Housing in AL1 2LF
What the homes in AL1 2LF are, who owns them, how many people share them and what they rent for.
- Neighbourhood
- Cottonmill & Sopwell
- Council
- St Albans
- Region
- East of England
- Neighbourhood population
- 1,677 (2024)
AL1 2LFSt Albans
What homes look like here
The most common homes here are semi-detached houses (35%). Flats make up 33.5%, well above the 22.2% across England.
Owning vs renting
45.5% of households in the AL1 2LF area own their home, below the England average of 61.3%. Private renting makes up 9.7% of households, less than half the England figure of 20.5%. 17.8% own outright and 27.7% with a mortgage.
- Owned45.5%61.3%
- Shared ownership1%1%
- Private rented9.7%20.5%
- Social rented43.2%17.1%
- Lives rent free0.6%0.1%
By mortgage and landlord type
How many people live in each home
The average home here has 2.6 people living in it. 26.4% of households are one person living alone, against 30.1% across England.
Who lives together
The most common household is a couple with dependent children (24.4%). 33% of households include dependent children.
Private rents in St Albans
Average monthly rent for a new or renewed tenancy in St Albans (August 2026, +2.9% on a year earlier). ONS publishes rent figures at council level rather than by neighbourhood.
Census figures aren’t published for single postcodes, so the neighbourhood figures on this tab cover the area around AL1 2LF (Cottonmill & Sopwell) (about 1,677 residents).
Source: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics. Population: ONS mid-year estimates. Open Government Licence v3.0. Rents: ONS Price Index of Private Rents.