The average house price in Waltham Forest has jumped 130% since the start of 2010
By Victoria Munro

A view of rooftops in Leytonstone (credit: James Cracknell)

Waltham Forest saw the biggest jump in house prices over the last decade of any London borough.

Data from the Office of National Statistics shows the average house price in the borough was £220,000 in 2010, compared to £505,000 at the start of this year.

While estate agents Douglas & Gordon found every London borough saw “a notable boost in property prices” over this period, of at least 66%, Waltham Forest prices had jumped by 130%.

Other boroughs with big price hikes were Barking & Dagenham, Lewisham, Newham and neighbouring Redbridge, all of which saw the price of local homes more than double.

However, all five remain some of the least expensive places to buy a house in London despite their large price jumps, with Waltham Forest the most expensive of the group.

Waltham Forest is the 20th most expensive London borough to buy a house. The average house price in the most expensive – Kensington & Chelsea – at the start of this year was more than £1.3million.

The cheapest London borough to buy a house was Barking & Dagenham, where the average price at the start of this year was £338,500.

Waltham Forest Council has previously said that the rising price of local housing makes it impossible for them to house homeless residents within the borough.

Last year, an Echo investigation found hundreds of homeless households were being ordered to move hundreds of miles away to cities like Stoke-on-Trent – or else go out onto the streets.

At the time, then-cabinet member for housing Louise Mitchell said that “rising property costs in the borough” meant housing people locally “isn’t always possible, as much as we would like it to be”.

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