Downsizing in Kennington: What You Would Actually Release
Selling at the £750,000 Kennington average and buying at £525,000 releases about £194,800 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £30,200 of it.
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to. There is no obligation.
Selling at the £750,000 Kennington average and buying at £525,000 releases about £194,800 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £30,200 of it.
Running the downsizing numbers in Kennington
Start with the gap. Selling at £750,000 and buying at 70% of that, £525,000, leaves £225,000 before costs. Costs are the part people underestimate.
Agent fees at 1.5% are £11,250. Stamp duty on the purchase is £16,250. Total £30,200, leaving £194,800 in hand.
Where the sale proceeds go
The commercial page for this town sets out the introduction itself: Equity release in Kennington.
Moving or borrowing, compared honestly
A lifetime mortgage at 65 on the same property would release about £255,000. Downsizing nets £194,800. The difference is that downsizing costs you the house, and equity release costs you the estate.
Over twenty years that £255,000 release grows to roughly £898,529. The downsizing figure does not grow at all, because there is no debt.
The parts of downsizing that are not financial
Council tax follows the property, not the person. Band D in Kennington is £1,967, and a smaller home may sit in a lower band. Check the band before you offer, not after.
Downsizing works best when you are not in a hurry.
What a move within Kennington looks like
The schools families ask about here are Walnut Tree Walk Primary School, Vauxhall Primary School, Archbishop Sumner CofE Primary School and Ashmole Primary School. 2 local schools were rated Good or Outstanding overall at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection. Ratings age between inspections, so read the latest report before you rely on one.
On getting about: Kennington to Waterloo takes about 5 min.
By price, Kennington ranks 93 of the 320 London locations we cover, at £750,000 against a county average of £732,469.
Moving within London rather than out of it keeps you near family and known services. The average price across the county towns we cover is £732,469, against £750,000 here.
Is Kennington right to stay in?
Kennington is a historic, elegant, densely built inner-south-London district minutes from Westminster.
The full local guide covers schools, transport and the market in detail: Kennington property and area guide.
- A historic, elegant inner-London district
- Northern line, plus Oval & Vauxhall close by
- Minutes from Westminster, the City & South Bank
- The Oval, Kennington Park & Cleaver Square
- Duchy of Cornwall Georgian terraces
- A sought-after Zone 1/2 district at central-London prices
- Mostly flats & mansion blocks, not family houses
- Dense, busy inner London with traffic & noise
- Congestion Charge, ULEZ & permit parking apply
- Conservation & listing rules limit alterations
| Who it suits | Out of five | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Downsizers | ★★★★☆ | Elegant Georgian and Regency flats and period conversions, and the character of Cleaver Square and the Duchy estate, suit downsizers wanting central culture, walkability and connectivity, with lease and service-charge questions to weigh on a flat. |
| Professionals | ★★★★★ | A superb central base, Kennington on the Northern line (Charing Cross and Bank branches), Oval and Vauxhall close by, and Westminster, the City and the South Bank minutes away, ideal for young professionals wanting to be in the thick of it. |
| Buy-to-let landlords | ★★★★★ | Strong, reliable rental demand from professionals and government/parliamentary workers, a Zone 1/2 location and excellent transport make Kennington a long-standing buy-to-let and investor favourite, subject to the usual lending and licensing checks. |
| Property developers & investors | ★★★★☆ | Period conversions, mansion blocks and a steady pipeline of new-build flats near Vauxhall and Nine Elms offer investor and refurbishment opportunities in a central, in-demand district, though entry prices are high. |
| Families | ★★★☆☆ | Good local primaries (Walnut Tree Walk and Vauxhall Primary are Good) and green space at Kennington Park help, but this is a dense, central district of mostly flats and mansion blocks, house-and-garden family space is scarce and at a premium. |
Kennington is known locally for The Oval (Kia Oval). The Kia Oval, home of Surrey County Cricket Club since 1845 and venue of the first Test match in England in 1880, one of the world's great cricket grounds and the defining landmark of Kennington.
Practical detail for Kennington: the SE11 postcode district, Kennington (Northern line, Zone 1/2, Charing Cross & Bank branches, Battersea extension); Oval (Northern) & Vauxhall (Victoria line + National Rail) close by and nearest A and E is St Thomas' (Westminster Bridge) or King's College (Denmark Hill), verify with NHS.
Kennington has history behind the price. In Medieval & Tudor, Low-lying common land, market gardens and river approaches in north Lambeth, with Kennington Common a place of public gathering.
Kennington at a glance
| Downsizing line | Kennington figure |
|---|---|
| Sale price, local average | £750,000 |
| Purchase at 70% of value | £525,000 |
| Estate agent at 1.5% | £11,250 |
| Stamp duty on purchase | £16,250 |
| Legal and moving | £2,700 |
| Total costs | £30,200 |
| Net released | £194,800 |
| Lifetime mortgage alternative at 65 | £255,000 |
Figures are local averages used for illustration. Confirm your own numbers before acting on them.
Ask about Kennington
Three details is all we need. You are told before anything is passed to a partner firm.
Your checklist
- A real valuation of your home, not the £750,000 average
- The council tax band of the property you are buying
- Total moving costs of about £30,200
- The equity release comparison, in writing, before you decide
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to. There is no obligation.
Check broadband before you make an offer in Kennington
Broadband speeds can vary street by street in Kennington, so check the exact address before you commit. Ofcom's free checker shows which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available at any UK property.
We can introduce you to a specialist who can combine your mobile, broadband and utilities into one bill. There's no fee for the introduction.
We don't provide these services ourselves. Switching household bills is not a regulated financial service, so FCA protections and the Financial Ombudsman do not apply. We'll only pass your details to the specialist if you ask us to. See our privacy notice.
Questions people ask
How much would I release by downsizing in Kennington?
Is downsizing better than equity release?
What are the costs of moving?
How do I check broadband speed at a property in Kennington?
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