Illustrated map of the London Borough of Lewisham — Illustrative map, not to scale.

Trade work in Lewisham: social housing, HMOs and a growing town centre

Lewisham has more social housing than any other borough in our research, and a rule change in 2025 turned that into new work. Here is what electricians, plumbers, builders and every other trade should know.

A new deadline for social landlords

29.2% of Lewisham's 122,393 households rent from a council or housing association, nearly 36,000 homes. Since December 2025, social landlords have needed the same five-yearly electrical inspections as private landlords, and homes with existing tenancies must be inspected before 1 November 2026. That means EICRs and the remedial work they uncover.

Private lets and shared houses

Another 27.2% of households rent privately, about 33,300 homes, and 41.9% are owner occupied. Converting a house into an HMO needs planning permission anywhere in Lewisham, after Article 4 directions were introduced in two phases in 2020 and 2024. Existing HMOs still need annual gas safety checks and reliable maintenance.

New Cross, Lewisham and Catford

This Opportunity Area is planned for 13,500 homes by 2041. 2,759 have been completed since 2019 and around 7,000 more are in the pipeline, much of it at Surrey Canal Triangle. The Bakerloo Line extension that would unlock more growth is still unfunded. Across the whole borough, the London Plan target is 16,670 homes in ten years, 3,790 on small sites.

Heating and power

71.5% of homes heat with mains gas only and 11.8% with electricity only, so boiler work leads but electric heating is a real slice of the market.

What people search for

Plumber and electrician searches each run in the hundreds a month (Google's range: 100 to 1,000), level with each other.

Conservation streets

Lewisham has 29 conservation areas, including Blackheath, Brockley, Forest Hill, Ladywell and Telegraph Hill. Many have Article 4 directions, but they vary: in Blackheath they cover specific streets only, so check the exact address.