Friern Barnet or Harefield: Which Is Better Value?
Friern Barnet averages £650,000 against £625,000 in Harefield, a gap of £25,000 or 4%. You would need £2,500 more deposit and about £132 a month more on a repayment mortgage at an assumed 5% over 25 years. Harefield charges £87 less council tax at Band D.
Friern Barnet averages £650,000 against £625,000 in Harefield, a gap of £25,000 or 4%. You would need £2,500 more deposit and about £132 a month more on a repayment mortgage at an assumed 5% over 25 years. Harefield charges £87 less council tax at Band D.
Price and deposit
The headline gap is £25,000, or 4%. On a 10% deposit that is £2,500 more cash to find before you start. Detached homes average £950,000 against £610,000.
Friern Barnet against Harefield
Town guides for each: Mortgage advice in Friern Barnet and Mortgage advice in Harefield.
Schools and families
Harefield holds its own on schools, with 2 graded Outstanding at their last graded Ofsted inspection (before September 2024) against 0 in Friern Barnet. Counting last graded Ofsted inspections (before September 2024), Friern Barnet has 3 schools and Harefield has 4 schools graded Good or better.
A strong catchment in the cheaper town can cost more than an average street in the dearer one. Compare catchments, not averages.
Running costs and getting to work
Band D council tax is £2,133 in Friern Barnet and £2,045 in Harefield, a difference of £87 a year.
The honest verdict
Harefield is cheaper to buy on these figures. Friern Barnet carries the higher price and, on this data, not the stronger school profile.
Neither is right in the abstract. If the deposit is your constraint, the £2,500 difference matters more than anything else here. If catchment is the constraint, price follows the school you need.
What each town is actually like
Price is one axis. These are the things people move for, and the things they find out afterwards.
Friern Barnet
In its favour- An established, leafy, relatively good-value Barnet suburb
- Piccadilly, Great Northern & Northern lines all nearby
- Good local schools
- Friary Park, Halliwick Park & the New River path
- No Underground station of its own
- You rely on stations a walk or bus away
- Traffic and noise on the North Circular (A406)
- London prices for the space
Best for Families ★★★★☆
Good local schools (Friern Barnet School is Good; St John's CofE and Holly Park are Good primaries), Friary Park and Halliwick Park, Edwardian and interwar family houses and a relatively accessible Barnet price, a strong family suburb, though Barnet is competitive for places.
Harefield
In its favour- A genuinely rural Hillingdon village
- Green belt, the Colne Valley, the canal & lakes
- More house & garden for the money
- The world-famous Harefield Hospital & ANZAC heritage
- No railway or Underground station in the village
- Life leans heavily on the car
- The nearest general A&E is a drive away (Uxbridge)
- Harefield Hospital is specialist, not an A&E
Best for Families ★★★★☆
A Good primary (Harefield Infant and Junior), the village secondary (Harefield School) and Outstanding schools a short drive away in Ickenham (Breakspear and Vyners), plus green belt, the Colne Valley, Bayhurst Wood and space to roam, a strong rural family village, though you drive to a wider choice of schools and the station.
Friern Barnet and Harefield, side by side
| Measure | Friern Barnet | Harefield |
|---|---|---|
| Average property price | £650,000 | £625,000 |
| Average detached | £950,000 | £610,000 |
| 10% deposit | £65,000 | £62,500 |
| Illustrative monthly payment | £3,420 | £3,288 |
| Band D council tax | £2,133 | £2,045 |
| Outstanding rated schools | 0 | 2 |
| Good rated schools | 3 | 2 |
Local averages used for illustration. Confirm your own figures before acting.
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Questions people ask
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