Surrey Quays or Harefield: Which Is Better Value?
Surrey Quays 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 £78 more council tax at Band D.
Surrey Quays 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 £78 more 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 £975,000 against £610,000.
Surrey Quays against Harefield
Town guides for each: Mortgage advice in Surrey Quays 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 1 in Surrey Quays. Counting last graded Ofsted inspections (before September 2024), Surrey Quays 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 £1,967 in Surrey Quays and £2,045 in Harefield, a difference of £78 a year.
The honest verdict
Harefield is cheaper to buy on these figures. Surrey Quays 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.
Surrey Quays
In its favour- A regenerated, green, waterside district
- Overground plus the Jubilee line at Canada Water
- The docks, marina, woodland & Surrey Docks Farm
- The major Canada Water regeneration
- A flat-dominated market at London prices
- Houses are scarce and pricier
- Most homes are leasehold (lease & service-charge checks)
- Some new blocks carry cladding / EWS1 questions
Best for Professionals ★★★★★
The Overground at Surrey Quays and the Jubilee line at Canada Water (fast into Canary Wharf, London Bridge, Waterloo and the West End), plus a green, waterside setting and the Canada Water regeneration, make this a strong base for young professionals.
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.
Surrey Quays and Harefield, side by side
| Measure | Surrey Quays | Harefield |
|---|---|---|
| Average property price | £650,000 | £625,000 |
| Average detached | £975,000 | £610,000 |
| 10% deposit | £65,000 | £62,500 |
| Illustrative monthly payment | £3,420 | £3,288 |
| Band D council tax | £1,967 | £2,045 |
| Outstanding rated schools | 1 | 2 |
| Good rated schools | 2 | 2 |
Local averages used for illustration. Confirm your own figures before acting.
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Questions people ask
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