Westminster · report
Empty homes in Westminster
23.1% of the 128,912 homes counted in the 2021 census had nobody usually living in them.
- Empty, 2021 census
- 23.1%
- Empty homes
- 29,775
Against the wider area
Share of homes standing empty in the 2021 census.
| Area | Empty |
|---|---|
| Westminster | 23.1% |
| London | 7.3% |
| England | 5.4% |
In England and Wales the census counts a dwelling as vacant when nobody usually lives in it and it is not a second home, checked against council tax and other records. Northern Ireland counts household spaces with no usual residents, second homes included, so its share reads higher. Scotland's 2022 census did not count empty homes. The next census is in 2031.
Other reports for Westminster
Sale prices have an 80% chance of landing between £666,477 and £1,000,614 by August 2027.
- Expected, August 2027
- £833,546
- Chance of a rise
- 34%
At the average sale price, a home costs £887,206. With 10% down and a 30-year mortgage, the payment is £4,093 a month. The UK sets no cap on the payment; no more than 15% of new mortgages may lend over 4.5 times income.
- Payment, two incomes
- 47%
- Payment, one income
- 93%
Renting the average home costs less each month than owning it. Owning counts interest, running costs and the return the deposit could earn, at the average sale price; rent is the average of all private tenancies. Repaying the loan is saving, so it is left out.
- Rent per month
- £3,209
- Owning per month
- £4,177
43.2% fewer homes were started in the last 12 months than in an average year of the past decade.
- Started, 12 months
- 120
- Per 1,000 residents
- 0.6
Figures for United Kingdom: Westminster has no reliable figures of its own.
Buyers living abroad bought 1.8% of the homes sold here in the four quarters to Q1 2025.
- Bought by buyers abroad, 12 months
- 1.8%
Sale prices have fallen by 3% or more 18 times since 1995. The deepest began in January 2023.
- Deepest fall
- −29.1%
- Recovery from the low
- Not yet
In 2025 the population fell by 3,247 while 160 homes were finished.
- Homes finished, 2025
- 160
- Population change, 2025
- −3,247
In 2025, 19% of the homes added came from existing buildings rather than new ones.
- Homes from existing buildings, 2025
- 19%