Borough of Lewisham

Lewisham lies just a few miles south-east of Central London. A borough given a little more than just a fresh coat of paint in recent years. In fact, this area has seen plenty in the way of renovation. Including, a transformation of the town centre and a brand-new riverside park. As such, it moved at lightning-speed into the ‘up-and-comer’ category a couple of years back. Then, in the blink of an eye, it became highly sought-after, courtesy of its affordable homes and fantastic transport links. Read on to discover developments that are rated the best places to live in Lewisham. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in Lewisham.

4.55
Average Location Score

Excellent

64%

Very Good

27%

Average

7%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in Borough of Lewisham

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Street Art

Cutting-edge bars and eateries

It might come as a surprise, but Lewisham embodies the sort of hipster cool more readily associated with places like Shoreditch and Hackney. The vibrant high streets are full of independent cafés, brunch pop-ups, and pocket-sized restaurants serving the A to Z of cuisines. After dark, there are lively pubs with on-stage happenings every weekend, plus a good clutch of nightclubs. One of the area’s most popular night-time haunts is Model Market, a street food fiesta that kicks off around 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays and goes on until late. Lip-smacking, around-the-world flavours here include succulent Argentinian meats, fiery Jamaican jerk chicken and thin and crispy Neapolitan pizzas.

New flats in Lewisham

Lewisham’s shopping scene

Lewisham’s daytime markets are just as good, and include Lewisham Farmers’ Market, Brockley Market, and Lewisham Open Market. Fresh flowers? Charcuterie? Pillow-soft donuts? All here. And if you’re more into high street brands, there’s a shopping mall in the middle of town packed with household names like M&S, Next and H&M.

Lewisham skyline at night

Lewisham residents

Lewisham’s residents are spirited and diverse. Artsy types are flocking to the Deptford district. Families favour the roomy period homes in the Ladywell area, where’s there’s also a good supply of picnic and playing space thanks to Ladywell and Hilly Fields. Young professionals, meanwhile, love Lewisham Gateway – a regenerated neighbourhood of contemporary apartments, right by Lewisham DLR Station (direct links to London Bridge, Canary Wharf and Bank). All great places to rent in Lewisham. There’s also a number of students in the area, living in converted Victorian and Edwardian flats. Thanks to Goldsmiths, University of London in New Cross, there’s real demand here for accommodation for pupils – something worth remembering for those looking to invest.

Verdicts from HomeViews reviewers…
“Area is a Mecca for families and young couples given it’s good value and zone 3 location. Good cafes and small local shops around, though a little more limited in number compared to other areas. Zone 3 location with regular services to London Central stations.”

“If you’re a foodie, don’t miss Model Market, a night-time street food extravaganza. It’s also really easy to reach the renowned Greenwich Park from Lewisham. Wander the flower and herb gardens, stop for tea and cake at the Pavilion Café, and soak up the scenery from one of London’s best viewpoints.”

“Artsy, fun-loving Deptford (is) a south-east pocket of London packed with restaurants, bars and galleries. It’s close to historical Greenwich and foodie-haven Bermondsey, and has great transport links for getting further afield.”

You can find out more about living in the area by reading reviews from residents. Click on the developments below to find out more about residents’ experiences and also, to discover the best places to live and rent in Lewisham. Moreover, If there’s a property that you can’t see on HomeViews,  you can add a new listing and leave your review here.

Featured developments in Borough of Lewisham

Image of Bale & Anchor, SE13

Bale & Anchor, SE13

urbanbubble, Legal & General
4.36 (17 reviews) 4.36 (17 reviews)
Distillery Tower, SE8

Distillery Tower, SE8

Galliard Homes
3.84 (13 reviews) 3.84 (13 reviews)
Deptford Foundry, SE14

Deptford Foundry, SE14

Anthology
4.34 (76 reviews) 4.34 (76 reviews)
Image of Fizzy Lewisham, SE13

Fizzy Lewisham, SE13

Fizzy Living, Greystar
4.34 (329 reviews) 4.34 (329 reviews)
Excalibur, SE6

Excalibur, SE6

L&Q
0.00 (0 reviews) 0.00 (0 reviews)

Reviews in Borough of Lewisham

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Expensive average

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

Well connected with 2 DLR stations close by and the SE train too. Huge Tesco one block away with is a plus. You can hear the trains of course because its really close to the train rails (not a big deal).

Please review your development:

We were told Amenities would be ready by January and its almost April with no news yet. They went all in on the interior design of the development, but does not compensate the lack of quality.

None of the issues we’ve had on our apartment were dealt with on a timely manner.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I’d known that the amenities were NOT going to be ready by January as told.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Not in a timely manner. From heaters that did not work for months during winter to an electrical problem.

2
Facilities
3
Design
3
Location
3
Value
3
Management
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Manager Response

Dear Luc,

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

We are deeply sorry that your experience at Bale & Anchor has not so far been what you have expected.

Please be assured that the addressed points have been duly noted and that the whole team at Bale & Anchor will keep working diligently to improve where required and to deliver the highest standard of services and differentiated residential experiences that our residential communities expect from us.

We also apologise for any potential miscommunication that may have occurred with you relating to full amenities launching. However, Bale House and therefore the related excellent and vibrant amenities that you kindly refer to, are set to launch in spring 2024 as per original projected plan.

And we can confirm that this will take place very soon in due course.

Bale & Anchor is a brand new fantastic development, and as such, although not expected there may be occasional small reactive issues to rectify and despite our best efforts, occasionally the required resolution may take a little more time than expected.

Despite that, be assured that our team will always work to integrate comprehensive efforts with other involved parties to ensure that any potential service issues are as minimal and as little disruptive to our residents as possible.

We hope the above is helpful and please do reach out to me at B&A management office to discuss further if necessary.

Great experience

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

Great location, I wish the train station had an exit directly towards the property but it is still only a 5 minutes walk.

Please review your development:

My renting experience is great so far. I rented the apartment over seeing a video only and I was a bit concerned at first, but everything was very smooth right from the beginning and very professional. There are some minor maintenance issues, but the team is very helpful and fast in sorting them out. Having had bad experiences on the London rental market before, I am very happy with my choice.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I got conflicting information about the hob, one person said electric the other said induction. It is not induction.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

The building management is simply great, they are always open for questions and ready to help.

Great initiatives with the cake decorating class and Pilates classes. The chocolates for International Women’s Day were very thoughtful.

4
Facilities
4
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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Manager Response

Dear Andrea,

Thank you for taking the time to write the review and all you kind words.

The whole team at Bale & Anchor are absolutely delighted and very much grateful to you for the wonderfully positive experience you attest to have received at Bale and Anchor.

This truly reflects the service standards and high-level experiences we all at Bale & Anchor work and strive to deliver everyday to ensure our communities receive the greatest residential experiences in the market, and that those are delivered in professionally positive and differentiated manner.

Thank you.

Regards,

The design of my flat is very pleasing. The management is appalling.

Review Date Feb 2024

Our development is in an upcoming area, near docks, a short walk from Canada Water and Surrey Quays Jubilee and Overground stations. Great. The issue is L&Q who manage, well “manage”, our development. Absolute cowboys who cannot be trusted.

Please review your development:

Attractive brick buildings, attractive bathrooms, average kitchens, nice shops and delis emerging in the area and in the development. Security improvement would be good – namely, having patrols as some undesirables often try and snatch phones or shop lift openly.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known how totally unprofessional and basically dangerous L&Q is as an organisation.

What is the best feature of your home:

The design of my flat is very pleasing. The management is appalling.

3
Facilities
3
Design
3
Location
3
Value
1
Management
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Looks good… on the surface.

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

Local amenities, good transport links, nice developing area. People seem really friendly too. No complaints with the area itself and the connections to other areas of London.

Please review your development:

I was really excited when I first moved in, it all looked really great before getting past the surface. There are a lot of poor finishes on the apartment, paint around the light switches, vinyl floor already raising, which was just noted on the inventory, rather than fixed prior to us moving in. Just a real lack of care when getting to the final phase, especially in the bedroom too.

Furthermore, a poorly thought out set of choices on the furniture package, with a large round tv stand, that already has had a screw come out and a kitchen table that we had to reassemble due to it being built incorrectly and wobbling.

The radiator is extremely poor, it hardly heats up the room and you’d have to be spending a lot of money to heat the room up suitably. It’s got to the point we’d rather just use more blankets. We can see an issue with water drainage above the entrance, where stagnant water has been up there for a while now.

Our hobs not working correctly, which I have raised issues and sent evidence of to maintenance, still not seen anyone face to face, only emails.

Tap is far too high on the surface, which cause splash back all over the painted walls, which we will no doubt be charged for at the end of the tenancy.

No control over amenities, all done through holding company that start you on an arbitrary fee for the first 3 months, regardless of usage.

Location & property will be good for a year but having moved from a similar development in Manchester, we are definitely unsure about staying further. They had the potential to make this brilliant, by just taking a little bit more care on everything.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Amenities
Vinyl floor coming up
Overall finishes
Lack of care

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Daniel on FOH was so nice when we moved in. When thinking specifically on incidents, we’ve only had back and forth over email from another member of the team with no resolution.

4
Facilities
2
Design
5
Location
3
Value
4
Management
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Manager Response

Dear Mr Palmer,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

Please be assured that the addressed points have been duly noted and that the whole team at Bale & Anchor will keep working diligently to deliver the high standard of services and differentiated residential experiences that our communities expect from us.

Bale & Anchor is a brand new fantastic development, and as such, although not expected, there may be occasional small reactive issues that need correcting, and again, please be assured that your raised points do further enable us to consistently intensify our structural periodic assessments reviews and reporting to relevant parties dealing with the upkeeping of the structural aspects of B&A’ built environment.

We apologise for any potential miscommunication that may have occurred with you relating to full amenities launching. However, Bale House and therefore the related excellent and vibrant amenities that you kindly refer to, are set to launch in spring 2024 as per original projected plan.

And we can confirm that this will take place very soon in due course.

We hope the above is helpful and please do reach out to me at will to discuss further if necessary.

Thank you.

Regards,