's a long way from central London and the local schools picture requires careful research.
- What is the rent in Havering 026?
- A one-bedroom flat runs around £1,220 a month, a two-bedroom about £1,540, and a three-bedroom roughly £1,845. These are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 6% over the past year, broadly in line with outer London.
- Is Havering 026 safe?
- Crime runs at around 90 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — modestly above the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000, but typical for outer London. The area sits in the 6th deprivation decile nationally, meaning broadly average conditions. Street-level variation exists, so it's worth checking specific roads before committing.
- What's the commute from Havering 026 to London?
- The public-transport journey into central London takes around 35 to 36 minutes. The nearest mainline rail station is about 2.8 km away — roughly a 35-minute walk — so most residents drive to the station. Nearly a third of residents now work from home regularly, which reduces the daily commute burden.
- Who lives in Havering 026?
- Mostly established families and long-term owner-occupiers. Over 71% of households own their home, nearly a quarter of residents are under 18, and couples with children account for more than one in five households. It's one of the more settled, family-oriented parts of outer London.
- What schools are near Havering 026?
- There are 84 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 27% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1.3 km away. Given this, it's especially worth checking individual school performance and admissions criteria carefully.
- How affordable is Havering 026 compared to the rest of London?
- It's one of the more affordable parts of outer London for renters. A two-bedroom home at around £1,540 a month sits well below central or inner-east London equivalents. That said, rent still absorbs around 65% of median take-home pay locally, so affordability is relative — it's cheaper than most of London, but not cheap in absolute terms.