London's property hotspots: Hackney and Islington named as the capital's most in-demand boroughs for home buyers

East London's hipster heartland of Hackney has been revealed as London's most in-demand borough for buyers searching for a home.

Islington, Southwark, Lambeth, and Haringey are also among London's top five boroughs with the most sought after property, while Waltham Forest, Lewisham, Merton, Greenwich and Wandsworth made it into the top 10.

New data from Rightmove, which tracks the number of enquiries sent to local estate agents per property, reveals the hottest property markets across the capital.

As the intensity of the political wrangling over Brexit continues, house prices across London have seen steady decline in the past year. Prior to the slump, house prices in Hackney rose more than in any other local authority in the UK since 1998, surging by a staggering 568 per cent over 20 years.

The average asking price of a home currently stands at £626,095 following an annual drop of 4.9 per cent in the year to May.

Local estate agent Tom Jones at Savills in Hackney said the borough's growth in popularity over the past decade has been kick-started by rising prices in nearby Islington and the surrounding areas, pricing out buyers who naturally began to migrate east.

“During that time we had new bars and restaurants opening, with good transport links that meant it was close to the city. When the East London Line opened up, it made it really rapid to get to Liverpool Street and the West End, and it has amazing green spaces with areas like Victoria Park,” he said.

The area attracts those working in the City and young families, propelled by the fact it has “everything on the doorstep”.

“There were lots of areas of Hackney where there were hardly any shops or bars, but now there are little pockets all around the borough that has made it more accessible as a whole,” Jones said.

Areas such as Upper Clapton, which were not popular five years ago, are now where people want to be, he added.

(Source: Rightmove)

With its desirable Georgian and early Victorian houses and leafy streets, homes in Islington command premium prices.

The area, which has an average asking price of £770,123, is one where families tend to settle for the long-term, though new developments along the Regent's Canal will open the area up to younger buyers with deep pockets and downsizers.

The borough of Southwark, which stretches all the way from Camberwell and Peckham to Borough and the South Bank has an average asking price of £634.232.

Properties from period homes to new builds and social housing can be found throughout this borough, depending on where you look.

It's also one of south London's better connected boroughs with the Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and East London lines passing through it.

Young professionals and couples are moving to trendy Peckham, while those seeking glamorous apartments and want to be able to walk to work or to London's landmarks look for properties close to Bankside.

In Lambeth, London's fourth most in-demand borough, average asking prices are now £632,590, while in Haringey, number five on the list, the average cost of a home now stands at £602,170.