Borough of 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.

4.50
Average Location Score

Excellent

65%

Very Good

26%

Average

7%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

1%

Best places to live in Borough of Southwark

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

High street in Southwark

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 16th 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.

Southwark skyline

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.

Southwark park

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 17th-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.

Reviews in Borough of Southwark

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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
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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
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Affordable housing, but poor management

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

While the housing is “affordable” the maintenance of the properties is poor. If Folio can cut a corner, delay work or have you chasing your tail on a repair they will. This and the added ineptitude of some staff creates a really poor experience.
Certain staff are a slow to respond, inconsistent with messages and repair work is often completed cheaply and poorly, with little or no regard for the health and safety of their tenants, I’ve had a broken window for over 10 months, black mold and it required me to have a serious health issue to find a resolution. 3 people have come to inspect the window and yet no repair.

Some individuals are rude and in one instance have sent emails to colleagues about tenants with rolling eye emojis covering up lies and failures to perform. This same individual is often out of the office for long periods of time, blocks peoples mobile numbers, does not respond to voicemails and has a landline they do not answer, but states do no leave a message (has been this way 3 years).

Water damage to the kitchen ceiling due to a leak was never repaired, more lies that it was arranged for someone to come and fix the damage.

Front door handle repair was 2 screws drilled through the metal to “hold” and later glued on and was half attached again.

Back fences blown down in in early 2023 and it took 6 months for these to be replaced. This only happened after several residents had attempted break ins and we filed police reports. Housing Officer claimed they had not been able to source panels…. Workman laughed when asked and said that’s not true and they were called to do the work 3 days prior.

I had a hole in the roof due to squirrels nesting – an issue for several people on the street – and had scaffolding around the house for 8 months, 3 assessments for damage repair and an asbestos check (house was built in 2002 so their won’t be any asbestos)

Please review your development:

Nice neighbors and it feels like a community.

It’s also a busy bike path so you need to be careful crossing the road, I’ve seen several pedestrians and dogs hit. I’ve also seen cars pull out quickly and their have been collisions due to blind spots on the road.

Nice park near by for families, but the sports ground can be noisy until 9pm and from early hours on weekends.

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

Great neighbours, good access to supermarkets and it’s a suburban feel.

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

It took several escalations and my MP contacting Folio to have any repairs fixed.

2
Facilities
2
Design
3
Location
2
Value
1
Management
User submitted image of  Folio London at St James, SE1
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Exceptional value for central London

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

It’s a very busy area which I like as it always feel safe walking home at night. The building is literally right across the road from the tube station on Bakerloo and Northern lines, as well as the train station for Thameslink. The area is newly developed so there isn’t masses of personality but there are a couple of decent cafes I like to work from. In terms of shopping, there is very little so I normally travel into central for this.

Please review your development:

Very good value considering the location. A lot of construction nearby but I never hear any noise on floor 10. Concierge are excellent and I’ve never had any issues with deliveries plus they are very responsive whenever there’s been an issue in the flat.
The main downsides are firstly that the lifts are frequently not working so you’re left waiting a while with a crowd of other people for the single functioning lift. Secondly, it gets very hot in summer. For a building with this much glass it’s kind of crazy they didn’t build in any AC.

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

The lift situation isn’t ideal but had I known about it, it would not have put me off moving in (nor should it put off anyone else!)

What is the best feature of your home:

The views! I’m looking south, so not towards central, but still the view is incredible as it’s totally unobstructed and you can see to the edges of London (and I’m only on floor 10).

4
Facilities
4
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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