A Guide to Living in Southwark

Southwark is nestled on the South Bank of the Thames, and among its luxury riverside apartments and ultra-modern offices, are some of London’s biggest icons. This area is rich in culture, architecture and entertainment, charming millions of visitors (and residents) each year. For the best scenery, criss-cross one of the bridges that straddle the river, including London Bridge, Tower Bridge and Millennium Bridge. All are a joy to stroll or drive over, thanks to sweeping views of the water, and the buildings that chart hundreds of years of the capital’s history. Read on to discover developments that are rated the best places to live in Southwark. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in Southwark.

4.53

Average Location Score

Excellent

62%

Very Good

29%

Average

Disappointing

Very Poor

Best places to live in Southwark

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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Southwark attractions

Of all the landmarks, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern command the most attention, and rightly so. The Globe is a magnificent, Elizabethan-esque structure, a careful rebuild of the site where the famous playwright’s creations were first performed back in the 16^th century. Nowadays, you can enjoy guided tours and exhibitions, along with exceptional theatre. As for the Tate, it’s easy to spend hours in this contemporary art institution; discovering the dreamy works of Warhol, Monet and Picasso.

The Shard

Head away from the waterside, and The Shard, Europe’s tallest building, dominates the skyline. This 300-plus-metre skyscraper is a mixed bag of offices, hotel suites, and bars and restaurants. In fact, it’s the way of many of the imposing buildings here. Dedicated to both work and play, they’re comprised of company HQs, posh-nosh brasseries and classy rooftop bars.

Foodie hotspot

Southwark has emerged as a real foodie destination over the years. Just over the road from The Shard is Borough Market; London’s oldest food market, and still one of the capital’s best. Its myriad of stalls never fail to treat tastebuds, whether you’re in the mood for a harissa-soaked North African stew, or a Spanish ‘bocadillo’ stuffed with serrano ham and melty cheese. Outside, both old and new establishments pepper the streets, age-old pubs full of curiosities rubbing shoulders with elegant Italian restaurants and cosy tapas nooks. Try lively Bermondsey for a village feel and some of the best independents eateries around.

Transport in Southwark

Southwark’s transport links are impressive. London Bridge Railway Station makes it easy to get to cities like Cambridge and Bedford. And three London Underground stations service the area. Southwark on the Jubilee line, Borough on the Northern, and London Bridge, which has trains running on both. But with London’s best bits on your doorstep, who could blame you for staying put?

HomeViews reviewer says…
“It’s a lovely mix of old and new. The new-build waterfront homes are plentiful, but so are the curious 17^th-century pubs.”

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 Southwark. 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 Southwark

Reviews in Southwark

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Disappointing – poor management of the development

Verified Resident

Review Date Apr 2021

Located in a backstreet from the high street, it is convenient to access local shops and transport. It can be a bit noisy with cars.

Please review your development:

The development has been poorly managed, I had/still have several issues that I was not aware of prior to move-in e.g. a pest problem, a leak in the ceiling, no gas, lift very often out of order, the lock of the bin place broken etc. The biggest problem I have in regard with all the problems is the little involvement/management from L&Q. They don’t actively manage and maintain the development, and they just a quick fix. Particularly with the problem with the lift, it is a recurring problem and I have tried to raise this issue, but they keep on fixing the problem on the surface and no intention to look into the actual cause of the problem. I have seen that the life got broken and people got locked and called fire officers. I am pregnant and have to climb up stairs when it is broken, and I am very anxious when it is working because I never know if I will get stuck in the lift. The flat itself is relatively nice, but it does not make my whole experience with the development good and safe at all.

I have attached photos of issues that I have raised with L&Q but have not been solved.

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

1) Poor management by L&Q, they don’t do active care/maintenance of the development. 2) The lift gets broken very often, and I hear from other tenants that it has been an issue at least for a few years but L&Q has never looked into the cause of the problem.

What is the best feature of your home:

L&Q passes information to sub-contractors only when tenants report (after being on the line for a long time). I have to call them very often and it is very tiring and time consuming. It does not seem that they actually monitor and maintain the development. I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect the landlord to check regularly the state of the development.

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Manager Response

Thank you for your review. We appreciate your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear your experience hasn’t been positive. We would like to know more and help to put things right.
Please contact us at lqdirect@lqgroup.org.uk (with Homeviews in the subject line) and a dedicated agent will do their best to help resolve any concerns.
Thanks
Customer Service Team

Woods Road review

Review Date Apr 2021

Lovely are, onsite parking, gated community next to a quite park, great for sports. Shops are 5 minutes away.

Please review your development:

The neighbours are lovely, transport is convenient and amenities are great. Design is good and facilities thought through. The management company is unprofessional, unreliable and offer no or poor service. I hope they change them soon, otherwise i would like to sell.

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

The management company and builders were Regularly changing contact people, because they are leaving the companies a lot!

What is the best feature of your home:

Onsuite bathroom to the master bedroom and 2 balconies.

Facilities

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Value

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Spacious flat, pet-friendly although long times for repairs but overall satisfied.

Verified Resident

Review Date Apr 2021

The area is still in development and the street at night can be dangerous, we had an attempted phone robbery in front of the house just 2 weeks ago by teenagers on bike. While the area is still developing the access to the supermarkets is pretty excellent and transports too. A bit noisy for being in front of the road but we knew when we moved in. Other than that south east london has been my home for over 5 years now and i cannot imagine anywhere else to be.

Please review your development:

The building and the flats are aesthetically very pleasant and spacious especially for London, we cannot complain. The design is neat and clean, colours are plain and white, which makes it clean and nice. We also have a lovely area outside and a tiny garden-kinda-looking backyard. The only complaint I’ve got is that simple things like a lift repair is taking 2 weeks to take place, while also water pressure is very low and during lockdown, we had to wait for over 1 month to have someone visiting our bathroom for a simple toilet leak. Other than that they are responsive, although we changed at least 3 people managing our property, so we do not know who to contact often. The only downside in all of this was that our rent was increased despite losing jobs during the pandemic. We’re paying more than what the next-door flat is put on the market for right now. Other than that we are satisfied.

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

Internet is super slow, now it seems like we have finally (2 years later! the fiber optic installed) Water pressure is super low and nothing can be done to be changed. In general, repairs take long although they are responsive they still have to book and call someone in which can take even 2-4 weeks

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

I Would remove carpets off the entire property. It’s unhygienic and hard to maintain clean and well-kept. I would create more space for internal storage in the design and I would put CCTVs on doors outside too.

Facilities

Design

Location

Value

Management

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Manager Response

Thank you for your review. We appreciate your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear your experience hasn’t been positive. We would like to know more and help to put things right.
Please contact us at lqdirect@lqgroup.org.uk (with Homeviews in the subject line)and a dedicated agent will do their best to help resolve any concerns.
Thanks
Customer Service Team

Run away from here

Verified Resident

Review Date Apr 2021

The local area is very disappointing. Not many local pubs, restaurants or shop.
There is only 1 big supermarket and is always crowded.
The area is plenty of development and is very over-populated

Please review your development:

The development is newly built but apparently has a lot of problems. There is always some kind of maintenance work around all buildings in development.
Fire alarm is faulty and it made a lot of false alarm ( even during the night )