South East London

South East London stretches from SE1 down to SE20, encompassing the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. Such a huge slice of the capital naturally has lots of different guises and offerings; from out-of-this-world dining scenes to riverside living and everything in between. Read on to discover developments that are rated the best places to live in South East London. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in South East London.

Areas like Lambeth and Elephant & Castle have seen much in the way of regeneration. Ultra-modern residential developments are now peppered along the Thames here, packed with apartments and penthouses that come with a bird’s-eye view of the city. Both districts are now firmly seated in the ‘up-and-coming’ category, with new bars and restaurants opening up practically weekly. For celebrated old-time icons, meanwhile, Lambeth plays host to famous attractions like the National Theatre, the Tate Modern, and the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; so this is a real cultural big-hitter.

4.42
Average Location Score

Excellent

57%

Very Good

31%

Average

9%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

1%

Best places to live in South East London

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

Church with street art on the door

South East London’s gastronomy

SE1’s Borough is one of London’s most reputable foodie hotspots. You’ll find its lifeblood, Borough Market, next to London Bridge on Southwark Street. London’s biggest and best food market. It’s said to have been in operation since the 11th century, and its cornucopia of stalls feature everything from delicate French pastries to net-fresh seafood. Open Monday to Saturday, it attracts locals, tourists as well as top chefs looking for the finest produce.

Nearby Bermondsey also draws some big crowds for its gastronomic scene. Once a largely abandoned area full of run-down warehouses, today it’s a bohemian wonderland, with rainbow-coloured house fronts, quality bars and pubs and the street food extravaganza that is Maltby Street Market. Lots of the old warehouses have been converted into new-build apartments.

South east London park

Historical riverside neighbourhoods

Move east to the likes of Rotherhithe and Surrey Quays and you’ll find 17th-century pubs that tell tales of days gone by; hidden down Victorian streets among swish riverfront apartment buildings. This slither of South East London offers a number of peaceful nature areas and a watersports centre. Perfect for taking a breather away from the fast-paced city day-to-day. Canary Wharf and City workers, in particular, are drawn to the area, and can commute by riverbus for a more scenic route to work.

Greenwich

In nearby Greenwich the historical sites come thick and fast. Greenwich has a fascinating maritime history, and this leafy Thames-front stretch can feel a million miles from the city. It’s a World Heritage Site, home to the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum and also, the world’s most famous ship – The Cutty Sark. Property in these parts includes range from pricey waterfront apartments to smart Victorian terraces.

Train with highrise buildings in the background -South East London

Edgy South East London

Neighbouring Lewisham offers an edgier lifestyle with a strong community spirit. It’s got a handful of decent markets, bars and brunch spots to rival Shoreditch and an electric after-dark offering. The Deptford neighbourhood (part of which spills into the London Borough of Greenwich) has a burgeoning art scene. As such, property developers are moving in to transform the area’s residential face with cutting-edge new apartments that appeal to the area’s multiplying creatives. Deptford High Street is packed with quirky independent stores and eateries serving Vietnamese fare. There’s also a beautiful Baroque church to explore.

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 South East London . Moreover, If there’s a property that you can’t see on HomeViews, you can add a new listing and leave your review here.

Reviews in South East London

Write a Review

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
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Good but a couple of things to keep in mind

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

Pro:
The neighborhood is close to the center. I can easily walk to Covent Garden in under 30 min. The connections are great – underground’s, trains and busses are accessible within 5 min of the location, making it great for people who’re spending time across the city. The yoga studio in the building is also great!

Con:
Traffic noise

Please review your development:

Pro:
Nice, fresh, smells nice, nice gym

Con:
I’ve had issues w my property that I’ve reported to management in dec (it’s now February) and they still havent been addressed. In my case, my bathroom smells so bad bc of drainage issues.

Another con is that they are marketing a room that you can rent for private events. It looks nice but costs 50 pounds per hour (?!) to rent. That is crazy

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

You can’t head any neighbors, which is great considering how big the building is and how many people live there

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

Yes but it takes a very long time for them to fix.

4
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
3
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

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
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Great place to live, poorly designed flat.

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

Great area and location. Busy but still feels like a local community. Central without losing its own character.

Please review your development:

Nice use of brick and glass to give nice look and feel. Very poor design choices eg swing doors for windy exteriors and cheap fittings chosen by Frasers when installing eg showers, baths and utilities. Poor aftercare when these were flagged – left to resolve individually.

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

Check for drafts from windows and doors and hot water on day one while developer is on site.

What is the best feature of your home:

Great location and good size. Nice to have plenty of light.

4
Facilities
3
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report