Borough of Waltham Forest

If you’re considering purchasing a home in The London Borough of Waltham Forest, you’ll want to read this guide first! We’ll cover everything from the area’s demographics to the top schools in the borough. Waltham Forest is located in northeast London and is one of the largest boroughs in the city. It is comprised of several distinct areas, each with its own unique charms. The population of the borough is diverse and vibrant, making it a great place to live.

4.52
Average Location Score

Excellent

61%

Very Good

31%

Average

7%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in Borough of Waltham Forest

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

Where is Waltham Forest?

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is located in northeast London. It is bordered by the boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Redbridge, and Barking and Dagenham.

Areas in Waltham Forest

The borough is comprised of several distinct areas, each with its own unique charms:

Chingford – Chingford is a historic town located in the northeast of the borough. It’s well known for its open spaces and lovely greenbelt areas.

Leyton – Leyton is a vibrant and multicultural area located east of central London. It’s home to a variety of interesting shops, restaurants, and cultural venues.

Walthamstow – Walthamstow is one of the most popular areas in the borough. It’s home to a large shopping centre, numerous pubs and clubs, and a variety of cultural attractions. Walthamstow is a large and diverse area located in the northwest of the borough. It’s home to many interesting attractions, including an arts centre, nature reserves, and a popular nightlife district.

Woodford and South Woodford – These areas are located in the south of the borough. They’re home to a large number of commuters who travel into central London for work each day. The areas are also popular with families, thanks to the number of good schools in the area.

Universities in Waltham Forest

There are several universities located in Waltham Forest:

University of East London – The University of East London is a public university located in Stratford. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

London Metropolitan University – London Metropolitan University is a public university located near the City of London. It offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as teacher training courses.

Top Schools in Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest is home to some excellent schools, both state-funded and private:

West Hatch School – West Hatch School is a mixed, non-denominational secondary school located in Chingford. It has over 1500 students and is the most popular high school in Waltham Forest.

Saint Mary’s Catholic High School – Saint Mary’s Catholic High School is an all-girls secondary school located near Woodford Green. It serves more than 900 girls and has a good reputation locally.

Forest School – Forest School is an independent, co-educational secondary school located in Walthamstow. It’s one of the most expensive schools in the area, but also one of the best performing.

The William Morris Academy – The William Morris Academy is a mixed secondary school located in Walthamstow. It’s an average performing school, but has a good reputation locally and is popular among young families in the area.

Waltham Forest College – The Waltham Forest College is a further education college located in Walthamstow. It offers courses for 16- to 19-year-olds and adult students and has a good reputation locally.

Population of Waltham Forest

The most recent census for Waltham Forest was carried out in 2011 and showed that the borough had a population of 268,000. This is an increase from the 2001 census, which showed that it had a population of 247,500. The majority of people living in Waltham Forest are between 25 and 54 years old (46%).

Reviews in Borough of Waltham Forest

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Pretty building but terribly managed

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Nov 2023

It’s quite far from everywhere if you want to cycle, but it’s very close to Victoria line. It’s around half an hour in tube to get somewhere more central, so not the worst but not the best either. There are nice breweries around, a climbing wall, and tasty pizza. Almost impossible to get a parking space though, we’ve been on a waiting list for almost a year now.

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The building has nice facilities but is terribly managed.

* the pool looks amazing, but the water temperature is unstable. In winter, sometimes it’s nice and pleasant, sometimes chilly, and sometimes too cold to even enter. In the summer other tenants mass book for weeks in advance, and so it’s almost impossible to even use it (unless you’re one of them). The problem is that they often don’t even use their slots. So the pool can be booked out and almost empty at the same time. After so many years, I’m shocked that they haven’t implemented a better system.

* the coworking space has pool tables which is nice, but doesn’t really have desks? More like coffee tables, and one long table with uncomfortable chairs. The place is nice to have a beer with your friends or play board games, but not really well suited for working

* the gym and the tennis court are very nice

* building management is terrible. Lately they started sending lots of chat gpt generated emails (ridiculous sounding, like “let dogs and flowerbeds live in harmony” and stuff like that) trying to restrict dog walking on PUBLIC paths. And saying that dogs should pee only in one small area (as if that’s how dogs work). Laughable for a dog friendly building, and most likely illegal.

* private dining rooms are almost impossible to book unless it’s your birthday

* everything breaks; WiFi, hot water, elevators. There is almost no communication about these issues

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

I wish I knew how terribly any issues will be handled. Tbf it wasn’t always like this, I’ve lived here for a few years and the first review I left was 5/5 stars. Management used to be reasonable and helpful. I don’t know when and why things went so wrong

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

Terribly. The hot water issue was handed awfully, they could have told me I should contact EON without making me wait a week for any communication. Clearly they forgot that one of their tenants doesn’t have hot water, because I had to email them again to get any response.

Elevators broke yesterday. Today, they are still not fixed. Again, there is no communication about this. I called them, and they cannot even tell me when they are going to be fixed and whether it will be today… I live on 10th floor and need to walk up and down the stairs with my dogs.

3
Facilities
4
Design
3
Location
2
Value
1
Management
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Building maintenance non existent

Review Date Nov 2023

No parking, a few restaurants and bars around. .

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Building management is terrible. Lift has been broken for weeks and no urgency to fix it. Very inconvenient to walk up and down 7 flights of stairs everyday. Terrible. ..

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

Would never have moved in if we had known this was how they respond to urgent maintenance repairs needed in communal areas.

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

No response to over 2 weeks of broken lift- no urgency to fix. So inconvenient for tenants and landlord doesn’t seem to care.

1
Facilities
1
Design
3
Location
1
Value
1
Management
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A great development, with great helpful property managers

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Nov 2023

There’s not much around here, but the good thing is that the tube station is close so you can jump on a train and go to nicer more happening places. The wetlands are great, but it’s not the same as having a park next door, as the only open at 9:30am and close at 4:30pm, so if you wanted to have a stroll before or after work, you wouldn’t be able to.

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The development is great, really well made. The only thing I’d mention is the main two doors for Q1 which don’t properly shut.

The property management is amazing, Jason, Anu and Richard are honestly so helpful and will jump on things very quickly, helping with the best attitude 🙂

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

Not much really, I’m happy with the way things are

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

Yes, they were on it as soon as we flagged things. Booked maintanance straight away.

4
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
3
Value
5
Management
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Loving life in Walthamstow

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Nov 2023

The proximity to Black Horse Road station is ideal to get to central in 20minutes or drop off my kids at nursery via the overground.
Lots of cute restaurants and cafes by st James street but also Hermanos at our doorstep which is perfect for my daily caffeine fix.

Please review your development:

The management does its best to be on top of repairs and maintenance and Jason our manager is really good at communicating, very easy to talk to and understanding.
The design is great, all the furniture that we use in the flat is high quality and modern.
The covered parking is so convenient since we dont use the car very often. It feels really safe with the gate outside too.

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

I wish we had known we wouldnt be able to renew our 3 year contract since now all that’s on offer is a rolling contract or a 1 year contract.

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

Jason and his team onsite are incredible but while every resident appreciates Halloween and Christmas celebrations organised by Fizzy, we’d rather cap the rent and have water and a working lift. Priorities…

4
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
2
Management
User submitted image of  Fizzy Walthamstow, E17
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