Flats to Rent in Richmond upon Thames

Renting in Richmond upon Thames

Renting in Richmond upon Thames costs about what it costs across London, but living here costs more. On the ONS measure in the table above, the borough's average rent is close to the London average. One- and two-bedroom homes come in a little below London's figures, and homes with three or more bedrooms above them. Council tax is where Richmond is dear: Band D is £2,486.10 in 2026/27, the fourth highest of London's 33 council areas and about £418 a year more than the London average of £2,068 (MHCLG).

It is the only London borough on both banks of the Thames. Richmond, Kew, Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen, Ham and Petersham are on the old Surrey side; Twickenham, St Margarets, Whitton, Teddington and the Hamptons are on the Middlesex side. Most households own their home: at the 2021 Census, 62.4% were owner-occupiers, 24.7% rented privately and 12.1% rented from a council or housing association, among about 195,300 residents (ONS).

Licensing

Richmond Council runs no selective or additional licensing scheme. Its HMO pages, checked on 1 October 2026, list only the national mandatory licence, for homes where five or more people from two or more households share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. So a flat or house let to one household, or to three or four sharers, needs no council licence here; the national rules on deposits and safety certificates still apply.

Aircraft, the river and the bridge

Heathrow is a few miles west, in Hillingdon, and which part of the borough hears it depends on the wind. For about three-quarters of an average year the wind is from the west or south-west and aircraft land over Barnes, Kew, Richmond and Sheen. When it blows from the east, the noise falls mainly on Twickenham, Teddington, Whitton and Hampton (Richmond Council). View a home at more than one time of day before you commit to it.

Below Teddington Lock the Thames is tidal. If a home is close to the river, look up its address on GOV.UK's long-term flood risk service and ask the landlord whether the building has flooded. Barnes and Castelnau have lost their direct road link north: Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since April 2019. In July 2026 Hammersmith & Fulham Council dropped its plan to reopen it to vehicles, finding no affordable way to strengthen it, and will seek funding for a cheaper repair for walking and cycling. It is open to people walking and cycling.

The neighbourhoods

Richmond town and Richmond Hill

Richmond station, in Zone 4, is a western terminus of both the District line and the Mildmay line (London Overground). South Western Railway trains on the Reading line also stop there on the way to Waterloo. The town centre wraps around Richmond Green; on the adjoining Little Green, Richmond Theatre, a Grade II* listed Frank Matcham building, opened in 1899. Richmond Hill climbs from the riverside towards Richmond Park, and the view from the top over the river has been protected since the Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act 1902. Richmond suits people who want the tube, fast trains to Waterloo and the park within walking distance of each other; it sits under the main westerly approach to Heathrow.

Kew

Kew Gardens station, in Zones 3 and 4, has the District and Mildmay lines, and a Grade II listed footbridge from 1912 crosses its tracks. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003, covers 326 acres between Kew Green and the river; Kew Palace is inside its walls. The National Archives is in Kew too. Like Richmond, Kew is under the westerly landing path.

Barnes and Castelnau

Barnes is in a loop of the Thames. Barnes station, in Zone 3, and Barnes Bridge have South Western Railway trains to Waterloo via Putney and Clapham Junction; there is no tube. WWT London Wetland Centre was made from four disused Victorian reservoirs, opened in May 2000 and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. St Paul's School and the Harrodian, both independent, are in Barnes. Barnes has two drawbacks: the closed road bridge to Hammersmith, and landing noise for much of the year.

Mortlake and East Sheen

Mortlake and North Sheen stations are on the line between Richmond and Waterloo. The Boat Race from Putney finishes at Mortlake, near Chiswick Bridge. East Sheen's shops run along the Upper Richmond Road West, and Richmond Park's Sheen Gate is at the southern end of Sheen Lane. Richmond Park Academy is the state secondary in East Sheen. There is no tube station in Mortlake or East Sheen; from Mortlake the nearest is Kew Gardens, then Richmond.

Ham and Petersham

Ham and Petersham have no railway station: the 65 and 371 buses run to Richmond and Kingston, and the K5 to Kingston. Ham House, built in 1610 and owned by the National Trust since 1948, stands by the river at Ham, and Petersham Nurseries is next to Petersham's church. Ham Gate Avenue runs east from Ham Common to Richmond Park's Ham Gate. Grey Court School is in Ham and the German School London is in Petersham. Without a car or a bike, a commute from Ham or Petersham starts with a bus or a long walk to a station.

Twickenham, St Margarets, Strawberry Hill and Whitton

Twickenham, St Margarets, Strawberry Hill and Whitton stations have South Western Railway trains to Waterloo. Twickenham Stadium, called Allianz Stadium Twickenham since 2024, is on Whitton Road. The Rugby Football Union owns it and England play their home matches there, so expect crowds on the roads and trains around it on match and concert days. On the river are Eel Pie Island and Marble Hill, a Palladian villa run by English Heritage.

Strawberry Hill House, Horace Walpole's Gothic Revival villa, is next to St Mary's University, and Richmond upon Thames College is in Twickenham. Orleans Park, Waldegrave, Richmond upon Thames School and St Richard Reynolds Catholic College are in Twickenham, and Turing House and Twickenham School in Whitton. Easterly winds bring aircraft noise here.

Teddington and Hampton Wick

Teddington Weir, by Teddington Lock, is the lowest weir on the Thames and marks the river's usual tidal limit. Teddington and Hampton Wick stations have South Western Railway trains to Waterloo, and Hampton Wick, in Zone 6, is just over Kingston Bridge from Kingston town centre. The National Physical Laboratory is in Teddington, and Bushy Park is on the town's southern edge. Teddington School is the local state secondary.

Hampton and Hampton Hill

Hampton Court Palace is in the borough, but Hampton Court station is across the bridge in East Molesey, Surrey, with South Western Railway trains to Waterloo via Wimbledon. Hampton and Fulwell stations are in Zone 6 too. Bushy Park, the second largest of London's Royal Parks at about 1,100 acres, lies north of the palace; Wren designed its Chestnut Avenue as the approach to Hampton Court. Hampton High is a state secondary, and Hampton School and Lady Eleanor Holles are independent schools in Hampton.

Getting around

Only two stations in the borough have the tube: Richmond and Kew Gardens, both on the District line, which runs via Hammersmith and Earl's Court to Victoria and Westminster. The Mildmay line (London Overground) runs from the same two stations to Willesden Junction, Highbury & Islington and Stratford. Everywhere else depends on South Western Railway to Waterloo, much of it through Clapham Junction, and fares rise from Zone 3 in Barnes to Zone 6 in the Hamptons. There is no Elizabeth line station in the borough. Check your commute on the TfL Journey Planner at the time you would travel before you sign.

Schools

The borough has 11 state secondary schools: Christ's School (Richmond), Grey Court (Ham), Hampton High, Orleans Park, Richmond Park Academy (East Sheen), Richmond upon Thames School, St Richard Reynolds Catholic College, Teddington School, Turing House, Twickenham School and Waldegrave (girls, with a mixed sixth form). Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade, so read each school's latest report and its admissions criteria. Academies, free schools and faith schools set their own admissions rules, and living near a popular primary for a short tenancy does not guarantee a place.

Parks and open space

Richmond Park is the largest of the Royal Parks, a National Nature Reserve where about 600 red and fallow deer roam freely (Royal Parks). Bushy Park also has red and fallow deer. Beyond the two Royal Parks the borough has Kew Gardens (paid entry), the Wetland Centre in Barnes (paid entry), Ham Common, Richmond Green and the Thames Path, which has a route on each bank from Teddington Lock downstream.

Safety

Crime figures for a whole borough say little about one street. Look up the street you are considering on police.uk, which maps reported crime month by month, and compare it with the streets around it.

Who it suits

Richmond upon Thames suits renters who want a house or a large flat near one of the Royal Parks or the river, and who work in west London or near Waterloo. One- and two-bedroom rents here are close to London's averages, and homes with three or more bedrooms cost more than London's; add the council tax, which is higher than in all but three London council areas. It suits less well anyone who commutes to Canary Wharf or east London, needs the tube outside Richmond and Kew, or is sensitive to aircraft noise, which reaches different parts of the borough depending on the wind.

Useful links

Richmond Council: richmond.gov.uk (council tax, HMO licensing, school admissions, Heathrow noise)
Flood risk: gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk
Crime by street: police.uk
Journeys: tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey
Richmond Park and Bushy Park: royalparks.org.uk

The listings above are homes and rooms advertised by their landlords in Richmond upon Thames now. If you are looking at a shared house for five or more people, ask the landlord for its HMO licence number, and check which station, and which fare zone, is nearest.