Downsizing in North Kensington: What You Would Actually Release
Selling at the £750,000 North Kensington 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 North Kensington average and buying at £525,000 releases about £194,800 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £30,200 of it.
What a North Kensington move actually releases
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 North Kensington.
Downsizing against releasing equity
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.
Bands, stock and timing
Council tax follows the property, not the person. Band D in North Kensington is £1,643, 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.
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.
What a move within North Kensington looks like
The schools families ask about here are Kensington Aldridge Academy, Oxford Gardens Primary School, Barlby Primary School, St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College and Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School. 4 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: Ladbroke Grove to Paddington takes about 6 min.
By price, North Kensington ranks 96 of the 320 London locations we cover, at £750,000 against a county average of £732,469. Band D council tax here is £1,643, against an average of £2,121 across the towns we cover in the county.
Is North Kensington right to stay in?
North Kensington is a genuinely mixed, characterful neighbourhood of Victorian terraces, market streets and large estates.
The full local guide covers schools, transport and the market in detail: North Kensington property and area guide.
- A Royal Borough address at a genuinely lower price
- One of the lowest Band D council tax bills in England
- Outstanding secondary school and Good primaries
- Exceptional markets and food shopping
- Four stations on three Tube lines within reach
- Character, tenure and price change sharply street by street
- Higher crime rates than the south of the borough
- Family houses are concentrated in the conservation areas
- Noise and air quality beneath and beside the Westway
- The Circle and H&C lines are less frequent than deep-level lines
| Who it suits | Out of five | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Professionals | ★★★★☆ | Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines put Paddington, the West End and the City within a direct train, with Kensal Green adding the Bakerloo line, at prices well below the rest of the Royal Borough. |
| Property developers & investors | ★★★★☆ | A deep rental market, a wide spread between ex-local-authority and conservation-area stock, and long-running regeneration at Wornington Green all create opportunity, though lender criteria on high-rise and ex-local-authority flats are a real constraint. |
| Families | ★★★☆☆ | Strong schools, Kensington Aldridge Academy is Outstanding, Oxford Gardens and Barlby are Good primaries, plus Kensington Memorial Park and the Westway sports centre; but family houses are concentrated in the conservation areas and priced accordingly, and character varies sharply street by street. |
| First-time buyers | ★★★☆☆ | One of the more realistic ways into a Royal Borough postcode, with one-bedroom flats from around £400,000 and a very low council tax bill, but that is still a central London price, and ex-local-authority and high-rise flats can narrow the lender pool considerably. |
| Second-home buyers | ★★☆☆☆ | Well connected and characterful, but this is a working, residential neighbourhood rather than a pied-a-terre market, second-home buyers in the Royal Borough almost always look further south, and RBKC charges a higher rate of council tax on second homes. |
North Kensington is known locally for Trellick Tower, and Portobello Road Market (north end). Erno Goldfinger's 31-storey block of 1972 on Golborne Road, with its distinctive detached service tower, once notorious, Grade II* listed since 1998, and now one of the most recognisable and sought-after buildings in west London.
Practical detail for North Kensington: the W10 (running into W11 to the south) postcode district, Ladbroke Grove & Latimer Road (Circle & Hammersmith & City, Zone 2); Westbourne Park nearby; Kensal Green (Bakerloo & Overground) and nearest A and E is St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, verify with NHS.
North Kensington has history behind the price. In To the 1840s, Open land of brickfields, potteries and market gardens on the edge of London; the Potteries and Piggeries at Notting Dale are among the capital's worst slums.
North Kensington at a glance
| Downsizing line | North Kensington 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 North Kensington
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 North Kensington
Broadband speeds can vary street by street in North Kensington, 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 North Kensington?
Is downsizing better than equity release?
What are the costs of moving?
How do I check broadband speed at a property in North Kensington?
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