Many of the flats in Richmond upon Thames are part of converted Victorian terraced houses - usually a shared entrance hall and then one flat on the ground floor and another on the first floor.  Some of the bigger houses in Richmond are converted into three flats.  Due to the proximity of the River Thames, there are fewer basement flats in Richmond than in other parts of London.  The flats in converted properties tend to have one or two bedrooms with one bathroom, but there are also many studio flats.

Richmond also has a large number of mansion blocks, filled with flats. The first mansion blocks were built in the 19th Century for the growing urban upper middle classes - the white collar workers - with grand entrances, generous elevations and balconies reminiscent of mansions.  The benefit of a mansion block is that there's usually an organised resident's committee, there are always people around (good for security) and as the buildings are taller you can get flats on higher floors and therefore more privacy and better views - some of the views in Richmond are spectacular, particularly from Richmond Hill.  The downside is that there are rarely lifts in these old properties so be prepared to walk up lots of stairs with your shopping.

In the last 20 years we've seen masses of new modern flats built in the Richmond area, fashionably known as apartments.  These are generally pretty high specification and two bedroom flats will often come with two bathrooms (including an en-suite bathroom), and a single kitchen/diner/living room.  The advantages of these developments is that they have better heat and sound insulation, lifts, and even underground parking in some cases.

Whether you're looking to rent or buy a flat, the biggest impact to the cost other than the number of bedrooms is going to be the location.  Premium spots include Richmond Hill, Petersham village, Kew village and of course anywhere near the River or tube and train stations.

Richmond Council no longer provides council housing.  All houses owned by the Council were transferred in July 2000 to the Richmond Housing Partnership who own and manage over 10,000 houses and flats in South West London.

The main town of Richmond Surrey is a green and leafy town and it is surrounded by accessible open spaces. Richmond Park lies to the South and East of Richmond - a large area of wild heath and woodland that was first enclosed by Charles I as a hunting park. The wide green lawns and playing fields of the Old Deer Park which run down to the River Thames lie to the North, and beyond it Kew Gardens.  It's also an excellent centre for shopping and restaurants.

If you have local insight about apartments or apartments in Richmond Surrey that you'd like to share with us, that we can share with everyone else, please let us know - contact information on the About Us page.