Guildford has its own quirks for homeowners: hard water, a river that runs right through the town centre, tighter planning rules across the Green Belt and the Surrey Hills, and a council that's about to change. This guide covers what's different about looking after a home here, with links to the council pages that matter and to vetted local trades when you need one.
Last reviewed October 2026. This guide is general information. Always check with your council for your own address.
| If you live in… | Your council is… |
|---|---|
| Guildford town, including Merrow, Burpham, Stoughton, Onslow, Stoke and Westborough, and villages such as Ash, Send, Ripley, Effingham and Shalford | Guildford Borough Council |
| Godalming, Cranleigh, Farnham and Haslemere | Waverley Borough Council |
| Woking | Woking Borough Council |
Surrey's councils are changing. On 1 April 2027, Guildford, Waverley and Woking councils, along with three other borough councils and Surrey County Council's services in the west of the county, are being replaced by a single new council, West Surrey Council. Until then, the current councils keep running services as normal. See what's changing.
Not sure which council you’re in? Enter your postcode on GOV.UK's find your local council tool.
Guildford's water and sewerage are both run by Thames Water, which says all the water in its region is hard. Limescale builds up wherever water is heated or left to dry.
That matters most for your boiler. Scale on a boiler’s heat exchanger makes it work harder and can shorten its life. Combi boilers, which heat water on demand, are especially exposed. Scale also clogs showerheads, taps and the elements in kettles, washing machines and dishwashers.
What helps:
The Wey runs through the middle of Guildford, and homes and businesses near it have flooded. At Christmas 2013, the river flooded properties across the town centre, including on Friary Street, the High Street, Mary Road, William Road and Walnut Tree Close. On Walnut Tree Close, people were evacuated by boat on Christmas morning. Temporary flood barriers have since been used around Mary Road and William Road.
The Environment Agency is working with the councils on a Guildford flood alleviation scheme. It's still at the appraisal stage, and it needs funding before anything can be built.
If you live near the river, three things are worth doing now, before the wet months:
Check your long-term flood risk for your address on GOV.UK's flood risk checker.
Sign up for free flood warnings by phone, text or email through GOV.UK's flood warnings service.
Make a simple flood plan: know where your gas, electricity and water shut-offs are, keep important documents somewhere safe and high up, and take photos of your home and belongings now, in case you need to claim.
Guildford flood alleviation scheme · The evidence a home insurance claim needs
Planning is tighter in Guildford than in most places. The council says about 89% of the borough is Metropolitan Green Belt. The south of the borough is in the Surrey Hills National Landscape, formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There, as in conservation areas, some permitted development rights are restricted, for example for side extensions and cladding. Green Belt policy can also make larger extensions harder to get approved.
The borough has 40 conservation areas. In and around the town they include Guildford Town Centre, Charlotteville and Warren Road, Waterden Road, St Catherine's, Onslow Village, Stoke Fields, and Millmead and Portsmouth Road.
If your home is in one, you'll probably need planning permission for some work that would be “permitted development” elsewhere. You must also give the council six weeks' notice before cutting back or felling most trees.
Several of these areas go further. Article 4 directions apply in the Town Centre, Charlotteville and Warren Road, Waterden Road, St Catherine's and Onslow Village. These cover changes that face a road or open space, such as windows and doors, roofs, porches, walls and fences, and painting. Check with the council before planning any change to the outside of your home.
Guildford Borough Council: conservation areas · Search for planning restrictions on your property
Before any work on an older home:
Surrey County Council runs the Guildford Community Recycling Centre on Moorfield Road, Slyfield Green (GU1 1RU). You don’t need to book, but it’s closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so check the opening times before you go.
DIY waste is free up to a small allowance, no more than once every seven days: two 50-litre bags, or one large item, or one sheet of plasterboard. Anything over that is charged per bag, item or sheet, and plasterboard costs more. It’s card only. For a bigger project, budget for a skip, or ask your builder to include waste removal in the quote. Vans need a permit from the county council.
If you're in Waverley or Woking, check your own tip's opening days.
Surrey County Council: Guildford recycling centre · DIY and construction waste charges
Clear gutters and gullies once the leaves are down, so rain runs away from the walls. See the October home maintenance checklist.
Get the boiler serviced before the cold weather, and ask about scale.
Find your stopcock and check it turns, before a pipe freezes or bursts.
If you're near the Wey, sign up for flood warnings and move valuables and documents up high.
Draught-proof doors, letterboxes and loft hatches. See our draught-proofing guide.
When a job comes up, you can compare quotes from up to three vetted Guildford trades. Each trade's insurance and certificates are checked before they can quote. Quotes come through Trade Pilot, our platform for trades.
Moving or buying elsewhere? See all our local guides.
Guildford Borough Council licenses larger shared houses. A house in multiple occupation (HMO) with five or more people forming two or more households needs a mandatory licence, which costs £1,037.34. The council says shared houses with three or four tenants won’t need a licence from it.
HMOs may also need planning permission. The council’s minimum bedroom size is larger where planning permission is needed (7.5m²) than for licensing (6.51m²), so check both before you convert. Every rental still needs the standard safety checks, and England’s new landlord register opens region by region from 15 December 2026. In the South East, which includes Guildford, landlords must register from 15 March 2027, with a deadline of 14 June 2027, subject to Parliament approving the regulations.
Guildford Borough Council: do I need an HMO licence? · HMOs and planning permission · The checks every rental needs → · Landlord register dates →
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