I cover all of Bexley as an accredited domestic energy assessor: Bexley Village (DA5), Bexleyheath and Barnehurst (DA6, DA7), Erith and Slade Green (DA8), Sidcup, Blackfen and Lamorbey (DA14, DA15), Welling and Falconwood (DA16), Belvedere (DA17), and the Bexley side of Thamesmead and Abbey Wood. There is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London, and for the outer boroughs booking a day or two ahead gives the widest choice of times.
| Households (2021 census) | 95,300 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 15.3% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 68.6% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 14.7% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 24.7% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 1.8% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 75.3% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 67, band D (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 45% (London 58%) |
| Selective licence | Belvedere ward only, 13 January 2025 to 12 January 2030 |
| Mandatory HMO licence | 5 or more people, anywhere in the borough |
| Households in a semi-detached house | 44.2%, the highest share in London |
Sources: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics, tables TS054 (tenure) and TS044 (accommodation type) via Nomis; London means the 33 local authorities added together. Licensing: Bexley Council’s “Guide to property licensing”, checked 22 October 2026. EPC figures: ONS, “Energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales” (28 October 2025), the latest certificate for each home lodged in the ten years to March 2025, at the score when it was assessed; homes without an EPC are not counted.
Licensing in Bexley: Belvedere, and the biggest HMOs
Bexley’s licensing is narrow. Selective licensing covers Belvedere ward only, from 13 January 2025 to 12 January 2030, and there it applies to every privately rented home, including HMOs with fewer than five people. Anywhere else in the borough, a privately rented home or a smaller HMO needs no licence. An HMO with five or more people in two or more households needs a mandatory licence wherever it is, and if a building holds several licensable homes, each needs its own licence and fee.
Planning is the other thing to know. Since 24 September 2017 an Article 4 Direction has removed the permitted development right to turn a house into a small HMO of up to six people, so the council says you are likely to need planning permission and should speak to its planning team before starting work. When you apply for a licence, the council lets you upload a simple plan of the property, the electrical and gas certificates, fire alarm and emergency lighting reports, the EPC and the tenancy agreement, though it says you do not have to provide all of them. Checked on Bexley Council’s guide to property licensing on 22 October 2026.
The EPC behind a Bexley sale or let
Only 15.3% of Bexley households rent privately — the lowest share in London — and 68.6% own their home, second only to Havering. If you are selling, the EPC must be ordered before the home is marketed (sellers’ guide); if you are letting, most privately rented homes must be rated E or above unless an exemption has been registered (landlord guide). A laser-measured floor plan for the listing can be done in the same visit, from £123 with the EPC.
What the assessment looks at in a Bexley home
How homes in Bexley score today. The ONS’s latest figures use each home’s most recent EPC lodged in the ten years to March 2025. The typical (median) score here is 67, band D, against 70 across London, and 45% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 61, against 84 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 73, terraced houses at 66. How every London borough compares.
Three in four Bexley households live in a house (75.3%), and 44.2% in a semi — a higher share than anywhere else in London. Just 24.7% live in a flat.
1930s semis and the suburban estates
Much of Bexley is suburbia. Blackfen, Lamorbey and part of Falconwood came into being when estates and farmland were broken up for suburban building; Sidcup mixes large Victorian and Edwardian houses with typical 1930s suburbia; and the Bexleyheath Line of the 1880s helped estates grow around Danson Park. In a 1930s semi, the cavity walls (filled or not), the depth of loft insulation, the boiler and any extension, conservatory or loft conversion decide most of the rating, and each later addition is recorded with its own age and construction. Insulation guarantees and building control certificates help the assessment credit what has been done.
Belvedere, Erith and Thamesmead
Upper Belvedere and the old village keep much of their Victorian and Edwardian character; Erith was redeveloped from 1961, with social housing tower blocks; and Thamesmead is mainly social housing built from the mid-1960s on former marshland. For a flat in a block, the heating system and its position in the building decide most of the result.
Prices
- Domestic EPC from £69
- EPC + floor plan from £123, in one visit
- Floor plan only from £69
Guide prices for houses: £85 for two- and three-bedroom homes of 71 to 95 square metres, £90 for three-bedroom houses and compact four-bedroom homes of 96 to 110, and from £95 above that; flats from £69. Confirmed in writing before you book. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Do I need a property licence in Bexley?
Only in two cases: if the home is in Belvedere ward, where selective licensing runs from 13 January 2025 to 12 January 2030 and includes HMOs with fewer than five people, or if it is an HMO with five or more people anywhere in the borough, which needs a mandatory licence.
Do I need planning permission to turn a Bexley house into an HMO?
Probably. Since 24 September 2017 an Article 4 Direction has removed the permitted development right to change a house into a small HMO of up to six people, so the council advises speaking to its planning team before starting work.
Does Bexley want an EPC with a licence application?
It is on the council’s list of documents you can upload, along with a simple plan of the property, the electrical and gas certificates, fire alarm and emergency lighting reports and the tenancy agreement. The council says you do not have to provide all of them.
How much is an EPC for a semi-detached house in Bexley?
On the guide price list, two- and three-bedroom homes of 71 to 95 square metres are £85, and three-bedroom houses and compact four-bedroom homes of 96 to 110 square metres are £90. The exact price is confirmed in writing before you book.
How soon can you come out to Bexley?
Same-day and next-day visits are often possible, and booking a day or two ahead gives the widest choice of times. The certificate is lodged within 72 hours of the visit as standard.
Nearby
Next door: Greenwich and Bromley, with Dagenham and Romford across the river. I cover every London borough.