I cover the whole Royal Borough as an accredited domestic energy assessor: Greenwich and the Peninsula (SE10), Blackheath, Kidbrooke and Westcombe Park (SE3), Charlton (SE7), Woolwich, Plumstead and Shooters Hill (SE18), Eltham, Well Hall and New Eltham (SE9), and Thamesmead and Abbey Wood (SE28, SE2). There is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London.
| Households (2021 census) | 114,051 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 25.5% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 41.1% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 31.0% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 51.5% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 6.0% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 48.4% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 73, band C (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 65% (London 58%) |
| Selective licence (one household or 2 individuals) | Woolwich Riverside, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common, Plumstead Glyndon |
| HMO licence | 3 or 4 people: additional; 5 or more: mandatory |
| Without a licence | A fine of up to £30,000, or unlimited in court |
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: the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s “Check if you need a private rented property licence” page, 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.
Greenwich’s licences
Royal Greenwich runs three kinds of private rented property licence. A selective licence is needed to rent a home to one household or two individuals in five wards: Woolwich Riverside, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common and Plumstead Glyndon. An additional HMO licence covers smaller shared homes, with three or four people from two or more households, and a mandatory HMO licence covers five or more tenants from two or more households who share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen. A home that already holds an HMO licence does not need a selective one as well, and each property needs its own licence.
Without a licence you can be fined up to £30,000 by the council, or taken to court where the fine is unlimited, and your tenant can apply for a rent repayment order to claim back up to their last 12 months’ rent. Checked on the council’s licensing page on 22 October 2026; City Hall’s property licence checker shows the wards on a map.
The EPC for a Greenwich let
Licences come on top of the national rules, not instead of them: a home let to a household needs a valid EPC, and most privately rented homes must be rated E or above unless an exemption has been registered (landlord guide). For a shared home, the HMO guide explains when a certificate is required. A laser-measured floor plan can be done in the same visit, from £123 with the EPC.
What the assessment looks at in a Greenwich home
How homes in Greenwich 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 73, band C, against 70 across London, and 65% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 63, against 85 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 80, terraced houses at 66. How every London borough compares.
Greenwich splits almost evenly: 51.5% of households live in a flat and 48.4% in a house, most often a terrace (26.7%).
Arsenal terraces in Woolwich and Plumstead
Plumstead grew fast in the 1880s with housing for workers at the Royal Arsenal: small two-up two-down terraces near the river and the Arsenal, and larger, smarter houses uphill around Plumstead Common. Terraces of that age usually have solid walls, recorded as built unless there is evidence of insulation, while a mid-terrace house gains from its neighbours on both sides. Loft insulation, the boiler and its controls, and the windows make most of the difference.
Well Hall’s Progress Estate
In Eltham, the Progress Estate at Well Hall was built in 1915 by the government’s Office of Works for munitions workers at the Arsenal — 1,086 houses and 212 flats, described as the first and most spectacular of the government’s wartime garden suburbs — and it has been a conservation area since 1975. Changes to the outside of a house there can need permission, so check any improvement the EPC suggests with the council before planning the work.
Georgian Greenwich and the new Peninsula
Above Greenwich town centre, estates of houses went up from the Georgian period, and the Ashburnham Triangle was built mainly between 1830 and 1870. The Greenwich Peninsula, by contrast, is being substantially redeveloped with new homes — a flat finished there in the last ten years probably already has an EPC, so check its date before booking a new one.
Selling in Greenwich
41.1% of Greenwich households own their home. A sale needs an EPC ordered before the home is marketed; the sellers’ guide sets out the timing.
Prices
- Domestic EPC from £69
- EPC + floor plan from £123, in one visit
- Floor plan only from £69
Guide prices by size: £69 up to 52 square metres, which covers most one-bedroom flats, £75 for two bedrooms, £85 for two- and three-bedroom homes of 71 to 95 square metres and £90 up to 110. Confirmed in writing before you book. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Which Greenwich wards need a selective licence?
Woolwich Riverside, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common and Plumstead Glyndon, for homes let to one household or two individuals. A home that already has an HMO licence does not also need a selective licence.
Does a shared house in Greenwich need a licence?
Yes. Three or four people from two or more households need an additional HMO licence, and five or more a mandatory HMO licence.
What happens if a Greenwich property should be licensed but isn’t?
The council can fine you up to £30,000 or take you to court, where the fine is unlimited, and your tenant can apply for a rent repayment order for up to the last 12 months’ rent.
Is the Progress Estate in Eltham a conservation area?
Yes, since 1975. Its 1,086 houses and 212 flats were built in 1915 for Royal Arsenal workers, so check with the council before changing the outside of a house to improve its rating.
How much is an EPC in Greenwich?
From £69 for a home of up to 52 square metres, which covers most one-bedroom flats, £75 for two bedrooms and £85 for 71 to 95 square metres, rising with floor area. There is no travel surcharge anywhere in Greater London.
Nearby
Next door: Lewisham, Bexley and Bromley, with Newham and Tower Hamlets across the river. I cover every London borough.