The 90 flats in Perronet House are of mixed tenure, some are occupied by council tenants, others by leaseholders or their private tenants. As of January 2026 the ratio of ownership tenure stood at 45% leaseholder (or their private tenant) and 55% rented by the council to tenants (Source: FOI 50613825 to Southwark Council: 41 leasehold properties, 49 council tenanted).
This page seeks to provide information to buyers, their mortgage surveyors and sellers. We are aware some surveyors reach negative conclusions based on poor research, misunderstandings and some latent prejudice about mid-century housing commissioned by local authorities.
January 2026.
SURVEYOR GUIDANCE
- Construction. Conventual in-situ concrete, much like 21st century towers at Elephant and Castle. It is not “system built” or ‘”pre-fabricated” like some council houses of high and low rise design constructed between the 1950s and 1970s. The concrete structure is infilled on the exterior with solid brick panels and the steel window frames. Details about all tower block construction can be found in the definitive text on high rise UK public housing, “Tower Block” (Glendinning and Muthesius, 1994) – the gazetteer at the back lists every block built. Go to page 367 of the online pdf, page number 356 of book. Perronet House is at the very bottom right of the page [listed by its GLC name of Elephant and Castle CDA Site 4 (Princess St)] – it does not have an unusual construction listed next to it. Compare this with, say, the Commercial Way blocks described immediately above which are listed as having Larsen-Nielsen (one of the most famous system-built techniques) – or the Aylesbury development (detailed two pages earlier) – which says they are Jespersen construction.
- Cladding. There is no cladding, nor has there ever been. Some surveyors mistakenly assume the white panels beneath the windows are cladding. They are in fact enamel painted metal, an integral part of the galvanised steel windows that were fitted when built.
- Improvements. The building has had substantial improvements and renovations. All internal communal wiring (rising and lateral mains), fire safety improvements to communal areas and property doors was undertaken in 2009 and 2010. New lifts and running gear was installed in 2012. A new boiler flue was installed in 2021.
- Desirability. The large, light and architecturally characterful dual-aspect maisonettes of Perronet House are very desirable. Many leaseholders who are fortunate enough to secure a property have invested in bold modernisations. High-end specialist estate agents, such as The Modern House, write glowing reviews of what they are marketing. The council tenants and some private tenants of flats tend to stay put. Between the late 00s and late 2010s the value of some properties here more than doubled. The primary break on a more dynamic market is significant errors by mortgage surveyors who fail in their job of accurately reviewing the building and context.
- Value. Property values increased by over 100% in the 2010s as the market recognised the enviable quality of the flats and the building’s prime Zone 1 location in an area of significant urban renewal and investment. Owners tend to stay put (we even know one household who sold up, regretted the decision and moved back!) Poorly informed surveyors are the main obstacle to more sales and higher prices. View property prices for Perronet House at SE1 6JR (lower floors) and SE1 6JS (higher floors).
- Glazing. All windows from the second floor and above are the original galvanised steel frames made by Crittal. All the large opening panes and some of the smaller panes are double glazed, as they were from new, the other panes are single glazed.
- Modifications. The building originally stood on ‘piloti’ with an open thoroughfare and parking space at ground level. In the late 1980s this pillared area was filled in to accommodate additional residents in new flats on the 1st floor (which can be identified by having hard-wood windows and brick walls), and to enclose the parking in garages. (These can be rented from the council for parking or using for general storage). In 2020 the council converted some of the garages into space for a pharmacy and small arcade to accomodate displaced local retailers during adjacent redevelopment. Most of this relatively new retail space is soon to be converted into a community centre with just the cafe and pharmacy remaining for now.
NOTEWORTHY ARCHITECTURE
- Perronet House was commended in a government award for housing in 1971.
- Perronet House’s architect, Sir Roger Walters was knighted the year Perronet House was completed.
- Eighty of the flats in Perronet House are split level over five floors each, providing dual aspect views west and east.
- Perronet House welcomed over two hundred guests as part of in London Open House in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
- Permission can be obtained from the council to reconfigure flats and remove or add walls, creating bold new contemporary properties as have previously featured in Open House and on blogs such as “Modernist Estates”.
- The view from Perronet House includes two listed buildings in the foreground. The first to be listed was the large metal box at the centre of the junction. It was designed by Rodney Gordon in 1965 as a memorial to local resident Michael Faraday. It also contains an electricity substation for the underground. The more recent listing is Metro Central Heights, a 1960s mega structure designed by Erno Goldfinger as offices in the early 1960s, condemned for having sick building syndrome when used as the HQ for the government’s DHSS and subsequently painted cream and converted into flats in the 1990s. It was listed in 2013 (presumably because of its architect notoriety more than the building’s integrity which is far from original either inside or out).
BUYERS TIPS:
- When seeking a mortgage work very closely with a surveyor and encourage your seller to do the same. Point them towards the facts on this page. Emphasise that many leaseholders have obtained mortgages.
- Ask for an electrical safety certificate or get an electrician to check the wiring in your flat before you agree the sale price. The flat you are viewing may need rewiring if it has not been done since it was built. A seller should be able to provide you with a certificate of recent electrical safety if work has been done. The council has rewired all tenant flats but leaseholders may not have.
- The building is fitted with a gas supply to each kitchen for powering the cooker. Some residents have had this supply removed as they prefer to use electric.
- Central heating is provided from communal boilers, with most properties benefiting from conventional hot water in radiators. This was installed in the 1980s to replace the original heating system which comprised of some hot air ducting and electric heaters. The charge for the communal heating is included within the annual service charge.
- Check the condition of the two water tanks, one for hot, one for cold. The originals are metal and slowly corrode from the inside out. Leaseholders are responsible for the cost of replacing their cold water tank – plastic is the standard material for new ones. The renewal of the hot water tank (including heat exchanger within) is inclusive as part of a leaseholder’s annual service charge, so not directly charged back. It can be replaced by the council’s heating contractor if they deem it necessary.
- Check for proof of permission from the council in properties where walls have been removed or added. The owners must provide written evidence from the council. You could be liable for the cost of restoring the property to its original configuration. If you are unsure whether a wall has been removed contact me – there is a standard layout for the four different sized properties (studio, 1 bed, 2 bed, 3 bed)
- Residents have been told by the council that our windows will not be considered for replacement anytime soon. The Tenants & Resident Association is currently of the view that white uPVC windows should not be installed. An estate agent informed one leaseholder this would devalue their property on aesthetic grounds. Nearby Draper House was reglazed by the council in 2017 with black framed windows, which are much more appropriate.
You are welcome to contact me for additional advice. I also help buyers find sellers and vice versa by maintaining a database of interested buyers. Contact me at richard@perronethouse.com
