Living in WD17, Watford
What the open data says about house prices, schools, crime and flood risk around WD17 in Watford. Built from the same sources as every property report on this site, not opinion or marketing copy.
- Homes on the streets around central WD17 sold at a median of £355,000 across 99 recorded sales, above the England average of £290,000 (HM Land Registry).
- Prices across Watford are down 0.7% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
- Of the 66 schools within about 3 miles, 82% are rated Good or Outstanding, against 90% of state schools in England (Ofsted).
- The centre of WD17 is in flood zone 1 (low probability), on the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
- A Band D household in Watford pays £2,447 in council tax for 2026-27, every precept included (MHCLG).
- Police recorded 645 crimes within roughly a mile of the centre in August 2026, most commonly violent crime (Police.uk).
Figures gathered 15 October 2026, each from the source named in its section.
House prices
Average price in Watford: £404,299, down 0.7% on a year ago (July 2026). The wider East of England average is £337,518.
Check sold prices for a specific address in WD17 →
See where WD17 ranks across East of England →
Council tax at Band D in Watford: £2,447 a year (2026-27). Running costs by postcode: council tax, energy, tenure, and the estate charge no listing shows →
Compare WD17 with another district
Sold prices, the price trend, schools, flood zone, Band D council tax and crime for WD17 against any other district, each from the source the section below names.
What actually sold around WD17
99 recorded home sales on the streets around central WD17 in the last 2 years, with a median of £355,000 and a range from £100,000 to £1,350,000. Mostly flats and maisonettes.
| Address | Type | Sold for | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Kenilworth Court Hempstead Road, WD17 4LE | Flat or maisonette | £273,758 | 24 Jul 2026 |
| 21 Lorane Court Langley Road, WD17 4LZ | Flat or maisonette | £330,000 | 23 Jul 2026 |
| 6 Langwood, 87 Langley Road, WD17 4PW | Flat or maisonette | £355,000 | 23 Jul 2026 |
| Flat 6 Maxwell Court, 8 Schreiber Grange, WD17 4DY | Flat or maisonette | £450,000 | 23 Jul 2026 |
| 53 Langley Road, WD17 4PB | Detached | £1,050,000 | 16 Jul 2026 |
| 17A Essex Road, WD17 4EL | Flat or maisonette | £350,000 | 30 Jun 2026 |
How to read this
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Every sale of a registered property in England and Wales appears here once it completes, so the most recent weeks are always still filling in.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Schools nearby
66 schools within 3 miles , of which 82% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
| Nearest well-rated schools | Stage | Ofsted | Distance | Admitted from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nascot Wood Junior School | Primary | Outstanding | 0.5 mi away | no figure |
| Watford Grammar School for Girls | Secondary | Outstanding | 0.9 mi away | no figure |
| Parkgate Junior School | Primary | Outstanding | 0.9 mi away | 0.65 mi varies |
| Holy Rood Catholic Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 1.5 mi away | no figure |
| Warren Dell Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 2.5 mi away | 0.2 mi varies |
| St Joseph Catholic Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 2.6 mi away | no figure |
Schools in WD17 with a published admission distance
How far away the last child offered a place lived, as the council published it. Tightest first; each name opens the school's page and its postcode checker.
| School | Stage | Admitted from | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanchester Primary School | Primary | 0.4 mi | varies |
| Nascot Wood Infant and Nursery School | Primary | 0.44 mi | varies |
| Cassiobury Junior School | Primary | 0.66 mi | varies |
| Central Primary School | Primary | 0.69 mi | varies |
| Cassiobury Infant and Nursery School | Primary | 1.17 mi | varies |
| Watford St John's Church of England Primary School | Primary | 1.36 mi | varies |
44 state primary and 9 state secondary schools within range, plus 6 fee-paying schools.
Private schools
6 fee-paying schools within 3 miles: Longwood School, Merchant Taylors' Prep School, Merchant Taylors' School, Stanborough Primary School, Stanborough Secondary School, The Purcell School.
All 6 fee-paying schools near WD17, with ages and admissions →
Fee-paying schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted, and the ISI publishes no open data feed. That is why they carry no rating here. A missing grade means we cannot see one, not that the school was judged poorly.
What people here do for work
The most common occupations among working residents, from the 2021 Census. This is occupation rather than industry: it says what people do, not which industries employ them.
| Occupation group | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Professional occupations | 32.7% |
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 16.1% |
| Associate professional and technical | 14.8% |
| Skilled trades | 8.2% |
| Administrative and secretarial | 7.5% |
Source: ONS Census 2021, table TS063, for this district's small area.
How WD17 has changed since 2011
The biggest move: private renting, up 16.5 points since 2011, with England's change beside each line.
How to read this
The census neighbourhood at the centre of WD17 (E01035573, 1,597 residents in 2021, down 28.0% on 2011) on the 2011 and 2021 censuses, with England's own change over the same decade for scale. Each line is a share of the neighbourhood's households or residents, so a growing area and a shrinking one compare fairly. The biggest move here: private renting, up 16.5 points.
| Measure | 2011 | 2021 | Change | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62.4% | 54.8% | -7.6 pts | -2.0 pts |
| Households renting privately | 27.8% | 44.3% | +16.5 pts | +3.7 pts |
| Households renting socially | 5.4% | 1.0% | -4.4 pts | -0.6 pts |
| Residents under 15 | 18.2% | 19.4% | +1.2 pts | -0.3 pts |
| Residents 65 and over | 16.1% | 19.0% | +2.9 pts | +2.1 pts |
| Adults with a degree or equivalent | 51.2% | 54.9% | +3.7 pts | +6.5 pts |
| Residents born outside the UK | 28.1% | 41.4% | +13.3 pts | +3.6 pts |
| Residents in good or very good health | 85.8% | 83.1% | -2.7 pts | +0.8 pts |
| Residents in a white ethnic group | 67.7% | 58.1% | -9.6 pts | -4.4 pts |
Office for National Statistics, Census 2011 and Census 2021, Open Government Licence. A district holds many neighbourhoods; the full report for an address shows the one it sits in.
Crime
645 crimes recorded within roughly a mile of central WD17 in August 2026, most commonly violent crime.
Flood risk
Zone 1 (low probability). This is the Environment Agency's flood zone for the area's centre point, an individual property's own risk can differ, especially near a specific watercourse.
Deprivation
This area falls in decile 9 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (least deprived nationally), based on Watford's figures.
Getting around & nearby essentials
16 supermarkets, 11 pharmacies, 179 restaurants and cafés, 34 pubs, 1 hospital within a mile of central WD17, hospitals within three miles.
Buses from the centre of WD17
Best-served stop: Stratford Road, with 2.1 buses an hour on weekday daytimes.
Evenings, Sundays and routes
The best-served stop within 800 m of the centre of WD17 is Stratford Road: 2.1 buses an hour on a weekday daytime, 0.8 in the evening and 0.0 on Sunday daytime; first bus 06:10, last 20:41. Routes there: 322, 319, 347. 5 stops with a scheduled service within that distance.
Departures a passenger can board, from the timetables operators publish to the Department for Transport's Bus Open Data Service, for Tuesday 8 Sep 2026 and Sunday 13 Sep 2026. Scheduled, not observed. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two stops. The full report does this for the stops within 500 m of an address.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport)
GP practices and A&E
3 GP practices within 3.0 km of the centre of WD17. The nearest, The Elms Surgery, has 8,731 registered patients and 4,912 patients per fully qualified GP, against an England median of 2,186.
| Practice | From the centre | Patients | Per qualified GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Elms Surgery | 0.2 mi | 8,731 | 4,912 |
| Suthergrey House Medical Centre | 0.3 mi | 8,261 | 1,465 |
| Watford Health Centre | 0.6 mi | 17,997 | 2,450 |
Nearest A&E: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where 63.5% of type 1 attendances were seen within four hours in July 2026; then North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust at 60.7%.
How to read this
NHS England: patients registered at a GP practice (1 Aug 2026), the general practice workforce (July 2026), and A&E attendances by provider, monthly. Fully qualified GPs exclude trainees. Practices are matched by postcode.
Source: NHS England, monthly releases
Council tax and the council's finances
A Band D household in Watford pays £2,447 for 2026-27, all precepts included, a rise of 4.4% on the year before against an England median rise of 4.8%. Every band for Watford, and how it compares.
| Year | Band D bill | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | £1,962 | +4.0% |
| 2022-23 | £2,035 | +3.7% |
| 2023-24 | £2,134 | +4.9% |
| 2024-25 | £2,236 | +4.8% |
| 2025-26 | £2,343 | +4.8% |
| 2026-27 | £2,447 | +4.4% |
No exceptional financial support from government since 2020-21 and no section 114 notice on record for Watford, as at 7 Sep 2026.
How to read this
A home's own band is on its council tax bill, free to look up at gov.uk/council-tax-bands; the report shows every band's bill at the council beside the home's other checks.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, live council tax tables (Band D, area averages) and the Exceptional Financial Support lists published each year; section 114 notices as published by the councils.
Source: MHCLG live council tax tables and Exceptional Financial Support lists
Common questions about WD17
What is the average house price in WD17?
The average sold price in Watford is £404,299 as of July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index.
Are house prices rising in WD17?
Prices in Watford are down 0.7% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
What do houses actually sell for in WD17?
The median of 99 recorded sales around central WD17 in the last 2 years is £355,000, ranging from £100,000 to £1,350,000 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data).
Are the schools good in WD17?
66 schools sit within 3 miles of central WD17, and 82% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
How much crime is there in WD17?
645 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central WD17 in August 2026, most commonly violent crime (Police.uk).
Is WD17 at risk of flooding?
Central WD17 sits in Zone 1 (low probability) for river and sea flooding (Environment Agency). Individual addresses vary, so check the full report for a specific property.
Is WD17 a good place to live?
That depends on what you need, so here is what the official data says rather than an opinion: 82% of nearby schools are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted; the median home sells for £355,000; the area sits in decile 9 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation; 645 crimes were recorded within about a mile. Every one of those figures names its source on this page.
Is WD17 safe?
645 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central WD17 in August 2026, according to Police.uk. The most common category was violent crime. Crime counts follow how many people are around, so a busy district records more than a quiet one of the same size.
Neighbouring districts
Want the full picture for a specific property?
This page covers WD17 as a whole. For sold price history, EPC rating, exact-address crime and flood risk, school catchment areas and 30+ other checks on one specific property, search its full postcode.