Help to Buy vs Mansion Tax

In recent days, two maps have appeared which throw a bit more light on the state of the Lewisham housing market.

The first is in The Telegraph, which has mapped the boroughs according to the number of homes bought through the Help to Buy scheme. The areas in dark red are those which have made most use of the mortgage guarantee initiative.

As you can see, South East London is the biggest beneficiary, which is to be expected given that it's still a relatively affordable area and HtB is aimed at people trying to get on the ladder. So far, 41 homes have been bought with Help to Buy backing.

Secondly, this one from City AM, examines how many homes in each borough might qualify for Labour's proposed  Mansion Tax. Data from the Land Registry suggests only 12 houses in the borough would qualify, although that seems like a massive underestimate given current house prices. The Cator Estate alone must have more than that. Anyway, the key number is 23 - that's where Lewisham ranks in terms of London boroughs with £2m+ houses.