A month on, Battersea's cladding queue hasn't moved

Last week I asked whether you should buy a modern flat now in Battersea. The new government cladding figures came out on 28 October, so I went straight to the Wandsworth line. Short answer: nothing has moved.

So what's happening?

The cold hard facts, from the government's September building safety release (figures to 30 September):

• Across England, 4,732 buildings of 11 metres and over with unsafe cladding are now being monitored, eight more than in August.
• 2,621 of them (55%) have started or finished works. 1,878 (40%) are finished, up from 1,849 (39%) a month earlier.
• In Wandsworth, which covers Battersea and Nine Elms, there are still between 101 and 200 buildings on the list: 43% finished, 8% under way and 50% not started. In August it was 43%, 8% and 49%.

So England creeps forward, with 29 more buildings finished in a month. Wandsworth's finished share hasn't budged, and half the borough's listed buildings still haven't started work.

But what does it mean for Battersea?

Stuck buildings make nervous buyers. And nervous first-time buyers don't pick through a block flat by flat. They walk away from the whole building.

That's the mistake. Right now I'm seeing it on the patch: a good flat, a decent lease, a sensible service charge, and the buyer is gone the moment the word cladding comes up. That's my own observation, not a statistic. But that's exactly where value is being left on the table, because not every block on that list is the same. Some are fixed. Some are funded. Some genuinely are an open question. The trick is telling them apart.

Fixed, funded or open question?

Three things to ask before you fall in love, or walk away.

• The EWS1 form. It isn't a safety certificate and it isn't a legal requirement. It's a form lenders and valuers may ask for, to judge whether work on the outside walls could affect value. If the building has one, ask what it says and when it was done. If your lender wants one and there isn't one, expect delays.
• Who's paying. Ask the managing agent or freeholder which route the building is in: the developer, the Building Safety Fund, the Cladding Safety Scheme or the ACM programme. Lenders who signed up to the industry statement on cladding will lend on 11 metre plus buildings where the work is being done by the developer or through a government-funded scheme, or where the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act apply, backed by a leaseholder deed of certificate.
• When work starts. Funded isn't finished. Get a start date and a finish date in writing.

Fixed, or funded with dates, and you're buying a flat. No EWS1, no scheme and no dates, and you're buying an open question. Price it that way, or don't buy.

Watch 5 November

The Bank of England's next rate decision is on 5 November. In September it held Bank Rate at 3.75%, and three of the nine committee members voted for a rise. If rates ease, the first-time buyers who walked away come back. If they don't, they stay on the sidelines and flat prices stay soft for longer.

Either way, the buyers who've done the homework go first. They already know which blocks are fixed, which are funded and which are open questions, and their offers are in before the crowd turns up.

My take

Wandsworth is stuck, but stuck isn't the same as hopeless. Don't buy a block on its brochure, and don't bin a block on a headline. Ask the three questions, get the answers in writing and let your solicitor and lender check them. This isn't financial advice, so take independent advice, of course.

The next government figures land on 25 November. I'll be checking the Wandsworth line again.

Are you looking at a Battersea or Nine Elms flat with a cladding question hanging over it, or sitting in one waiting for a start date? I'd genuinely like to hear how it's going. Drop me a line at jeroen@claphampropertyblog.com or call 07837 093554.

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Sources: MHCLG Building Safety Remediation monthly data release, September 2026 (28 October 2026) and August 2026 (30 September 2026); MHCLG, Understanding fire risk appraisals of external walls in blocks of flats; MHCLG, Building Safety Fund: information for leaseholders and residents; UK Finance, Industry statement on cladding; Bank of England Monetary Policy Summary (17 September 2026).

Your First Home: a 2.5% deposit scheme - but will it help first-time buyers in Clapham, Brixton and Streatham?

A 2.5% deposit. For first-time buyers in South London that sounds too good to be true. So what did the Budget actually confirm?

So what's happening?

The government has confirmed a new £4.7 billion equity loan scheme called Your First Home. It aims to help around 70,000 households in England onto the ladder. What GOV.UK has published so far:

• You put down a deposit of at least 2.5%, up to a maximum of 15%.
• The government lends you 20% of the price as an equity loan.
• The rest is a repayment mortgage from a participating lender.
• The equity loan is interest free for five years, then 1.5% in year six and 3% from year seven.
• Household income must be £140,000 or less in London (£110,000 elsewhere).
• Price caps are £650,000 in inner London and £500,000 in outer London.
• It's for first-time buyers, for your main home, and only for new-build homes from developers signed up to the scheme.

Pre-registration opens by the end of December 2026, full applications from February 2027 and the first loans from April 2027.

The cold hard facts

Bear in mind it's an equity loan, not free money. If you borrow 20%, you pay back 20% of what the home is worth when you repay. GOV.UK's own example: buy at £300,000, borrow £60,000, and if the home is later valued at £320,000 you repay £64,000.

On a £500,000 new-build flat, that works out as:

• Deposit (2.5%): £12,500
• Equity loan (20%): £100,000
• Mortgage: £387,500

You still need to pass the lender's affordability checks, of course.

But what does it mean for Clapham, Brixton and Streatham?

You see, here's the thing. Most of what first-time buyers buy round here is second-hand: period conversions off Abbeville Road, flats on Brixton Hill, mansion blocks in Streatham. None of that qualifies. This is a new-build scheme, full stop.

Where it could matter is new-build in Battersea and Nine Elms, plus the odd new block in Brixton or Streatham, if the developer signs up and the price sits under the cap. Lambeth and Wandsworth should count as inner London, but the full list of local caps isn't published yet, so I'd wait for that before getting excited.

Two more Budget changes worth knowing

• Since 29 October 2026, you can use a Lifetime ISA on a home above the £450,000 cap with a 20% withdrawal charge instead of 25%. That's a real help in SW4, where £450,000 doesn't go far.
• From April 2029, a new First Time Buyer ISA replaces the Lifetime ISA for new savers: up to £4,000 a year, a 25% bonus and no upper age limit.

My take

It's a genuine leg-up for buyers who'd happily take a new-build flat. But it does nothing for the period stock most people in Clapham and Brixton actually want, and an equity loan that grows with your home's value is a debt you'll need a plan to repay. Take independent advice first.

So there you have it. Would you buy a new-build to get on the ladder with just 2.5% down, or hold out for a period flat? Drop me a line at jeroen@claphampropertyblog.com or call 07837 093554.

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Sources: GOV.UK, Budget 2026 and "Your First Home" guidance (MHCLG), 28 October 2026.

Tenants told to 'flood' rent tribunals: a backdoor rent freeze that could backfire on Clapham and Battersea renters

Let me say it straight. Telling tenants to challenge every rent rise, fair or not, isn't tenant protection. It's gaming the system, and in Clapham and Battersea it's renters who'll end up paying for it.

What's actually happening?

Under the Renters' Rights Act, in force since May, landlords can raise the rent only once a year, and tenants can challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal for £47. While the case runs, the tenant keeps paying the old rent.

The Telegraph reported last week that renters' unions in Oxford, London and Manchester are urging tenants to challenge rises even when they can afford them. Oxford Renters Union says decisions are taking five to six months. The more people apply, it says, the longer everyone pays the lower rent.

The case campaigners love

In Manchester, a landlord asked to go from £1,650 to £1,700 a month. The tribunal looked at the market evidence and set £1,450 instead. That's £2,400 a year less, not £600 more. The housing minister shared it on X as an example of the system working.

And in a way, it was. If the evidence says the rent is too high, the tenant should win. Propertymark's research shows tribunals weigh floor areas and room sizes differently by region, and outstanding repairs count against the landlord. Tired flats at top-of-the-market rents deserve to be challenged.

Where I part company with the campaigners

A safeguard against silly rent hikes is one thing. Clogging it up on purpose to create a backdoor rent freeze is another. The NRLA calls it using "the frailty in the system", and that's exactly what it is.

Here's the local maths. In my experience, a typical two-bed in Clapham and Battersea rents for around £2,500 a month. Say a landlord proposes a modest £75 rise, 3%. If a tactical challenge drags on for six months, that's £450 they never get back, even if the rise was fair all along.

Some landlords will shrug. Others will sell. Supply around here is tight enough already, and every flat that leaves the rental market means more people chasing fewer homes. That's the real cost of flooding the tribunals, and it lands on the next renter, not the landlord.

There's another catch. A system jammed with tactical cases is slower for the tenant facing a genuinely unfair jump, the very person it was built for.

Who wins and who loses?

• Renters facing an above-market rise: challenge it. That's what the tribunal is for.
• Fair landlords with the place in good repair: little to fear, but expect delay.
• Landlords chasing top rents on tired flats: most exposed, and rightly so.

What I'd do now

1. Build an evidence file before you serve the notice: three or four genuinely comparable lets, same size, same condition, same area.
2. Fix any outstanding repairs first.
3. Talk to your tenant before the paperwork. A modest, explained rise is far less likely to be challenged.

The good news? The Tenancy Deposit Scheme found 50% of landlords kept rents unchanged over the past 12 months, up from 39%. Plenty already prefer keeping a good tenant to squeezing one.

Over to you

Fair play or an own goal? Landlord or renter, I'd genuinely like to hear your view. Drop me a line at jeroen@claphampropertyblog.com or call 07837 093554.

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Sources: The Telegraph, Property118, Landlord Law Newsround, Propertymark, Tenancy Deposit Scheme via Letting Agent Today and Property Reporter.

Landlord licensing is changing again. I'm not waiting to find out the hard way

Landlord licensing in South London has changed a lot in the last two years, and it's about to change again. So this week, rather than waiting for a letter from the council to land on a landlord's doormat, I got on the front foot.

What's changing?

A quick recap of where my patch stands:

• Lambeth extended selective licensing to Clapham, Brixton, Stockwell and Kennington in September 2025, so it now covers every ward except Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank. Its borough-wide additional HMO scheme, for shared houses, is due to end on 8 December 2026, and I couldn't find a replacement on the council's website.
• Wandsworth started selective licensing in Furzedown, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway and South Balham in July 2025, and added Northcote, East Putney and West Putney in April 2026. The council has confirmed to me that no further wards have been announced. Shared houses with up to four sharers now need an additional licence anywhere in the borough.
• Southwark covers 19 wards, including most of Peckham and East Dulwich. The council has confirmed its fees are £945 for a selective licence and £1,433 for an additional licence. The current scheme runs until 2027, and a replacement will start from the day it expires.
• Lewisham has had selective licensing across most of the borough since July 2024, and the council has told me its additional HMO scheme carries on for the foreseeable future.

Fees run from about £640 to over £1,500, and in Lambeth the penalties for getting it wrong include a fine of up to £40,000 and having to pay back up to 24 months' rent. That is not a letter anyone wants to open.

So what have I done?

Two things.

First, I've written to the licensing teams at Lambeth, Wandsworth, Southwark and Lewisham. I've asked each one what happens next: are schemes being renewed, are new wards coming in, are fees changing, and what happens to licences that run past the end of a scheme.

Second, I'm writing to every landlord I look after in Lambeth and Wandsworth. Each one will hear where their property stands under their council's scheme, and that I'm already chasing the council for answers on their behalf.

No landlord of mine should have to find out from a council enforcement officer that the rules changed.

Why bother?

Here's the thing. Most of this isn't strictly my job. A landlord holds their own licence. But a good agent spots what's coming before it becomes a problem, and these schemes are exactly the kind of thing a busy landlord with one or two flats can easily miss.

That's the difference between an agent who collects rent and one who actually looks after your investment.

What happens next?

Wandsworth, Lewisham and Southwark have already replied, and the details above reflect what they told me. Lambeth is still due. As soon as they reply, I'll update my landlords, and I'll share what I learn here too. If you're a landlord in Clapham, Brixton, Battersea, Peckham or Lewisham and you're not sure whether your let is licensed, or whether your licence is about to be caught out by a scheme ending, I'm happy to take a look. No strings attached.

So there you have it. The rules keep moving, and I'd rather be a step ahead than a step behind.

As always, are you a landlord who isn't sure where your property stands? I'd genuinely like to hear how it's playing out on your street. Drop me a line at jeroen@claphampropertyblog.com or call 07837 093554.

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Sources: Lambeth Council, Selective Licensing Scheme and additional licensing designation notice; Wandsworth Council, Check if you need a property licence; Southwark Council, Private rented property licensing pages; Lewisham Council, Selective licensing page; email replies from Wandsworth Council (Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth regulatory services), Lewisham Council and Southwark Council's licensing team, October 2026. All accessed 23 October 2026.

Most first-time buyers now pay more than they did in rent: is buying in Clapham, Brixton or Streatham still worth it?

For years the maths was simple. Saving the deposit was the hard part, but once you had the keys, your mortgage was usually cheaper than your rent. Not any more.

The cold hard facts

Hamptons, using Connells Group data, found that 56% of first-time buyers who bought in September took on a mortgage payment higher than the rent they left behind. That's the highest share in at least a decade, up from 33% in September 2022.

• The average first-time buyer's mortgage payment was £1,227 a month, £39 (8.6%) more than their old rent.
• Those paying more had borrowed at an average 91% loan-to-value, a 9% deposit. Those paying less had a 17% deposit.
• Buyers in their 40s paid 18.2% more than their old rent. Buyers in their 20s still paid 7.5% less.

Why? Mortgage rates. Since the conflict in the Middle East pushed up swap rates, the average five-year fix has passed 6% for the first time in three years, according to reports. Moneyfacts says the average mortgage deal now stays on sale for just 13 days before it's pulled or repriced.

These are national figures, of course. Here, the numbers are bigger.

So what does it mean for Clapham, Brixton and Streatham?

Hamptons puts the average new let in Greater London at £2,357 a month, up 1.5% on a year ago. Renters in a one-bed off Clapham High Street or a two-bed near Brixton tube will know that number well.

Closer to home, the latest UK House Price Index puts the average price paid by a first-time buyer in Lambeth, which covers most of Clapham, Brixton and Streatham, at £474,320 in August. On rent, my own view is that a typical one-bed round here goes for £1,800 to £2,200 a month.

Who wins and who loses locally?

• Buyers with a bigger deposit (often thanks to the Bank of Mum and Dad) are still likely to pay less than rent, and they're buying in a market with more stock and more room to negotiate.
• Buyers stretching on a 5% or 10% deposit will feel the monthly pinch, at least until rates come down.
• Sellers of one and two-bed flats need to remember who their buyer is. If the monthly maths doesn't work for them, the price has to.

What I'd do now

1. Run your own numbers: mortgage, service charge and ground rent on a flat, against what you pay in rent today.
2. Get a mortgage in principle early and be ready to move fast. Deals are disappearing in under a fortnight.
3. Look at the bigger picture. Every mortgage payment chips away at a debt. Rent doesn't.

My take

The headline sounds gloomy, but I'd read it differently. Paying £39 a month more for a home you own, with security and equity building, isn't a bad deal compared with renting in London, where rents keep rising. The real squeeze is on deposits, not on the principle of buying.

And with this week's Budget and the Bank of England's next meeting in November, rates could move either way. Waiting for the perfect moment rarely works.

So there you have it. Buying costs a bit more each month than it did, but it's still building something.

Are you renting in Clapham or Brixton and wondering whether to make the jump? I'd genuinely like to hear how it's playing out on your street. Drop me a line at jeroen@claphampropertyblog.com or call 07837 093554.

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Sources: Hamptons (Connells Group data), HM Land Registry / ONS UK House Price Index (August 2026), Moneyfacts via Introducer Today, The Guardian, Property Reporter, Estate Agent Today.