I cover the whole Royal Borough as an accredited domestic energy assessor: Kingston, Canbury and Norbiton (KT1, KT2), Coombe (KT2), New Malden and Motspur Park (KT3), Surbiton, Berrylands and Tolworth (KT5, KT6), Chessington and Hook (KT9), and Old Malden and the Kingston side of Worcester Park (KT4). There is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London; booking a day or two ahead gives the widest choice of times.
| Households (2021 census) | 65,628 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 27.3% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 60.9% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 11.0% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 38.3% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 6.5% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 61.5% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 68, band D (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 49% (London 58%) |
| HMO licence needed | Only for 5 or more people in 2 or more households sharing facilities |
| Every HMO (3 or more people, 2 or more households) | Must meet fire, amenity and minimum room-size standards |
| Households in a detached house | 12.6%, the third-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: the Royal Borough of Kingston’s “Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)” 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.
Kingston’s HMO rules
Kingston does not run additional or selective licensing. An HMO licence is needed only where five or more people forming two or more households share facilities, and when the council reviews an application it counts habitable basements, lofts and converted commercial spaces as extra storeys. Purpose-built blocks of more than three flats do not need a licence, though they can still be HMOs.
Smaller HMOs are not let off the standards. Any home with at least three people in two or more households sharing a toilet, bathroom or kitchen is an HMO, and every HMO must meet the council’s fire and amenity standards — a protected escape route, early warning of fire, enough kitchens and bathrooms, no overcrowding, good repair — and the statutory minimum room sizes. A resident landlord can have two lodgers before the home counts as an HMO. Operating a licensable HMO without a licence can bring an unlimited fine. Checked on the council’s HMO page on 22 October 2026.
Room sizes, floor plans and the EPC
Because every HMO here has to meet minimum room sizes, it pays to know exactly how big each room is: a laser-measured floor plan records them all, from £69 on its own or from £123 with an EPC. Separately, 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; HMO guide).
What the assessment looks at in a Kingston home
How homes in Kingston upon Thames 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 68, band D, against 70 across London, and 49% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 62, against 84 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 72, terraced houses at 67. How every London borough compares.
61.5% of households in the Royal Borough live in a house — 31.7% in a semi and 12.6% in a detached house, the third-highest detached share in London — and 38.3% in a flat.
Surbiton, the railway suburb
Surbiton was first developed in the 1840s as “Kingston-upon-Railway”, and today mixes grand nineteenth-century townhouses, Art Deco courts, newer blocks and twentieth-century estates of semi-detached houses. A Victorian townhouse usually has solid walls and tall windows, recorded as found, while an Art Deco flat’s rating depends on its position in the block and its heating.
New Malden, Tolworth and the bypass suburbs
North of New Malden station, two- and three-bedroom terraces went up in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with larger detached and semi-detached houses towards Coombe Hill in the 1930s and 1940s. After the Kingston bypass opened in 1927, the farms to its south were developed for housing; Norbiton Hall’s flats date from 1933 to 1935, and Tolworth’s Dean Court and Drayton Court from 1959. For a 1930s house, the cavity walls, loft insulation and any extension or loft conversion decide most of the rating.
Selling in Kingston
60.9% of Kingston households own their home. A sale needs an EPC ordered before the home is marketed — the sellers’ guide explains when, and the exemptions.
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 96 to 110, and from £95 for larger homes with four or more bedrooms; flats from £69. Confirmed in writing before you book. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Kingston?
Only if five or more people forming two or more households share facilities. Smaller HMOs do not need a licence, but they must still meet the council’s fire and amenity standards and the statutory minimum room sizes.
What counts as a storey for a Kingston HMO licence?
The council counts habitable basements, lofts and converted commercial spaces as additional storeys when it reviews an HMO licence application.
Can I have lodgers in Kingston without it being an HMO?
A resident landlord is allowed two lodgers before the property is classed as an HMO.
What is the penalty for an unlicensed HMO in Kingston?
The council says you can be fined an unlimited amount if you do not have a licence for an HMO that needs one.
How much is an EPC for a house in Kingston?
On the guide price list, two- and three-bedroom homes of 71 to 95 square metres are £85, three-bedroom houses and compact four-bedroom homes of 96 to 110 square metres are £90, and larger homes start at £95.
Nearby
Next door: Richmond upon Thames, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth. I cover every London borough.